Diamond Systems ZETA : ZETA-E3940-8G064D Type 10 COM Express Rugged Small Form Factor SBC with DIO

Not every vehicle computer needs analog measurement. Many control and communications jobs come down to Ethernet, serial links and a handful of switching and status lines. The ZETA-E3940-8G064D is the Atom E3940 digital I/O build in the Diamond Systems ZETA series: a COM Express SBC that combines a COM Express Mini Type 10 module, a same-size carrier board and a heat spreader in one pre-assembled unit.

The Intel Atom E3940 is a quad-core Apollo Lake processor at 1.6 GHz, with 8 GB of RAM and 64 GB of eMMC on the module for the operating system and application. The COM is an industry-standard module, so a newer processor can take its place in the same form factor with little or no hardware redesign, which helps long-life products stay in production. Graphics drive VGA and single-channel 24-bit LVDS.

Digital I/O comes from a PCA9535 expander with 16 lines, user-selectable 3.3 or 5 V logic, pull-up or pull-down resistors and buffered outputs. System I/O covers two Gigabit Ethernet ports, four RS-232/422/485 ports with programmable protocol and line termination, four USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port, a MiniCard/mSATA socket and a Micro SD socket, plus a watchdog timer. The ZETA-E3940-8G064A adds the full 16-bit data acquisition circuit to the same processor, and the ZETA-E3950-8G128D keeps digital I/O with an Atom E3950 and 128 GB of eMMC.

Input is 6 to 36 V DC. The ZETA-E3940-8G064D runs fanless from -40 to 85 °C, measured at the surface of the bottom heat spreader, which mounts straight to the enclosure wall and keeps the top side clear for expansion. An expansion connector carries two PCIe x1 links, SATA, HD audio and USB 2.0 to Diamond’s optional daughterboards with a second MiniCard socket and an M.2 SATA socket. Diamond supports Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB.