ATHENA IV COM Express PC/104 SBC with Integrated Data Acquisition

Athena IV is the fourth generation in the Athena family of rugged, wide-temperature PC/104 SBCs with Integrated data acquisition, extending back to the original Athena in 2004. Athena IV is an excellent choice for:

• Customers using previous generations of Athena seeking to extend the lifetime of their existing product;
• Customers seeking to replace an obsolete PC/104 SBC with a newer generation one to extend their existing product’s lifetime; or
• Customers seeking to build a PC/104 system expected to have a long lifetime.

Maintaining a legacy for long life applications

Each generation of Athena maintained the same physical shape and most of the I/O connectors and features of the previous generations, while updating key features to stay current with the state of the art. In this way the Athena platform has maintained a low-impact migration path for customers with extended product lifecycles that outstrip the lifetimes of the CPU. Many customers have been able to maintain their products for up to 16 years as a result.

Key Features

COM-based architecture for long product life and performance scalability
Integrated professional quality data acquisition circuit saves space
Downward stacking PC/104 ISA bus connector supports a wide range of I/O modules for easy system I/O expansion
M.2 2230 SATA socket supports up to 128GB flashdisk
Form factor and most connectors backwards compatible with previous generations of Athena for easy product migration
Heat sink cooling
5VDC input voltage
4.175 x 4.475″ / 106 x 114mm W x H
-40/+85ºC operation fanless
Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux OS support

SBC features:

Choice of E3845, E3940, or E3950 Atom CPU
4-8GB RAM soldered on COM
Up to 128GB eMMC Flash integrated onto COM
2 gigabit Ethernet ports
VGA + Single-channel 24-bit LVDS
1 USB 3.0 port + 4 USB 2.0 ports
4 RS-232/422/485 serial ports with dual software/jumper configuration control
HDA audio (ALC262)
7-pin SATA connector plus M.2 2230 socket
On-board RTC backup battery plus external battery connector
Data acquisition subsystem features:
16 single-ended / 8 differential analog inputs
16-bit A/D resolution
Unipolar and bipolar analog inputs
Single-ended and differential input configuration
Programmable gain 1/2/4/8 providing input ranges +/-10V / 0-10V down to +/- 1.25V / 0-1.25V
150KHz maximum A/D sample rate, single-channel and multi-channel mode
Internal clock / external clock / software A/D triggering
Single-channel and multi-channel-scan A/D operation
Interrupts with FIFO to support reliable high-speed sampling
4 12-bit single-ended analog outputs
+/-10V, +/-5V, 0-10V and 0-5V output ranges
Autocalibration with Universal Driver software maintains accuracy over time and temperature
24 digital I/O, 3.3V logic / 5V tolerant inputs
2 programmable counter/timers for A/D timing and general counting purposes

Key Benefits

• Seamless upgrade path from previous Athena generations
• Long lifecycle ensures product longevity and reduced obsolescence
• Comprehensive data acquisition capabilities for various applications
• Flexible mass storage options to suit different capacity needs
• Rugged design with wide-temperature range for industrial environments
• Extensive I/O expansion with support for hundreds of modules
• Quick project startup with ready-to-run development kits
• Maintains compatibility with previous Athena cables, reducing transition costs
• Reliable performance in harsh environments with updated thermal management

Specifications

Mass storage:

Athena IV offers two methods for mass storage:

An M.2 2230 size SATA socket is provided for onboard mass storage. Modules up to 128GB are available. This is the most common choice.
A standard 7-pin SATA connector is available for connecting a standard 2.5″ or other form factor hard drive. This connector can be used when higher capacity storage is needed. Diamond offers accessory board ACC-HDDMOUNT which allows a 2.5” drive to be mounted on the PC/104 stack.

PC/104 expansion

Athena IV uses the rugged and widely supported PC/104 ISA bus for I/O expansion. Choose from hundreds of I/O modules from vendors all over the world, including our own extensive selection using the links below. Although the board has both top side and bottom side PC/104 connectors, bottom side mounting of I/O modules is preferred to avoid blocking airflow over the top-side heat sink on Athena.

Development Kit

Development kits are available to support quick project startup. Each kit includes the Athena SBC, a cable kit, and a programmed 64GB flashdisk with your choice of Windows 10 or Linux operating system, ready to run. Simply plug in the flashdisk, attach the cables, add your keyboard, mouse, and display, and you’re ready to boot into a fully functional OS. Configuration files and instructions are provided to rebuild the OS with your application. The Linux kit includes all the tools needed to rebuild the OS. The Windows 10 kit includes a runtime license.

Cable Kit

Athena IV is designed to use most of the same cables as previous generations of Athena, along with upgrades for the latest technology. New with Athena IV is a second gigabit Ethernet port which is backwards compatible with the original board’s 10/100 connector along with a USB 3.0 cable.

COM Advantage:

Athena IV uses a COM Express Type 10 “mini” Computer-on-Module (COM) to provide the core CPU functionality, mounted on a carrier board that provides the PC/104 expansion and the remaining I/O circuitry.The use of a COM instead of a directly soldered CPU circuit provides several key advantages and benefits:

• Higher feature density: A 2-board solution provides twice the PCB area in the given footprint, allowing more circuitry and more features to be included.
• Longer lifetime: Since all COMs in a given form factor support essentially the same features, if the COM becomes obsolete or unavailable, a newer one can be used in its place, usually with minimal re-engineering.
• Performance scalability: COM Express modules are available from a number of suppliers around the world with multiple processor and memory options, allowing a single design to be used for a range of applications. For a lower-end application, choose a low-power, low-performance COM. For a higher end application, choose a higher performance COM. In both cases the rest of the system remains identical, allowing your investment in engineering and product design to be reused multiple times.
• Earlier access to newest generation CPUs: Most processors enter the market initially in the form of COMs. By using a COM-based SBC, you can gain access to the latest generation of CPU sooner than waiting for a true SBC with that processor to be available. Again, upgrading is simple since the rest of the system remains unchanged.