PC/104 and Small Form Factors: PC/104 always a factor at Embedded World

Roundtable Discussion: PC/104 always a factor at Embedded World

The Embedded World Conference & Exhibition – by far the largest embedded event in the world – is coming up in February 2020 in Nuremberg, Germany. Last year’s event brought together 1,117 exhibitors from 42 countries, exhibiting to 31,000 visitors from 84 countries. PC/104 technology has been a key part of the growth of the Embedded World show and the growth of embedded technology overall. The roundtable below consists of representatives of PC/104 Consortium members, all of whom will be attending and exhibiting at this year’s event. The panelists discuss why PC/104 suppliers find Embedded World important, growth areas for PC/104 technology, and their take on where the PC/104 standard is headed in the future.

Our panelists are Roy Keeler, Senior Product and Business Development Manager, Aerospace & Defense, ADLINK Technology and Vice President of Branding for the PC/104 Consortium; Flemming Christensen, Managing Director, Sundance Microprocessor Technology; George T. Hilliard, Technical Sales Director, WinSystems; and JC Ramirez, Vice President of Engineering and Business Development at ADL Embedded Solutions.

PC/104 & SMALL FORM FACTORS: PC/104 products have always been showcased at Embedded World. Why is this such an important show for the PC/104 community?

KEELER: PC/104 is one of the original embedded computing form factors first standardized by the PC/104 Consortium in 1992, then adding PCI to the specification in 1997 and PCIe in 2008. The staying power of the standard with the ability to incorporate new technologies is one of the reasons that PC/104 is still relevant after 28 years! This year, 15 PC/104 Consortium member companies announced their intent to exhibit at the 2020 Embedded World. I believe it is fair to say that PC/104 was instrumental in fueling the growth of the embedded community as well as of the Embedded World Exposition & Conference. So when you ask why it is important that PC/104 be showcased at Embedded World, the answer is simple: To perform outreach promoting a technology that stands the test of time to the current generation of design engineers.

CHRISTENSEN: Embedded World was elected as the PC/104 Consortium’s location for annual meetings, as it was in the middle of the world, that is in terms of U.S. companies going east and Asian companies going west. It made sense!

RAMIREZ: Probably the biggest reason is the lack of similar embedded shows in the U.S. The Embedded World organizers have been very receptive to the military/industrial embedded computing community by dedicating a hall entirely for PC/104 and competing form factors. That being said, Embedded World doesn’t do much for lead generation in the U.S., but it does provide a good venue for PC/104 competitors to meet, collaborate, and introduce new products. The U.S. could certainly benefit from having a similar show in the states.

HILLIARD: As the general embedded trade shows declined several years ago and became more vertical or supplier-specific in the U.S., Embedded World became the focal point for embedded system design in one location. Subsequently, the PC/104 Consortium moved its annual board meetings to Embedded World and has maintained that, since most of the Executive Board attends each year. It allows the different PC/104 suppliers to discuss specification updates and marketing collaboration as they continue building the ecosystem.n a need to develop electronics that can not only withstand hard environments, but can also provide assurance that end of lifecycle will not be burdensome to patients or caregivers.

Embedded World also provides a forum to participate with other PC/104 suppliers on discussion panels, meet with clients, and consider new potential partners.

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