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New I/O Standard Bids To Replace Mini PCI Express
DeviceGuru writes "LinuxDevices reports that a group of companies today unveiled — and demonstrated products based on — a tiny new PCI Express expansion standard. Although it's somewhat larger than the PCI Express Mini Card, the tiny new 43mm x 65mm FeaturePak card's high density 230-pin edgecard connector provides twice the number of PCI Express and USB 2.0 channels to the host computer, plus 100 lines dedicated to general purpose I/O, of which 34 signal pairs are implemented with enhanced isolation for use in applications such as gigabit Ethernet or high-precision analog I/O. While FeaturePaks will certainly be used in all sorts of embedded devices (medical instruments, test equipment, etc.), the tiny cards could also be used for developing configurable consumer devices, for example to add an embedded firewall/router or security processor to laptop or notebook computers, or for modular functionality in TV set-top-boxes and Internet edge devices." The president of Diamond Systems, which invented the new card, said "Following the FeaturePak initiative's initial launch, we intend to turn the FeaturePak specification, trademark, and logo over to a suitable standards organization so it can become an industry-wide, open-architecture, embedded standard" (but to use the logo you have to join the organization).
I think PCIe is here to stay just because of its use in the desktop market. It is fast becoming the only standard for desktop components (there are now motherboards with no old style PCI). Ok well the benefit to having a laptop standard the same as the desktop standard is obvious. All the chips work the same, you don't need a new chip design or a bridge chip for the different standards. You just put the stuff in a different package and go.
General consumers won't have any use for 100 gpio pins, the fragile 240-pin connector will not last on any kind of multiple-insertions application, and in general, is there even any demand for this kind of stuff? bringing more pci-e lanes = only useful for graphics, anyone who needs more than 1x out of a laptop will be buying a desktop instead.
This is a new form factor and interface connector for a couple of industry standard buses with a couple of twists thrown in. That is not to say it won't be a minor boon for the people who can make use of such devices, just that this sort of change is sort of thing to be expected out of most market segments every eighteen to thirty six months. Not "hopeless" (that was a joke) but certainly derivative.
MXM is the connector used for modern laptop video cards (essentially PCIe x16 + video/monitor out)
Let's see: FeaturePak uses the same connector, FeaturePak uses PCIe, FeaturePak has a bunch of undefined IO pins. Sounds to me like MXM, except they replace the video-card-specific but mostly standardized video out signals with totally unspecified "put whatever you want here, including power" signals. Great.
This doesn't look like it's aimed at laptops at all (unlike Mini PCI Express, which is the form factor used for small PCIe modules such as video capture cards and WiFi). This sounds like it's more suited to small form factor embedded platforms for industrial/medical/etc use.
They're just saying it may potentially enter the consumer market just for something to say. The fact it has general purpose IO lines on it means it is aimed specifically at the embedded device market like SBCs.
The connector is physically bigger than the equivalent one in a mini PCI Express system. Manufacturers aren't going to switch to this new interface if it means allocating more space inside their laptop/tablet/netbook. It doesn't add anything extra that would be useful in those situations.
Just found out that "the number" is one: FeaturePak features (no pun...) two PCI-Express lanes and two USB buses (and hosts only have to implement one of each anyway). Color me unimpressed.
FeaturePak specification, trademark, and logo over to a suitable standards organization so it can become an industry-wide, open-architecture, embedded standard" (but to use the logo you have to join the organization).
Specifically, the terms and conditions you are asked to agree to in the MOU are:
1. Recipient acknowledges Diamond Systems Corporation as present owner of the FeaturePak trademark and logo.
2. Recipient may only associate the FeaturePak logo with products that conform to the FeaturePak specification.
3. Recipient may only use the FeaturePak logo in accordance with the logo use guidelines.
4. Recipient may not use a name, trademark, or logo similar to FeaturePak's name, trademark, or logo for any substantially similar purpose.
5. *Resistance is futile*
Indeed. Moving GPIO from the adapter to the host sounds a whole lot more like the failed (though very cool) BeBox than anything which will actually generate enough money to be worthwhile.
Kid-proof tablet..
My God (or goodness),
After reading the post in its entirety, i began to: 1) Piss my pants and then 2) SHIT my pants and then 3) SHIT blood and then 4) not give a shit any more.
I am still on eISA. Why does tech change to fast?
Anything's going to be better than pcie-mini, given the damage that was done to it by Dell and ASUS using the form factor and connector but systematically violating the pinouts.
"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from." -- Andrew Tanenbaum
I'm still excited about finally getting a computer with an AGP slot :(
Diamond Systems aim mostly at the embedded market. So I don't really see this coming to the consumer side.
I use Diamond System products, and they always incorporate some sort of GPIO and ADC on their single board computers. This looks like a way for them introduce more expansion options that will be initially tied to their brand.
Almost all the industrial/scientific computing suppliers are pushing their own standard form of an expansion bus. CompactPCI and PC104+ are getting pretty old and some vendors are trying to be the first to come up with a viable replacement in order to gain an advantage and the ability to collect royalties from their competitors. I'm waiting to see what happens with StackableUSB...
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
I have always though it would be nice to give a consumer computer with about 4 analog I/O and 10 digital I/O ports for general use. DAQ is a fundamental part of having a computer interact with the outside world and great for kids introduction to automation. It also has the ability to "become" any port you need it to be as long as the frequency of the controller is greater than 2x the bus speed of the port and someone is willing to write the appropriate pin management to make the I/O pins behave like the port in question (serial, usb, ethernet, etc.) both on the line and to the OS.
- Sig
Oh thank you IEEE for not coming up with more cards Nearly got my 40 MB MFM drive's to work with my pcie 1x there were some minor timing issues and tad of rat wiring. I will try to get the ISA cards working next
But now I must be off I have more work to do on the HDMI to my salvaged from a "Compaq portable" black monochrome plasma screen, it's hard to get the cards out of the Compaq cause they are held in like with retarded star screws, and I only have needle-nose vice-grips, and a flat screwdriver that strips the middle, too bad Compaq didn't use those wide-grip, hand turn-able, no tools needed, sexy, aluminum case screws, oh dear it looks like more than one size of star nut screws, I May have to get a mental grinder for xmas, so I can shear off stripped screws, whoopsie I'm bleeding now off to get serial printer to USB 3.0 working..
Yeah, yeah, this is all very nice, but when am I getting my ISAexpress hardware??? I mean, I've just about given up on waiting for my S100express hardware upgrade...