Introduction, COM Express Extension Design Guide

2 Introduction

2.1COM Express™ Extension Specification

The COM Express™ Extension Specification builds on the COM Express™ (COM.0) standard as defined by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers’ Group (PICMG®) which is an industry standard adopted for Computer-On-Modules. The COM Express™ Extension Specification is focused with its intellectual properties on the deep embedded market and is intended to be an add-on to the

PICMG’s COM Express™ COM.0 Specification. It is the intention of the authors of this specification

to propose the information contained here within to PICMG® as a means of updating the current COM Express™ standard to ensure continued saleabili ty and compatibility of all COM Express™ solutions.

2.2COM Express™ Extension Design Guide

The COM Express™ Design Guide, a separate document from both the PICMG® COM Express™ Specification and this COM Express™ Extension Specification, is available to COM Express™ module customers upon request. For download the COM Express™ Extension Design guide please visit our web page:

http://www.comexpress-extension.com/specs/specs.php

The COM Express™ Design Guide explores the requirements of the COM Express™ Extension Specification and provides recommendations on designing COM Express™ baseboards to support various features of COM Express™ compliant modules.

The COM Express™ Design Guide, based upon the COM Express™ Extension Specification and PICMG® COM Express ™ Specification, discusses capabilities in the specification with schematic examples where applicable and offers ideas to consider for maximum flexibility in designing baseboards.

2.3COM Express™ Computer-On-Module

A COM Express™ Computer-On-Module (COM) is a module with all components necessary for a bootable host computer, packaged as a super component. COMs require a carrier board in order to bring out I/O and to power up the CPU module.

COMs are used to build single board computer solutions and offer OEMs fast time-to-market with reduced development cost.

Like integrated circuits, they provide OEMs with significant freedom when working to meet form-fit- function requirements. For all of these reasons, COM methodology has gained significant popularity with OEMs in the embedded industry. The COM Express™ standard is designed to be future proof and to provide a smooth transition path from legacy parallel interfaces to LVDS (Low Voltage

Specification Rev 013