1. What is PC/104?

PC/104 was named from the number of connector pins as well as its structure based on the IBM compatible personal computer (PC). Not only the smaller size itself, 3.78 x 3.55 (inch), but also PC/104 drives out the requirement for backplanes & mainboards by stacking one to another. As PC/104 modules being built on PC architecture, PC/104 brings programmer and hardware designer the convenience and low cost to use PC developing tool.

• Applications
  Essentially and mostly the PC/104 system application are designed to suit programmable computer at Factory, Lab, Plants, Vehicle or anywhere having concern for space limit & low power. It might be pricey but worthy as more rugged than normal PC system.

• Module
  The PC-104 module available in market contains various functions like I/O, VGA, Audio, Ethernet, Fax/Modem, SSD, GPS, PCMCIA, Power Supply and so forth. PC/104 modules in the stack can be also as a component attached to a larger circuit board.

2. What is the difference among AGPx1, x2 x4 and x8?

AGP x1: bandwidth = 6MB/S (66.6Mhz x 32 bits/8 bits x1)
AGP x2: bandwidth = 533MB/S (66.6Mhz x 32 bits/8 bits x2)
AGP x4: bandwidth = 1065MB/S (66.6Mhz x 32 bits/8 bits x4)
AGP x8: bandwidth = 1065MB/S (66.6Mhz x 32 bits/8 bits x8)

3. What is LVDS?

LVDS is short for "Low Voltage Differential Signaling" and is a high speed.low power data transmission standard.UNICORN-COMPUTER use only for long distance lcd cable(over 40 cm).

Is there an LVDS standard? 
YES,LVDS is standardized of the ANSI/TIA/EIA-644-A Electrical characteristics standard.

How fast is LVDS?
LVDS is envisioned to be forward looking and does not define a maximum data rate within the standard,in another word,maximum data rate is design,technology,and application dependant(required signal quality).Current LVDS parts operate from DC to Giga bits per second range.

How far can LVDS go?
LVDS is short haul interface envisioned to drive interconnects of a few inches to 10's of meters.Once again this is application specific depending upon the LVDS device employed and the required signal quality.

Is LVDS low noise? 
YES.Noise generation is minimized in a number of ways.The signal swing is only 300mv,and also a true balanced differential data transmission scheme,and the current mode driver all limit noise generation.

4. What is PPCI & EPCI?

As the technology changes, there are more and more functions required on a small size of CPU board. Therefore, the mechanical design is getting difficult. Base on that, Protech Systems develop the new PCI connector, name as PPCI (Protech PCI); PPCI specification defines an alternate implementation for small form factor PCI cards. This specification uses a qualified subset of the same signal protocol, and electrical definitions as the PCI specification, and concern about the mechanical design of CPU board, the PPCI connector becomes smaller, reduce the pin from 120-pin to 60-pin but still runs the same speed as PCI connector at 33MHz. The maximum amount of data exchanged between the processor and peripherals using the current PPCI design is 532 MB per second.

EPCI (Extension PCI) is the next generation of PPCI connector, overcome the limitation of PPCI connector that only can layer one PPCI board, while EPCI connector can layer more than two EPCI boards. With the same pin count and same physical size, EPCI connector has two sides, female side and male side, thus can integrate the EPCI boards tier by tier. The evolution of EPCI connector makes any form factor of CPU boards, like full-size, half-size, 5.25” embedded board, or 3.5” little board, have more powerful functions and also can integrate with more peripherals to fulfill the needs of customers.

5. What is HMI?

6. What is the difference between microATX and FlexATX?

The microATX form factor was developed as a natural evolution of the ATX form factor to address new market trends and PC technologies. While offering the same benefits of the ATX form factor specification, the microATX form factor improves upon the previous specification in several key areas. Current trends in the industry indicate that users require a lower-cost solution for their PC needs. Without sacrificing the benefits of ATX, this form factor addresses the cost requirement by reducing the size of the motherboard. The smaller motherboard is made possible by reducing the number of I/O slots supported on the board. The overall effect of these size changes reduces the costs associated with the entire system design. The expected effect of these reductions is to lower the total system cost to the end user.

To allow the creation of systems even smaller than those made possible by microATX, FlexATX was created. Flex ATX offers the smallest possible board size that allows full-featured desktop board designs that can span from value to performance market segments. FlexATX supports board designs from 6.8 inches x 6.8 inches up to 9.0 inches x 7.5 inches, allowing motherboard implementations that range from sealed, highly integrated solutions to systems that can support three add-in cards.

FlexATX enables the following variations in expansion capabilities:
- No expansion slots
- One to three expansion slots in any configuration (AGP, PCI, CNR). Low-profile cards can be used to further reduce system design sizes.
- ATX riser support

7. What is difference between PCI and AGP?