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World's Smallest Pentium PC Gives Embedded Systems Developers A Competitive Edge

Fast design times, software compatibility, flexibility, reliability, performance, low cost of ownership, and low risk -- these are some of the reasons that developers are turning to off-the-shelf credit card-sized PCs for their space-limited embedded systems. With the introduction of Cell Computing's P54EZ CardPC^{^TM}, the world's smallest Pentium-based single board computer, these advantages are greater than ever. These high performance PC computing engines offer embedded systems developers tremendous competitive advantages throughout the product life cycle, from initial design up to and even through to high volume production.

The Economics of Embedded Design Have Changed

A majority of embedded projects focus too heavily on developing systems with the lowest possible materials cost. Material cost restrictions are often overcome by clever engineering or handcrafted feats of contorted software design. However, smart project managers are realizing that the true cost of a system must take into account the resources and time expended in developing and supporting a successful product. This is especially true for space constrained designs where finer design tolerances lead to higher costs incurred in engineering, manufacturing, test, and service. These managers are finding that purchasing off-the-shelf Windows NT-capable credit card-sized PCs can be cost effective as well as provide a competitive advantage.

Calculating True System Costs

Embedded developers are often surprised to learn that the true cost of their system can be 2 to 10 times their materials cost. This is because many other factors contribute to the cost of putting a system into the field. These include engineering design costs, testing, debugging, software development and hardware/software integration, manufacturing setup and training, quality assurance procedures, field support, training and maintenance. Naturally, some of these costs will be incurred for any system, but if a compact single board computer is part of your system, it makes far more sense to purchase it as an off-the-shelf credit card PC component rather than designing from scratch. Why?

Even if it were possible to match the component cost of an off-the-shelf credit card PC -- and it would take very high unit volumes -- it would still make more sense to buy because of the other costs involved. For example, even for a relatively simple system, the NRE can range upwards from $100K to $500K. In addition, it can be argued that your engineering resource is the most valuable, if not the scarcest one in the company. Thus it makes more sense to apply that resource where it can do the most good -- adding proprietary value. Plus, time and money spent on developing a custom system is an investment made well before a single unit is ever sold.

Table 1 - Make versus Buy Matrix for Small Form Factor Pentium PCs

Compact PC Cost Items	Make	Comment	Buy	Comment
Materials Cost	$300-$600 /unit	Best case-based on high volume component discounts;includes compact packaging, a high cost item	$500 /unit	Variable price delta(but fixed price assurances at a given volume purchase)
NRE	High, amortized over life of product	Design costs go up as smaller packaging requirements go up	Low	Significant savings as vendor makes investments in tooling and packaging
Manufacturing Infrastructure	Moderate to High, amortized over life of product	Purchasing, stocking and inventory management of 100's of line items,	Low	Significant savings(but assured high volume capability); one line item, one vendor, minimum stocking
In-field service and support	Moderate to High, amortized over life of product	Development of mfg. lines, assembly line training, documentation, quality assurance, testing minimum stocking requirements	Low	Significant savings-everyone understands how PCs work; anyone can swap out a board
Time to Market Delays	???	What does one month's delay do to your market opportunity? What about 6 months?	None	Maximize revenue: get the product out into the field before the competition
Risks	High	Design glitches, manufacturing glitches, reliability issues, vendor hiccups, low market acceptance, high initial investment before market responds, etc.	Low	Safe, reliable source of one to ten thousand units, no infrastructure investment, limited risk

Similar arguments apply to other cost factors. Establishing a manufacturing infrastructure for qualifying components and vendors, purchasing materials, stocking components and planning manufacturing flows for the typical high performance processor-based system can cost much more than the materials. Again, this expense is incurred before you can generate revenue.

Delays in getting a system out the door can easily overwhelm the materials cost of a product. Since off-the-shelf credit card PCs operate with standard PC peripherals and run standard PC software, designers can cut months from their development cycle. By tapping the plentiful supply of engineering talent already well versed with the PC platform and its numerous development tools, new embedded systems can be developed much faster. This translates into reduced cost and greater profit that can run into the millions of dollars.

