Recent News from Blue Chip Technology:
Blue Chip Technology Ramps Up Computer Board Production
Blue Chip Module Enables Communications and Tracking in Embedded Systems
Blue Chip Technology Launches Long Life Compact SBC for Demanding Industrial and Multi-Media Applications
Davali Chooses Blue Chip Hardware for Public Media Package
Blue Chip Technology Launches New Generation Single Board Computer
Blue Chip Technology Ramps Up Computer Board Production
UK Computer Board Company Enjoys Increased Demand
Chester, 18th Feb 2012 - UK computer board manufacturer Blue Chip Technology has reported an impressive end of year performance with over £2million in new projects alone, during 2011. The company has also expanded its manufacturing capability and recruited more expert production personnel, whilst also launching several new innovative products.
Barry Husbands, Managing Director at Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and embedded computers. The company designs and manufactures computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive, public transportation, medical, defence and energy. Blue Chip Technology provides mission critical computer systems to engineering and media projects around the world.
"Things are going very well for Blue Chip at this time," said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology Ltd. "Indeed, we are already at our half-year target for 2012, which is quite remarkable. Existing customers have increased their orders, whilst our new ARM and Intel Atom based board designs are showing a lot of future potential. "
Blue Chip develop and manufacture a range of single board computers that are then sold to be integrated into equipment such as medical diagnostic equipment, automotive systems, public display systems, traffic control systems and test and measurement equipment. Many of Blue Chip's manufacturing customers export their systems worldwide. Based near Chester, the Blue Chip factory has an advanced automated manufacturing capability and extensive research and design resources.
"During this past year we have invested in a new SMT pick and place machine, new Automated Optical Inspection equipment and more Surface Mount Technology feeders to accommodate the growth in demand for our products and ensure quality," said Barry Husbands. "What's more, this is organic growth, which will position us well for the next few years. We have a great team at Blue Chip and I'm very proud of what we are achieving."
During 2011 Blue Chip was able successfully to undertake a major railway project, with an order value in excess of US$1.3million. In addition to this, the company successfully launched its 'RE2' and 'RM2' products; small, low power industrial computer boards based on smartphone technology. Orders for the new boards have already outstripped expectations.
"The RE2 and RM2 represent a 'new generation' of industrial computer in many ways," said Barry. "The mobile phone industry has done an enormous amount of research to optimise the performance of microprocessors. We have basically industrialised this smart phone technology, resulting in a robust, small, low-power computer that delivers an outstanding performance, in terms of networking capability, display quality and computational power."
Blue Chip remains optimistic that they will need to undertake a further expansion of production towards the end of this year. The company also has plans to set up distribution channels to enhance future overseas sales.
About Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology Ltd is a European leader in the design and manufacture of industrial and embedded computer systems. Blue Chip Technology serves a wide range of industries, from mission critical systems for the global railway industry to digital signage systems and test and diagnostics equipment. It provides a range of standard products such as COM (ETX, XTX and COM Express) and rack mounted PC's but also manufactures high volumes of customer specific hardware. In addition to its technical capabilities, Blue Chip Technology has gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and co-operative supplier, working closely with its clients during development, and reliably delivering components and products to schedule. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
Contact Details :
Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology
e-mail : bhusbands(at)bluechiptechnology.co.uk
tel : +44 (0) 1829 772000
Media Contact :
Richard Blackburn, Energi Technical Ltd
e-mail : Richard(at)energi-tech.co.uk
tel: +44 (0)1603 436078
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Blue Chip Announces New Intel Atom Board
Blue Chip expand industrial computer range with new Intel® Atom™ D525 based COM Express Module from Aaeon.
Computer board specialist Blue Chip Technology has announced the release of the 'COM-LN Rev. B', a small format single board computer that is ideal for embedded applications that require a balance of performance and lower power. The new board is a COM Express CPU Module With Onboard D525 Processor, offering a wide range of peripherals, audio/visual capabilities and networking support. It can also operate with a wide DC input range from 8.5V~19V and an operating temperature from 0~60 C.
 COM-LN Rev. B
“The Intel Atom has become a popular choice with embedded engineers because of its low power usage and impressive performance,” said Barry Husbands. “In this respect, this new board from Aaeon is a welcome addition to our own range of single board computers. I feel sure that its many impressive features and overall capabilities will be attractive to engineers looking for a new embedded platform for their next project.”
Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and embedded computers. The company designs and manufactures computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive, public transportation, medical, defence and energy. Blue Chip Technology provides mission critical computer systems to engineering and media projects around the world.
