Parvus: Low-cost controller module for embedded computers

Recently announced by Parvus Corp., a low-cost, single-slot PCMCIA (PC Card) adapter now widens the company’s Xpand104 line of modular PC/104 PCMCIA controller boards.

By Control Engineering Staff June 10, 2004
Now in stock, Parvus’ Xpand104 adapter board is priced at $94/each in orders of 100+ units.

Just announced by Parvus Corp ., a low-cost, single-slot PCMCIA (PC Card) adapter now widens the company’s Xpand104 line of modular PC/104 PCMCIA controller boards. Intended for adding Type I, II, or III PC Card functionality (I/O points or memory) to an embedded computer, the new board integrates an XT/AT PC Card slot with an Intel PCMCIA to ISA bus controller.

Xpand104 PCMCIA adapter has been optimized for embedded applications where reduced size, modularity, field upgradeability, and low-power consumption are required. Available in standard (0 to 70 °C) and extended temperature (-40 to 85 °C) versions, the board requires only one 5 V power supply. Numerous PC Card functions can be utilized with this product, such as wireless communication, flash/SRAM memory, global positioning, Ethernet, parallel and serial port, A/D conversion, video capture, and more.

The adapter board incorporates fully buffered PCMCIA signals for hot insertion/removal and features low power consumption, suspend mode, programmable memory, and I/O windows. Parvus also offers Xpand104 dual-slot PC/104 PCMCIA adapters for users in need of more than one PC Card slot—via sockets oriented in right-loading, left-loading, or top-loading formats.

—Frank J. Bartos, executive editor, Control Engineering, fbartos@reedbusiness.com