For these reasons, and many others, embedded systems OEMs have been turning in increasing numbers to off-the-shelf credit card PCs for their small form factor designs.

Cost Effective Performance When and Where You Need It

Credit card PCs now pack a powerful punch. Cell Computing's P54EZ CardPC is a complete Pentium single board computer featuring Intel's 133 MHz PentiumÆ processor with 8 to 72 Mbytes of RAM in a 2 1/8"x 3 3/8"x 1/2"package. Lower speed 486-based CardPCs are also available. CardPCs provide a full complement of PC capabilities including 2 serial ports, a parallel port, a floppy disk controller, IDE hard disk controller, keyboard, mouse, SVGA, LCD and ISA bus connections, all accessible through a 236-pin plug-in EASI bus connector. CardPCs gives the designer the freedom to design a small, but powerful system with few software constraints since CardPCs support all standard PC operating systems, including MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows NT, and popular real-time kernels.

CardPCs Can Be Used Everywhere

With CardPCs now available in a broad range of performance points, they can be used in a multitude of applications. For example, in a factory automation system where thousands of control and data points must be managed, CardPCs can be used throughout the factory floor. Small remote or portable data collection units can use a 486-based CardPC running the Windows CE operating system. Handheld terminals incorporating CardPCs running Windows 95 can be used for system administration and monitoring. All units can be networked via cable or wirelessly to high performance hosts designed around Cell's P54EZ CardPCs running the more powerful and robust Windows NT operating system.

Figure 1 - Versatile CardPCs Can Run Windows CE, 95, & NT

CardPC Advantages

The CardPC provides embedded system OEMs flexibility, short design cycles, and low risk. Systems such as the factory automation system described above can be designed and implemented quickly and efficiently without costly NRE, unusual software development requirements, or expensive manufacturing hurdles. It lets developers get to market quickly and confirm whether their envisioned system will be a winner -- before committing to larger expenditures. A developer can switch to a custom design if the system takes off. More features or functions can be added quickly with minimal design effort if the system stumbles. In the event the system is a moderate success, the developer can support it with minimal outlays in inventory, training, service, and support costs while applying valuable engineering resources to new, more profitable efforts.

Picking the Right Partner Eliminates Risk

Most embedded system developers, or even OEM motherboard suppliers, cannot hope to reach the economies of scale required to cost-effectively manufacture ultra compact systems. Miniature Pentium-class single board computers such as Cell Computing's P54EZ CardPC require huge investments in design and manufacturing technologies. The investment in chip packaging technology alone would run into the tens of millions of dollars. But embedded system OEMs can gain access to this advanced technology and put it to immediate use with very little risk by partnering with Cell Computing. This is because Cell Computing is backed by the advanced design and manufacturing resources of its parent company, PFU Ltd., a computer systems joint venture of Panasonic (Matsushita) and Fujitsu. With the expertise, reliability and manufacturing prowess of these billion dollar electronic manufacturing giants, Cell Computing can provide its customers with CardPC products in any quantity, from tens to tens of thousands and can even provide turnkey semi-custom design services to meet higher volume requirements.

Summary

A new generation of Pentium-class credit card-sized PCs are causing embedded systems project managers and designers to rethink old price/performance equations. With Cell Computing's P54EZ CardPCs, embedded developers can now incorporate a powerful, industry-standard single board computer into their most compact embedded systems with little or no engineering and manufacturing overhead. The same card can be used for remote devices, portable units, industrial control units, and even management workstations. With a complete Pentium-class PC as the common computing engine throughout the system, software development, system integration, system test and debug, and even training and support costs are greatly reduced. The result is a low risk, high reward development approach that lets OEMs focus on their proprietary technical advantages, while providing a secure, high performance, highly-compatible, highly-reliable and high volume platform for present and future systems.

CardPC is a trademark of Cell Computing, Inc.
Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation, MMX is a trademark of Intel Corp.
Windows and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

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