Processor Selection

Considering the high demands on MEN's products and on the final application, selecting the appropriate processor is a substantial part of the product design process. MEN cooperates with several processor manufacturers for being able to choose the best option for each individual computer board or system.

Intel® Solutions

As a member of the Intelligent Communications Alliance MEN offers a full range of Intel® based products (from Intel® Atom™ to the Intel® Core™ and Celeron® families). MEN makes computer boards based on Intel® processors and chipsets suitable for use in harsh environments. Therefore, the user can benefit from the advantages of Intel® architectures also in mission-critical applications and for a life time of seven years.

Software support comprises Windows®, Linux and several popular real-time operating systems.

PowerPC® Solutions

As a Freescale™ Design Alliance partner MEN offers a range of PowerPC® based products (from the PowerQUICC™ to the current QorIQ™ families. Processors like the PowerPC® 750 from IBM allow safe computer board designs with onboard redundancy for in-flight applications, while QorIQ™ technology allows scalable multi-core performance.

Software support comprises Linux and several popular real-time operating systems.

AMD Solutions

As an AMD Embedded Solutions partner MEN offers a box PC family powered by an AMD Embedded G-Series APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), which combines low-power CPUs and advanced GPUs into a single embedded device. The use of the Embedded G-Series ensures high scalability in CPU (single/dual core) and graphics performance (various Radeon™ GPUs or none at all). A Multi-Display Controller based on a AMD Radeon™ GPU is also available from MEN.

Software support comprises Windows®, Linux and several popular real-time operating systems.

Reliable in Harsh Environments

Most MEN boards can be operated in the extended temperature range (-40 to +85°C). On most boards low-voltage and ultra-low voltage CPU versions are used as an alternative to high-frequency CPUs. Each board is equipped with a specially designed heat sink, or is even set up as a conduction cooled assembly (CCA), and racks recommended by MEN are tuned to guarantee optimized air flow in the system.

To prevent malfunction in vibrating and shaking environments, components (including all types of memory) are directly soldered to the board. All boards are designed for optional coating against humidity, dust or chemical influences.