'Computer on Module' (COM) is a concept whereby a single board computer is split into two parts. A 'compact core module' containing all the components needed for a bootable host computer - processor, North bridge, South bridge, memory and Flash but without the standard connectors for any input/output peripherals. This COM is sold as an off-the-shelf entity and will have a standardised footprint and set of connectors that mate to an 'application specific carrier board' with the system IO and peripherals. The carrier board is capable of accepting any COM in that specific Computer On Module family of boards. Together, the COM and carrier board deliver the functionality of a single-board computer.
“The Computer on Module, COM, concept offers designers and manufacturers design freedom,” said Barry Husbands. “ It enables different products to share similar core modules or maybe, a single product to easily be upgraded. Adopting a COM approach to a range of intelligent devices can also help reduce costs, so it can be a powerful approach to embedded design.”
About Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology Ltd is a European leader in the design and manufacture of industrial and embedded computer systems. Blue Chip Technology serves a wide range of industries, from mission critical systems for the global railway industry to digital signage systems and test and diagnostics equipment. It provides a range of standard products such as COM (ETX, XTX and COM Express) and rack mounted PC's but also manufactures high volumes of customer specific hardware. In addition to its technical capabilities, Blue Chip Technology has gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and co-operative supplier, working closely with its clients during development, and reliably delivering components and products to schedule. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
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Blue Chip’s Tiny Computer Module Targets Intelligent Devices
Exceptional performance, low power, small footprint (50mm x 50mm)
Single board computer specialists, Blue Chip Technology have announced the release of their RM2, a powerful ARM Cortex A8 based, small-footprint computer module that is ideal for powering small and portable intelligent devices.
The RM2 is the latest addition to Blue Chip’s highly successful Computer On Module range. It is based on the latest ARM Cortex A8 processor together with integrated Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and 2D/3D Graphics Engine. The RE2 is available with a choice of processor speeds - 800Mhz or 1GHz - and DSP speeds of 660MHz and 800MHz. The RM2 offers engineers exceptional performance with very low power consumption and a tiny footprint of only 50mm by 50mm.
UK based Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and embedded computers, designing and manufacturing computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive, public transportation, medical, defence and energy.
"This is an exciting board for a number of reasons," said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology. "Clearly its very small size and low power performance will help us explore new markets, but also, the lower cost and higher performance of this type of smartphone based technology should help us compete across the board, especially at higher volumes. For such a small single board computer, it is most impressive."
'Computer on Module' is a concept whereby a single board computer is split into two parts. A 'compact core module' containing all the components needed for a bootable host computer - processor, North bridge, South bridge, memory and Flash but without the standard connectors for any input/output peripherals. This COM is sold as an off-the-shelf entity and will have a standardised footprint and set of connectors that mate to an 'application specific carrier board' with the system IO and peripherals. The carrier board is capable of accepting any COM in that specific Computer On Module family of boards. Together, the COM and carrier board deliver the functionality of a single-board computer.
“The Computer on Module, COM, concept offers designers and manufacturers design freedom,” said Barry Husbands. “It enables different products to share similar core modules or maybe, a single product to easily be upgraded. Adopting a COM approach to a range of intelligent devices can also help reduce costs, so it can be a powerful approach to embedded design.”
The RM2 supports 256Mbytes or 512Mbytes mobile LPDDR memory, 400 MT/s and has on-board 256Mbytes to 1Gbytes NAND Flash memory for code storage. Storage such as SD is located on the carrier board. RM2 peripheral support includes Ethernet, Audio, USB, Graphics, GP Expansion Bus, IO, and camera. The RM COM specification allows for two separate video displays, twin cameras and SATA. Furthermore, the carrier board can include whatever peripherals requires.
The RM2 board also comes in an extended temperature range for demanding industrial and automotive applications. Software support is also available on request with options for Embedded Windows, Linux or RTOS support as required.
About Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology Ltd is a European leader in the design and manufacture of industrial and embedded computer systems. Blue Chip’s Technology serves a wide range of industries, from mission critical systems to the global railway industry to diagnostic test equipment for the automotive sector. It provides a range of standard products such as PC104 and rack mounted PC's but also manufactures high volumes of customer specific hardware. In addition to its technical capabilities, Blue Chip Technology have gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and co-operative supplier, working closely with their clients during development and reliably delivering components and products to schedule. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
Contact Details:
Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology
e-mail : bhusbands(at)bluechiptechnology.co.uk
tel : +44 (0) 1829 772000
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Blue Chip Module Enables Communications and Tracking
in Embedded Systems
Hardware developer Blue Chip Technology have announced the general release
of their 'CM1 Board', a small-footprint plug-in module that enables their acclaimed RE2 single board computer to provide communications and tracking
services.
