The Raspberry Pi really did draw peoples' attention to miniature PC modules

May 4, 2012 08:45 GMT  ·  By

VIA has formally launched a Computer-on-Module (COM) Express Mini system suited for medical, advanced gaming, test and measurement, industrial (machine vision system) and military applications.

At heart, the VIA COMe-8X91, as the device is called, is not so different from the Raspberry Pi or the Intel NUC.

NUC stands for Next Unit of Computing, in case anyone was wondering.

Anyway, VIA describes the COMe-8X91 as a modular board that lets clients create new devices quickly and without having to follow some overly complicated process.

"The COM Express Mini form factor provides embedded customers the ideal platform for creating highly tailored solutions where real estate is at a premium," said Epan Wu, head of the VIA embedded platform division, VIA Technologies, Inc.

"The VIA COMe-8X91 delivers an extremely ruggedized, power efficient solution for the creation of ultra compact embedded devices with a short time to market approach."

The device is quite rugged, measures 84 mm x 55 mm (3.30 x 2.16 inches) and boasts an 800 MHz VIA Eden X2 dual-core processor, plus the VIA VX900 media system processor and type 10 pin-outs.

What's more, the company is not shipping it alone, but in a bundle with a starter kit (multi-I/O carrier board reference design, board support packages (BSPs), display, system monitoring tools/SDKs, and design guide).

All the latest connectivity standards are supported, down to 18/24-bit single-channel LVDS and a Displayport or HDMI (without HDCP).

Other assets include 1 GB of DDR3 RAM, Gigabit LAN, eight USB 2.0 ports (shared with one USB client port), two SATA II ports, HD audio digital interface and a pair of serial ports.

We aren't sure if VIA has any clients for the COMe-8X91 yet, but all the information above, and more, can be found on the official product page. Follow this link if you're interested in reading further.

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