Sometimes, a simple act of upgrading may escalate to a complete overhaul, as the older hardware may be deemed “obsolete” by newer components and thus, unsupported. In observation of this situation, AAEON launches the ETX-A55E module as a potential new and improved solution.
Powered by AMD’s G-Series APU, the module is designed to prolong the use of legacy hardware via support for the three-decades-old Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), which is still very much favored by most industrial computer users, for its ruggedness and ease of maintenance.
Not only is ISA supported, the chipset also incorporates Direct Memory Access (DMA) function that completes the ISA support by removing the need for additional drivers or modification of application codes.
While older components are preserved, new capabilities are introduced, which include expanded memory support of up to 8 GB of DDR3L memory, new processors offering different levels of performance depending on SKUs, enhanced display resolution, and improved audio engine.
These features make the module an ideal choice for media-heavy applications such as gaming and kiosk machines. Longevity support until year 2021 is also available for certain SKUs.
Hardware is merely an empty vessel without compatible software. Therefore, the ETX-A55E brings support for an extended range of operating systems, from Windows to Linux, both conventional and embedded computer-specific.
“We think it is a waste to completely replace tried and true hardware just to upgrade certain components” said Alicia Wang, Product Manager of AAEON’s Embedded Computing Division. “With the ETX-A55E, users may now unite what they always had, with what they always wanted, without incurring unnecessary costs”.
