| 2006 PC/104 design contest finalists |
(Mar. 24, 2006)
 The PC/104 Embedded Consortium has unveiled eight finalists in its 2006 Design Contest. All finalists reflect the ingenuity of developers in implementing embedded computing projects using small, stackable PC/104 modules.
From among the eight finalists, three grand prize winners will be announced and given their awards at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 5th. The awards presentation will take place at 9:30am Pacific Time in the Santa Vesta room of the Hyatt St. Claire, 302 South Market St., opposite the San Jose Convention Center.
The eight finalists' projects are: - An automated decontamination trailer
- An embedded computer for data acquisition and control
- A 66-channel data collector
- A remote industrial monitoring station
- A magnetic test bench
- An autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV)
- A small mobile robot
- a Distributed Queue Switch Architecture controller
 | | How PC/104 modules stack |
What is PC/104?
PC/104 defines a 3.6 x 3.8 inch form-factor and associated bus connectors for self-stacking modules intended for use in embedded systems. Subsequent to publication of the original PC/104 standard in 1991, the PC/104 Consortium released specifications for PC/104-Plus, EBX, PCI-104, and EPIC.
Last March, Venture Development Corp. (VDC) forecast 45 percent growth of the PC/104 market over the next four years. According to VDC, the original ISA-bus version of PC/104 represented an $87.5 million market in 2004, and will grow to $106.2 million in 2008, an increase of 21 percent in dollar volume. The form-factor will continue to see use primarily in industrial automation applications that do not require high-speed response. PCI-104 will represent the fastest growth segment between now and 2008, the analyst firm said.
And the finalists are . . .
Without further ado, here are brief descriptions -- and photos -- of each interesting PC/104-based project that was selected as a Design Contest finalist, courtesy of the PC/104 consortium. Enjoy . . .!
Automated Decontamination Trailer
The decontamination trailer makes it possible to quickly and cheaply clean large quantities of oil at remote sites. The PC/104 system makes it possible to control the process and to monitor the oil condition in real time. This system is also agile in the sense that it can respond and adapt autonomously and in real time to various changes.
The PC/104 interface can be accessed locally by a touch screen or remotely via Web by cellular or satellite connection. The system includes data acquisition of various sensors (pressure, temperature, level, particle counter, etc) as well as the control of valves, pump or oil cooler. All controls use PID coded under Linux. The PC/104 was chosen for its flexibility, reliability, ruggedness and open structure. A system was needed that made it possible to quickly interface various types of sensors, to work with remote Web Flash interface and that was developed with an open source. More over, the system had to be rugged enough to work in Quebec outdoor conditions. The PC/104 allows us to develop with C++ under Linux and customize to our needs with embedded I/O cards.
 
Automated Decontamination Trailer
(Click each image to enlarge)
DACES Embedded Computer for Data Acquisition and Control
DACES P133/D48/A16 is an embedded computer specifically designed for data acquisition and control applications in industrial environments. The computer provides 24 digital inputs (with opto-couplers) and 24 digital outputs (relays) for on/off operations and 16 single-ended analog channels for acquiring analog signals such as temperature, pressure, displacement etc. In this project, 16 channel analog input board and 48 channel digital I/O board were designed for Powerdwarf 486/R. A domain specific real-time executive was also developed for the most efficient use of the hardware. The executive provides easy and effective programming features and allows rapid development of large applications. With its 250x170x75mm enclosure, DACES seems a cost-effective solution for data acquisition and control applications. For further information please refer to this document (pdf file).
The PC/104 main board is the core of DACES embedded computer so PC/104's contribution is vital in this project. PLCs are undisputedly the most common controllers in industrial environments but they are usually expensive and weak when applications require high number of input/output channels, high-speed data acquisition and data processing. A solution using PC/104 has the following main advantages: 1. High performance and low cost hardware 2. Compact size 3. Much more flexible programming. These are the three important features of DACES which also summarize the contributions of PC/104. For further information please refer to this document (pdf file).
 
DACES Embedded Computer for Data Acquisition and Control
(Click each image to enlarge)
Data Collector with 66 Channels
This is used to collect analog data with 66 channels. With PC/104 structure, the collector can collect, save, and communicate all data to another PC so that it can analyze and fills charts with data. PC/104 is used to save digital data and keep it in a hard drive.
 