The Blue Chip CM1 module can provide an embedded system with GSM/GPRS,
Ethernet, GPS and a 3-axis accelerometer. The CM1 module is a plug-in board
that further enhances the RE2’s onboard ARM A8 Cortex Wi-Fi (802.11b/g),
Bluetooth and 10/100Mbit Ethernet capabilities.
"The CM1 was initially developed for a very demanding vehicle tracking
system but is now available for general release," said Barry Husbands,
Managing Director of Blue Chip. "For anyone looking to develop a robust and
compact embedded systems that needs good communications and networking, then the RE2 and CM1 combination would be hard to beat at this time."
Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers
of industrial and embedded computers. The company designs and manufactures
computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive,
public transportation, medical, defence and energy. Blue Chip Technology
provides mission critical computer systems to engineering and media projects
around the world.
The RE2 and CM1 connect via a 20 pin header connector and three mounting
holes, providing a robust, low-profile assembly. The CM1 supports 20 channel
of GPS satellite positioning and is capable of position resolution accuracy
to 2.5m. The onboard 3 Axis accelerometer enables the logging of vehicle
behaviour such as acceleration, deceleration and changes of direction.
Additional features include jamming detection, integrated TCP/IP protocol
stack and Easy Scan®.
"Although, this is now 'off-the-shelf' technology, we can also design and
manufacture variants for customers who need something a little different or
for a bespoke enclosure," said Barry. "The RE2/CM1 combination also has a
powerful graphics capability, for those projects that also require a
display."
Software support for the RE2/CM1 includes Embedded Windows and Linux at thistime. Alternative operating system support can be provided on request. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
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Blue Chip Technology Launches Long Life Compact SBC for Demanding Industrial and Multi-Media Applications
UK based Blue Chip Technology has announced the launch of the NV1, a high performance, long life, compact single board computer, designed for demanding industrial and multi-media applications.
Based on AMD’s Athlon and Dual Core Turion Neo processors, the NV1 offers a high performance embedded platform with powerful graphics capabilities, Gigabit LAN, a COM port, 4 USB ports, support for up to 8GB of the latest DDR3 memory plus Solid State and SATA drive support.
”The NV1 is a very capable fanless single board computer that can be used in either rugged industrial projects or demanding multi-media applications, “ said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology. “Indeed, a complex real-time control system requiring a high quality HMI or video capability would be an ideal project for the NV1.”
Combined with the critically acclaimed Radeon GPU, the AMD chipset can handle any current high-definition video codec, making the NV1 a true multimedia solution for high definition video playback or user interface.
Furthermore, a groundbreaking aspect of the NV1 design is an expansion that includes two mini PCI-E sockets (one with SIM for GPRS/3G use), MXM graphics expansion socket and an optional on-board KVMA transmitter. The base NV1 has dual video outputs and a total of four video outputs when the MXM module is fitted, making it an ideal platform for the digital signage and gaming market.
Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and embedded computers. The company designs and manufactures computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive, public transportation, medical, defence and energy. Blue Chip Technology provides mission critical computer systems to engineering and media projects around the world.
“An important aspect of the design of the NV1 was to build a powerful embedded platform that would support projects with a long life cycle,” said Barry Husbands. “Many of our customers are in sectors such as transport, medical and the military, where they need to know that they will be able to source identical hardware for many years to come. In this respect our engineers have been very careful in their component selection and the overall design of the NV1.”
Although the NV1 is available off-the-shelf in its standard form, Blue Chip Technology also offers a customisation service, enabling it to provide hardware specific to the needs of its customers. Blue Chip Technology also offers extensive software support and a complete product manufacturing and testing service. The company has recently tripled its manufacturing capacity with investment in new surface mount production technology.
About Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology Ltd is a European leader in the design and manufacture of industrial and embedded computer systems. Blue Chip Technology serves a wide range of industries, from mission critical systems to the global railway industry to diagnostic test equipment for the automotive sector. It provides a range of standard products such as COM (ETX, XTX and COM Express) and rack mounted PC's but also manufactures high volumes of customer specific hardware. In addition to its technical capabilities, Blue Chip Technology has gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and co-operative supplier, working closely with its clients during development, and reliably delivering components and products to schedule. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
Contact Details:
Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology
e-mail : bhusbands(at)bluechiptechnology.co.uk
tel : +44 (0) 1829 772000
Media Contact :
Richard Blackburn, Energi Technical Ltd
e-mail : Richard(at)energi-tech.co.uk
tel: +44 (0)1603 436078
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Davali Chooses Blue Chip Hardware for Public Media Package
Digital Signage newcomers choose Blue Chip Technology’s RE2 hardware for low cost, high performance public media solution.
