General

Q. What is the TabletCARD carrier board?
A. PFU Systems' TabletCARD is a carrier board for tablet-based embedded computing solutions. It uses PFU Systems' Plug-N-Run G3 System-On-Modules (SOM) for embedded x86 host functionality. The TabletCARD carrier board with the Plug-N-Run G3 module delivers a compact, portable, low power yet powerful Gigahertz embedded system, capable of wireless communication, location awareness, biometric security and the capture and manipulation of high resolution images.

The TabletCARD carrier board is a complete system board with GPS, Bluetooth™, Biometric Fingerprint Sensor, Touch Screen and user definable I/O capabilities. The TabletCARD with a Plug-N-Run G3 System-On-Module and an enclosure forms an OEM specific Rugged Embedded Tablet System.

Scalable Performance with Plug-N-Run G3

Rugged Embedded Tablet System with the Plug-N-Run G3 and TabletCARD

Q. Which markets and applications does TabletCARD target?
A. With its unique application specific features and easy reconfiguration, the TabletCARD carrier board makes an excellent platform for tablet-based embedded solutions in markets, such as:

Industrial automation
Medical Transportation
Defense
Test & measurement
Retail

The TabletCARD provides a unique advantage for these applications due to its high integration, compact footprint and comprehensive set of application specific features such as GPS, Bluetooth™, Biometric Fingerprint Sensor, Touch Screen and user definable I/O capabilities. This makes it an excellent platform for tablet-based solutions such as, forklift-mounted computers, portable ultrasound systems, mobile fleet-management computers, portable robotic-control systems and portable testers and analyzers

Q. What peripheral I/O is supported on the TabletCARD?
A.

GPS
Bluetooth
10/100 Base-T Fast Ethernet
Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
Touch Panel Interface
Mini PCI socket
Dual CardBus PC Card slots
Dual IEEE 1394a ports
Triple USB 2.0 ports
Audio Stereo Line-In and Speaker-Out and Mono Mic-In
CRT Interface with DDC Support
Dual Channel LVDS LCD Interface
Dual ATA100 IDE interfaces
IDE CompactFlash Type II Socket
Floppy Disk Drive Interface
IEEE1284 Parallel Port
Dual RS-232 Ports
PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse Interface
Mezzanine Expansion and Power Headers
CMOS Backup Battery

Q. Which PFU Systems' System-On-Modules can be used with the TabletCARD?
A. The TabletCARD is designed for use with the following PFU Systems' System-On-Modules

1.1GHz Plug-N-Run G3 Module (1.1GHz Intel® Pentium® M)
1.6GHz Plug-N-Run G3 Module (1.6GHz Intel® Pentium® M)

Q. What else is needed in addition to a SOM and TabletCARD to design a complete OEM product?
A. In addition to the SOM and TabletCARD are needed, operating system and application software. For location awareness, the on-board Trimble Lassen SQ GPS module works with applications supporting industry standard GPS protocols. For security, an internal Fujitsu MBF200 biometric fingerprint sensor module connects directly to the TabletCARD. For touch screen capabilities, a Fujitsu 7-wire touch panel connects directly to the TabletCARD. For short-range communication, TabletCARD comes with the Smart Modular BlueOpal USB Bluetooth adapter and also accepts off-the shelf Mini PCI Bluetooth/802.11a/b/g cards as well. For image capture, FireWire cameras can be hooked up directly to the TabletCARD IEEE1394a ports. Other peripheral devices can be connected such as audio recording and playback devices, display, mass-storage, keyboard, mouse, etc.

Q. Can TabletCARD be used in production products?
A. TabletCARD is a fully tested carrier board for building rugged tablet-based embedded solutions. PFU Systems provides quick turn professional design services through ProDeS SM to help OEMs take this into production with custom enclosures.

Q. Does PFU Systems provide other off-the-shelf carrier boards?
A. PFU Systems provides several generic carrier boards to help OEM designers jump-start their developments. These carrier boards demonstrate the compactness with which systems can be built using PFU Systems' SOM products. For more details on these carrier boards, refer to product over view.

Q. Does PFU Systems provide OEM specific carrier boards?
A. PFU Systems offers OEM specific carrier board designs through its ProDeS turnkey system design and manufacturing services. These designs can be based on existing off-the-shelf carrier boards requiring minor modifications, or can be designed from scratch. Design times vary with complexity and required testing.

Q. Does PFU Systems provide custom product design services beyond OEM specific carrier boards?
A. Next to OEM specific carrier board designs, PFU Systems offers OEMs through its ProDeS services also custom enclosure and system-on-module designs. Furthermore, this service offers pre-loading of operating system and application software. Lastly, a SOM based design can be migrated to a single board for large volume applications.