Data Collector with 66 Channels
(Click each image to enlarge)
Remote Industrial Monitoring Station
The increasingly complex nature of machinery and equipment operating in the present day industrial environment requires the adoption of new and more sophisticated maintenance practices that continuously evolve with changing application requirements. The station is a low-cost solution for remote and real-time condition monitoring of oil in rugged environment. The distributed system is built on a Web platform that allows for real-time trending of equipment environment and can be accessed remotely with the aim of arriving at the optimal maintenance practices. The solutions are geared toward mobile application.
The PC/104 was chosen for it flexibility, reliability, ruggedness and open structure. We needed a system that enables us to quickly interface various type of sensors, work with remote Web Flash interface, use different type of communication (network and cellular), retain a maximum of data and developed with open source. More over, the system had to be rugged enough to work in Pulp and Paper industries (up to 45 degrees Celsius and 95 percent humidity). The PC/104 allows us to develop with C++ and MySQL under Linux and customize the system to our needs with embedded I/0 cards.
 
Remote Industrial Monitoring Station
(Click each image to enlarge)
Magnetic Test Bench
The Magnetic Test Bench (MTB) is a new product for compass calibration developed for the aerospace industry. The South African Air Force often encountered problems during compass swings -- a procedure used for the in-situ calibration of aircraft compasses. Maintenance staff executing compass swings, often found that reconditioned compasses, issued from stores prior to installation in the aircraft, were unserviceable, causing serious compass swing problems and the unproductive use of aircraft engine hours.
The MTB solves this problem with the calibration and verification of mechanical and electronic aircraft compasses on a stationary test bench prior to their installation in aircraft. The system accurately measures the ambient magnetic field, and executes algorithms to supply the required current to a specialized two-axis Helmholtz coil system for the generation of a magnetic field of a predetermined strength and direction. The compass or compass component under evaluation are fixed in the MTB coil system (outside the aircraft, e.g. in the hangar or maintenance workshop), and the generated magnetic field is rotated in user selectable steps through 360 degrees, simulating an aircraft compass swing.
The system reduces the running cost of aircraft drastically by reducing the unproductive use of airframe and engine hours, aircraft fuel and labor during problematic compass swings. By using the MTB the turnaround time for aircraft under compass maintenance is significantly reduced. The system does not require a highly skilled operator. The product is a first for South Africa and, to the developer's knowledge, there is no similar system in the world.
As time was of the essence, an important requirement was a brief learning curve for the system designer on the processor- and data acquisition units. Furthermore, in-depth knowledge of microprocessors was undesirable as a prerequisite for the development and future maintenance of the MTB. On-board auto-calibration functions for the A-to-D's and D-to-A's were very important to reduce calibration maintenance of the system.
Low cost, reliable components were required that could operate in dusty environments where vibrations (from aircraft or other equipment) may be present. Given the magnetic field application of the product, the DC magnetic signature of all sub-systems needed to be as small as possible. Both the standard user interface used by the operator, as well as a hidden menu used for invoking specialized functions required during the integration, alignment and verification of each system, should be accessible using only a four line LCD and two push-buttons.
All of the above requirements were met perfectly by the PC/104 methodology and components. Although the original specification requested a one standard deviation (one sigma) accuracy of 2 degrees, the productions models, containing these PC/104 components, have a consistent one sigma accuracy of 0.6 degrees.
   
