CoreExpress^® Specification

Overview

CoreExpress is an altogether new modular design, which is able to handle the technological advancements and serves as a base for new and future embedded PC applications. With a focus on the future all legacy interfaces and functions have been eliminated. The analog interfaces and circuit traces have been removed from the CoreExpress module to avoid signal interference between digital and analog elements interspersed on the same module. Components have been and will be selected with guaranteed availability for seven years or more. Industrial applications may typically run pretty much unchanged for even longer periods of time. They may be upgraded or expanded from time to time with the same or compatible qualified products.
A CoreExpress module does not handle legacy I/O. These functions can be implemented easily on the carrier board using USB bridges, if required. There are no analog signals on CoreExpress modules. The purely digital concept gives the user maximum flexibility when selecting component for the required interfaces. Problems of signal level attenuation and similar analog issues are avoided with this 'digital only' concept.
Although the first member of the CoreExpress family is based on the Intel® Atom&tade; processor, it is by no means restricted to this platform. Future Small Form Factor (SFF) chipsets, which are suitable for industrial, medical or military applications will also be supported. The CoreExpress design is flexible enough to support such embedded PC platforms.

Interfaces

The broad selection of CoreExpress interfaces includes:

• 5 x PCIe x1
• 8 x USB 2.0 host (alternatively 1 x client)
• 4 x SATA 2.0 (alternatively 1 x PATA)
• 1 x SDIO/MMC (8 Bit)
• 1 x SDVO graphics
• 1 x LVDS graphics (24 Bit)
• 1 x Gbit MAC (GLCI)
• 1 x LPC 1.0
• 1 x SMB
• 1 x SPI
• 1 x CAN
• 1 x HD Audio
• 1 x Fail-Safe-BIOS

Connector

A CoreExpress-Module connects to its custom carrier board through a stacking board to board connector. (Tyco 3-6318490-6) This is a high density connector with 220 pins, rated for the 5MB/s speed that PCI Express demands.
The pinning is done in a way that the carrier board's layout is made easy. Signals are routed such that related connections can be kept together and no cross-overs of are necessary.
Get the connector's functional pin-out here.

Get the full Specification

The full CoreExpress specification is available under NDA. Please contact LiPPERT Embedded Computers about how to get one.
Send mail to sales@lippertembedded.com.