Computer-on-module-standards
PICMG releases COM-HPC Mini specification
PICMG has announced the release of the COM-HPC 1.2 Mini specification. Measuring 95 mm x 70 mm, COM-HPC Mini is nearly half the size of the next-smallest COM-HPC form factor and provides a cost-effective, lower power module for autonomous mobile robots, drones or mobile 5G test and measurement.
A single, rugged 400-pin connector allows COM-HPC Mini to support communications interfaces such as:
- 16x PCIe lanes (PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0)
- 2x 10 Gbps NBASE-T Ethernet ports
- 8x SuperSpeed lanes (for USB4/ThunderBolt, USB 3.2, or DDI)
- 8x USB 2.0
- 2x SATA ports (shared with PCIe lanes)
- 1x eDP
- 2x DDI
The 1.2 specification defines a separate FFC connector for MIPI CSI, while its 400 pins also support signals such as Boot SPI and eSPI, UART, CAN, Audio, FUSA, and power management signals. A signal voltage reduction from 3.3V to 1.8V on most pins is in line with reduced I/O voltage on the latest low-power CPUs. The input power is limited to a maximum of 107 W at a wide input voltage of 8 V to 20 V, leaving plenty of headroom for performance processors.
Mini’s smaller footprint also provides mechanical advantages, such as a 15 mm stack height from the top of a carrier board to the top of a heat spreader stacked on a COM-HPC Mini module. This 5 mm reduction compared to other COM-HPC variants means COM-HPC Mini modules must use soldered memory, which makes them inherently rugged through resistance to shock and vibration and provides direct thermal coupling to heat spreaders.
PICMG members Adlink, congatec, Samtec, Seco, and others have either already released or plan to release COM-HPC 1.2 product in the near future. The COM-HPC 1.2 specification can be downloaded today for $750 from the PICMG website. A COM-HPC 1.2 Carrier Design Guide is scheduled for release in early 2024.
