COM Express: Great Taste, Less Filling

Remember the popular Miller Lite commercials that promise a great tasting beer that won’t fill you up? That message resonated with consumers because it promised “everything you always wanted in a beer.” And, of course, the ads were great.

COM Express designs offer a similar choice in computer systems: the technical advantages of a custom design without the high cost and long development cycle. Pretty big claim, so how does this work?

The concept of using a Computer on Module (COM) was developed as an alternative design architecture that combines important benefits of custom and off-the-shelf systems. COM Express systems use an off-the-shelf COM module that supplies the core, high-speed functionality found in most PCs (processor, chipset, video, memory, Ethernet, USB) married to a custom designed “carrier board” with all connectors, power, and application specific I/O. Although there is still some design effort required for the carrier board, time to market is greatly shortened compared to a true custom computer system while delivering the same exact match to the electrical and mechanical application requirements.

The benefits of COM Express systems are numerous and include:

• Fast Time to Market
• Scalability for Easy Upgrade
• Application Specific I/O
• Flexible Mechanical Configuration
• Vibration Resistant
• Long Term Availability and Support
• Superior Lifecycle Management

Find additional information on COM Express and Sealevel’s custom design capabilities.