Diamond Systems Hercules II EBX

Introduction

Hercules II EBX is a high performance, RoHS compliant successor to the popular Hercules EBX first introduced in 2001. The original Hercules EBX board introduced a new level of integration in EBX format CPU boards. Combining processor, data acquisition, and power supply onto one board resulted in a thinner, lighter, more rugged, and easier to assemble embedded system. The 3-in-1 design addressed the needs of mobile and vehicle applications by offering the benefits of reduced size, weight, cost, and power consumption. The new Hercules II board further increases the integration level by utilizing the VIA Mark CoreFusion processor which combines a high performance Nehemiah core CPU with Northbridge technology on a single chip. Featuring Pentium III class performance with dramatically reduced power consumption, the 800MHz board consumes only 12 watts max and requires only a small heat sink with no fan to operate at temperatures up to 85°C. This is less power than the original Hercules board consumed at 550MHz. The increased integration enables Hercules II to offer advanced features such as the four built in USB 2.0 ports in addition to the four USB 1.1 ports provided on the original Hercules.

The advanced data acquisition circuit features autocalibration and fully jumper-less configuration for maximum accuracy and reliable performance. The built-in DC/DC power supply enables Hercules II to be used in a wide range of applications without requiring a separate add-on supply.

Built-In Power Supply

Hercules II contains a DC/DC power supply with 40 watts of output power, enough to power the CPU as well as peripherals and add-on boards. The standard input range of 5-28VDC means that Hercules is compatible with a standard off-the-shelf 5V supply as well as a vehicle, battery, or industrial power source. An optional 20-48VDC input range is also available. The on-board supply features ACPI compatibility for intelligent power management.

Advanced Multimedia Features

Hercules II contains an integrated S3 ProSavage 4 video circuit. This advanced design provides hardware 2D and 3D acceleration with 32MB video buffer using shared system memory, 128-bit engine architecture, full internal AGP 4x performance, 3DNow! and MMX instruction sets, and high-quality DVD video playback. The video circuit supports CRTs up to 1920x1440 and LVDS LCD panels up to 1400x1050 resolution. Simultaneous CRT and LCD display is supported. Integrated TV-out can produce simultaneous Composite and S-Video out, NTSC or PAL encoding. Audio features include an integrated AC97 digital audio controller and codec. A built-in Hi-Fi stereo speaker amplifier provides 2 watts per channel output power and ultra low-noise sound (SNR > 87dB). Audio I/O signals include Mic in, CD in, Aux in, Line in / Line out, and speaker out. Speaker out is also equipped with DC volume level control for ease of integration.

Hercules II Block Diagram

Data Acquisition Circuit

Hercules II includes a complete autocalibrating jumper-less analog and digital I/O circuit equivalent to our top-of-the-line PC/104 board. It contains 32 analog inputs with 16-bit resolution and 250KHz sample rate, backed by a 2K-sample FIFO with programmable threshold. Programmable input ranges from a wide-range +/-10V down to 0-1.25V are provided. The analog circuitry also includes 4 D/A channels with 12-bit resolution and jumperless output range selection and simultaneous update capability. On the digital side, Hercules II provides 40 digital I/O lines with programmable direction, as well as two counter/timers for A/D sample rate control, pulse counting, frequency generation, or other applications. Its advanced control logic has more features and flexibility to fit almost any application, such as internal/external A/D clock source, scan and single-sample modes, and our exclusive programmable FIFO threshold that lets you tune the board's performance to your application. Also four independent programmable Pulse-Width Modulation outputs (PWM) are available to users. The data acquisition circuit is fully supported by our Universal Driver software for a wide range of operating systems.

Development Kit

A development kit is available with all the hardware you need to get started on your Hercules II embedded design project. The kit contains a Hercules II CPU board, data acquisition test board, flashdisk module, cable kit, AC power adapter, USB floppy drive, and software CD.

Hercules Cable Kit

The Hercules cable kit includes cables for all Hercules and Hercules II I/O except LCD data and backlight, which are included in the LCD kit. A cable kit is strongly recommended for first-time buyers, as many cables are non-standard. All cables are also available individually. Once you know which cables your application requires, you can save money on future orders by purchasing only the ones you need.

Hercules LCD Kit

Diamond Systems offers a convenient LCD development kit for applications requiring LCD display. The kit includes a 12.1" diagonal LVDS LCD, a backlight power inverter, and cables for the LCD and backlight. Hercules provides power for the backlight inverter. The LCD cable is also available individually.