What Is the Com Express Module?

A Com Express module is a highly integrated form factor of a computer module. Modular computers printed on a single printed circuit board are known as Com devices. They are standalone devices which are a type of System on a Chip. In 2005, Com Express appeared on the market and worked on expanding Com Express technology.

There exist eight various types of pinouts. Type 10 and Type 6 are the most popularly used pinouts. Type 7 is the latest pin out that was incorporated in revision 3.o of the Com Express specification. Type 7 provides up to 32 PCie lanes and 10GbE interfaces. This makes Com Express appropriate for servers, data centers, and high-quality video applications. Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 3, Type 4, and Type 5 were removed by Com Express Rev 3.0 after recommending Type 6, 7, or 10 To be used in the new designs.

Com Express specifications are controlled and regulated by PICMG, a non-profit group of companies that advance open standards. The Com Express is one of the many products developed by the PICMG. Transforming the standards of Desktop PCI has been their key priority. Their technology has been used in mechanical, packaging, and thermal design. Additionally, it has also been used in military computing applications and system management.

Performance and Security Matters

Of all the many products and from factors standards available, Com Express provides the highest performance. One of the aspects that make it unique is that it can be used in two different ways. For instance, it can be plugged onto a baseboard as a processor mezzanine. The second way is that it can be used as a standalone single-board computer.

While developing the product, the developers save time and money since the System is built to plug a Com Express module onto a carrier board. Newer Com Express modules can be plugged onto the carrier board to enhance its performance, thus increasing the consumer’s product lifetime.

Addition of up to four 10 Gigabit Ethernet is provided by the revision 3.0 O Com Express, and it interfaces on the board. The number of PCI Express lanes is increased to 32 by the new type 7 connector version of Com Express. This increases interface options, such as enhancing the use of GPGPUs and providing high connectivity. A variety of board sizes and Com Express form factors are defined in the standard because SFF applications have to balance cost and performance regularly.

Benefits of com Express Module

When it comes to versatility, the Com Express module is on top of the list. The specifications give a clear picture of how efficient it is. It has 4 module sizes that range, which are of different types, that is, the ones that range from the 55×84 mm to the 110x155mm extension. To add to that, there exist seven various pinouts. Among the seven pinouts, type 2 is the most popular one. However, type 6 has also recently gained popularity for its features like USB 3.0 and various digital interfaces.

Finally, it has been customized to enable it to surpass most of the COMs due to its broad support by various single-board computer developers. To help design a carrier board, many manufacturers carry a comprehensive COM Express offering and provide costly tools because the specification has existed for a longer period.