Advantech MicroTCA Starter Kit

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The MicroTCA Starter Kit, a module management controller (MMC) design pack extension, is claimed to facilitate fast and efficient AMC design. By integrating the MMC design pack developed by GateWare, Advantech has created an easy-to-use, self-contained platform for development of applications based on uTCA and AMC open standards.

The starter kit consists of a 6-slot AC-powered MicroTCA chassis with cooling, and includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based AMC, an SAS/SATA AMC with an 80 GB SATA hard drive and a MicroTCA Carrier Hub (MCH). The system boots Linux and is available from stock, allowing developers to get started right away.

The MMC design pack provides an IPMI solution for designing next-generation AMC modules or simply porting tested and mature board designs from other form factors. The PICMG AMC standard requires an IPMI MMC on each module - usually a new building block not existing on legacy platforms. This MMC solution simplifies development and can be integrated with minimum effort into any AMC design.

The MMC design pack is supplied as a single mid-size AMC card with IPMI firmware and the software is available as a pre-installed binary with source code. Several licensing models are available.

The NXP LPC2136 32-bit RISC controller has a 10 x 10 mm footprint. The integrated ARM7 CPU runs at up to 60 MHz and provides 256 KB flash and 32 KB RAM memory. More powerful derivatives such as the LPC2138 or LPC2368 can also be integrated on the AMC for applications with more demanding requirements.