x86 embedded computing: COM Express carrier boards
When a product needs an Intel processor and standard PC software, we keep the computing module off the shelf and design the board around it. A COM Express carrier board we designed for Intel processors now sells in the thousands of units per year. These projects are under NDA: we describe the classes of problems and the results, never our clients' products.
A COM Express carrier in production for three years
We designed a custom carrier board for a COM Express module with Intel processors. The product sells in the thousands of units per year, with no manufacturing-driven redesign, and it has generated no support call since it went into production three years ago. It is the most direct proof of our method: a design built for series production from the first prototype.
When the COTS board does not fit: 30 mm too long
On another project, the off-the-shelf option was a computer board built around a COM Express Type 6 module. Its PCB was 30 mm too long for the product's mechanics and it drew too much power. We kept the module and designed a custom COM Express Type 6 carrier, drawn to the enclosure outline and populated only with the interfaces the product uses. The full reasoning is in our guide to COTS or custom boards.
x86 motherboard with dense PCI Express
We also developed a custom industrial computer based on an Intel Core i5, with a densely populated PCI Express bus: a custom motherboard where high-speed interconnect density is the real routing challenge. On these boards the PCIe links are measured, not assumed: eye diagrams on our Tektronix TekExpress bench, ANSYS simulation before fabrication, and a 100% success rate on CE/FCC certifications.
30 minutes with an engineer to decide: stay off the shelf, design a custom carrier, or go to a full custom board.
FAQ
- Why a COM Express carrier rather than a fully custom board?
- Because the module holds the riskiest part (processor, memory, chipset) and stays a catalogue item governed by the PICMG standard. You design only the board that touches your product: outline, connectors, power. A later module generation can often replace the current one without redesigning the carrier.
- Do you validate the carrier's PCIe links?
- Yes. The routing from the module connector to each device uses part of the PCIe loss budget; we measure the eye on the links on our Tektronix TekExpress bench before the carrier goes to production.
- Do you show your clients' products?
- No, these projects are under NDA. The results described here (volumes, no redesign, no support calls) come from projects actually delivered, phrased so they do not identify our clients.