Aside from the small size and ruggedness characteristics of COM Express systems, the major benefits come from the ability to upgrade a CPU when necessary and the I/O module configurability. These small form factor computer systems were built to be very general purpose.
One option is to use Acromag’s newest carrier board. This carrier interfaces four I/O module slots to an Intel Atom COM Express, CPU module on a Mini-ITX format for a variety of data acquisition and control
Source: Acromag applications.
COM Express is an industry-standard, be it Type 6 or the smaller Type 10. The processor needs to be plugged into a carrier card, which meets the Com Express interface standard, and the processor is available from many vendors.
The carrier card or cards can come in many sizes and shapes. The most effective carrier is the one that meets the configurability requirements of the scope of applications to which it is targeted. Too much flexibility burdens the system with too much cost and a penalty in product development. Too little flexibility means that more accommodation needs to be provided to suit the application requirements (size, I/O, cost).
Acromag's ACEX4040 carrier card allows users to quickly combine a COM Express Type 10 CPU module with a mix of I/O modules for custom computing applications.
