PC/104-plus card connects multiple embedded system cards

Mesa Electronics introduced the 4I71 stackable PC/104-plus card that combines a 100BaseT Ethernet MAC with a 9-port switch. The card makes it easy to connect multiple embedded system cards without the awkward power or mechanical problems with consumer type Ethernet switches.

By Control Engineering Staff

Share

Richmond, CA — Mesa Electronics introduced the 4I71 stackable PC/104-plus card that combines a 100BaseT Ethernet MAC with a 9-port switch. The card makes it easy to connect multiple embedded system cards without the awkward power or mechanical problems with consumer type Ethernet switches.
The PC/104-Plus specification incorporates all of the PC/104 features, with the added advantage of the high speed PCI bus. The physical size, mounting configuration and electrical interconnect portion of the PC/104 specification remain unchanged, but PC/104-Plus adds a third connector supporting the PCI bus, reduces component height on the topside and increases the bottom to increase module flexibility.
The 4I71 card’s 8 Ethernet ports support autonegotiation allowing connections with half and full duplex, 10 and 100 BaseT devices plus auto MDX, eliminating the need for crossover cables. The Ethernet MAC is a Micrel 8842P, which has advanced features, such as hardware TCP checksum calculation for optimum MAC performance, and drivers for most operating systems. The switch has sufficient bandwidth to support full duplex wire speed connections on all ports.
Price for the 4I71 is $147 in multi-100-unit quantities.
—Edited by C.G. Masi , senior editor