Magnetic Test Bench
(Click each image to enlarge)
AUV MMT-2000 Control System
The autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle (AUV) MMT-2000 is automatic untethered self-propelled platform equipped with research instrumentation. AUV is able to dive into a depth up to 3000 m, move along the preprogrammed trajectory, perform necessary operations and measurements and at the end of mission come back to the support vessel or coast base. In comparison with tethered vehicles AUV possess essentially greater maneuverability and high accuracy of the motion parameters stabilization.
MMT-2000 length is about 2 m. The main vehicle equipment is placed in two cylindrical pressures housing (about 150 mm diameter). AUV control system on the basis of two single-board PC/104 computers provides motion control, onboard device management, emergency functions and processing of gathered data. AUV LAN functioning and real-time software operation is controlled by the QNX 6.3 real-time opearting system (RTOS). MMT-2000 is equipped with low and high frequency sides scan sonar, subbottom profiler and environmental parameter sensors. The LB and USB acoustic positioning system together with integrated on-board navigation system allow to determine the vehicle location with high precision. AUV operator on support vessel is able to track the trajectory of the vehicle motion in real time. He has the opportunity to send a few acoustic remote control commands to the vehicle to change its trajectory or operation sequence.
Li-Ion battery composed of 7 elements is used as the energy source for all vehicle equipment. The duration of AUV continuous operation under water is 15-30 hours (depends on AUV mission).
AUV MMT-2000 Control System
(Click each image to enlarge)
Type 1
The product is a small mobile robot designed for research purpose. This robot has a cylinder shape (10cm high and 13cm diameter). The basic configuration of the robot is equipped with 2 DC motors/encoders and 8 infrared sensors. The sensors can be used for obstacle avoidance and also for communication between the robots (when implementing multi-agent systems for example). This robot has been used by several researchers for different experiments: - J. Ferber and O. Simonin: multi agent systems
- P. Lucidarme: learning algorithms
- S. Laurent: learning algorithms
- R. Zapata: cooperative tasks
Thanks to the expandability of the PC/104, the robot can be completed with modules according to the nature of the experiment. For example, we developed a small arm (three degrees of freedom) and a small digital camera for the robot. Last year, we performed an experiment where the robot learned (genetic algorithm and neural networks) to grasp an object thanks to visual servoing. We recently developed an omnidirectionnal camera module: the embedded PC can process 360-degree images of the scene around the robot. We are currently working on the design of new modules for experiments on localization and mapping: a compass module that indicates the north's direction, a gyroscopes module in order to complete the motor's encoders and a beacon module for sharp localization of the robot.
The purpose was to build a fully autonomous mobile robot for experiments in artificial intelligence. The PC/104 was the best compromise between power consumption, size, computation power and expandability. Power consumption: the robot needs to be fully autonomous; it embeds its own batteries. The autonomy of the robot was initially 45 minutes, with the new Lit-Ion batteries; the autonomy was increased up to three hours. Size: the robots need to be small, we performed experiments with four robots at the same time in the same environment. We designed the robot around the PC; the diameter of the robot is equal to the length of the diagonal of the PC Board. Computation power: thanks to the embedded PC, the robot can perform complex tasks (as for example image processing) that can not be done with classical microcontrollers. It's also possible to store a large amount of data thanks to the small compact flash hard drive. The robot can perform complex tasks without any wire of link with the station, data can be stored and analyzed after the experiment. Expendability: with the ISA connector, it's easy to add modules on the robot. As ISA bus is easy to understand and implement, we can develop our own modules. The robot has also been used for pedagogic purpose (student's projects). Embedded USB ports can also provide a large range of devices that can be added (as webcam for example).
     
Type 1
(Click each image to enlarge)
DQSA Switch (proof-of-concept, and test and demonstration system)
Ether2 Corporation has an exclusive license from the Illinois Institute of Technology for a new, patented communications switching technology -- Distributed Queue Switch Architecture. There are many potential applications for DQSA; one of particular interest to Ether2 is highperformance computing (HPC).
HPC is now increasingly done using inexpensive clusters of standard PCs. Typically, the PCs which form the "supercomputer" are interconnected using standard network technologies -- e.g., Ethernet using CAT5 cables and a switch. The choices for switches range from very low-cost, off-the-shelf "consumer" Ethernet switches, to very expensive custom non-blocking switches, with switch latencies ranging from ~100 µs down to ~3 µs. DQSA technology eliminates the need for a switch, and instead places all computers on a common bus.
DQSA requires only a DQSA Network Interface Card (NIC) in each of the clustered computers, plus a simple hub at the center of the network; all switching is managed in the NICs, in effect "distributing" the switching functions (and associated data-queuing) across all the computers in the cluster.
Thus, a DQSA network could perform, for many HPC programs, as well as, or better than, a network using a much more costly low-latency Ethernet switch.
Ether2's demonstration DQSA-networked clustered-PC system uses off-the-shelf PCI-104 boards (Tri-M Engineering's MZ104+ and FPGA-PCI104), and a simple custom daughter card (designed by Ether2) on the FPGA-PCI104.
Although the DQSA system was originally meant only for testing and demonstration purposes, we became aware that many applications in the Embedded PC world could benefit from the advantages of DQSA. As a result, Ether2 is now considering some PC/104 and PCI-104 DQSA products.
 
DQSA Switch
(Click each image to enlarge)
Project descriptions are copyright (c) 2006, the PC/104 Embedded Consortium. All rights reserved. Reproduced by DeviceForge.com with permission.
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