Blue Chip Technology have announced that their acclaimed RE2 single board computer has been chosen by digital signage developer Davali to provide a software and hardware bundle that will lower the cost of public display technology for use in places such as airports, hotels, shopping malls and public event locations.
UK based Blue Chip Technology has recently announced the launch of the RE2, a high performance, ultra-low power single board computer. Available with a wide range of peripherals such as GPS, GPRS, networking, camera, audio, usb, wi-fi, Bluetooth and a powerful graphics capability, the RE2 has already secured contracts for use in telematics systems, access control and public media systems.
"Over the years we have done a lot of work with the 'digital signage' industry," said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology. "The new RE2 is ideal for this market, as it has a fantastic graphics capability and a lot of connectivity features. The combination of the Davali software and the RE2 offers quite a formidable package; we are very excited to be a part of this offering."
The Davali Digital Signage software is developed in the UK and comes pre-installed on the hardware, removing the cost of integration. The combined hardware and software package includes player hardware, player software, content management software, and an optional display in a single product, further reducing the cost of setting up a digital signage network.
Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and embedded computers, designing and manufacturing computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive, public transportation, medical, defence and energy.
“This advanced technology package will bring down the cost of installation and the cost of ownership of public media systems,” said Barry Husbands. “The hardware uses powerful smart phone technology that uses little energy and comes at a much lower price than server technology. Also, the software is royalty free, so there is no recurring cost as with existing systems.”
The RE2 uses the highly respected ARM Cortex A8 and a Texas C64x DSP, enabling it to handle high quality graphics such as moving media or 3D, whilst also managing complex tasks and a broad range of peripherals. The RE2 is currently available with support for Embedded Windows and Linux; support for other operating systems is available on request. The board is also available in an 'extended temperature' version, making it ideal for rugged industrial and scientific applications.
The Davali / Blue Chip system can operate as a stand-alone device or as part of a network, making it ideal for both small and large businesses. It also provides flexible scheduling options allowing presentations to be scheduled by the minute, hour, day, week or month. The system has been designed to be simple and easy to use, so that no prior knowledge is required, with the default set up providing an out of the box solution. The creation of content for public display is made easy by the dragging and dropping of frames onto the design area.
About Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology Ltd is a European leader in the design and manufacture of industrial and embedded computer systems. Blue Chip’s Technology serves a wide range of industries, from mission critical systems to the global railway industry to diagnostic test equipment for the automotive sector. It provides a range of standard products such as PC104 and rack mounted PC's but also manufactures high volumes of customer specific hardware. In addition to its technical capabilities, Blue Chip Technology has gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and co-operative supplier, working closely with clients during development and reliably delivering components and products to schedule. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
About Davali Software
Davali Software is a young dynamic company with extensive knowledge and experience in embedded computing, set up to provide high quality software solutions to clients. Providing simple solutions, cost reductions and continuous improvement of software required by our clients is Davali's continuing goal.
Davali Software also produces generic software, including an all in one digital signage solution. Davali software has integrated the hardware and software required by companies to simplify the distribution, installation and cost of setting up a digital signage network.
http://www.davali-software.co.uk
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Blue Chip Technology Launches New Generation Single Board Computer
UK based Blue Chip Technology has announced the launch of its RE2, high performance, ultra-low power single board computer. Available with a wide range of peripherals such as GPS, GPRS, networking, camera, audio, usb, wi-fi, Bluetooth and a powerful graphics capability, the RE2 has already secured contracts for use in telematic systems, access control and public media systems.
The RE2 - ARM based SBC.
Blue Chip Technology is one of Europe's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial and embedded computers. The company designs and manufactures computer boards for a broad range of industrial sectors such as automotive, public transportation, medical, defence and energy. Blue Chip Technology provides mission critical computer systems to engineering and media projects around the world.
"The RE2 is without doubt a very powerful board for its size," said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology. "Basically, we've sought to exploit the chip technology of leading edge smart-phones in order to achieve maximum performance, minimal footprint, 24/7 reliability and minimal power usage. The outcome has exceeded all our expectations, and for us, this feels like a whole new generation of single board computer - more compact and more feature rich than anything before."
 The RE2 available within an eclosure
The RE2 uses the highly respected ARM Cortex A8 and a Texas C64x DSP, enabling it to handle high quality graphics such as moving media or 3D, whilst also managing complex tasks and a broad range of peripherals. The RE2 is currently available with support for Embedded Windows and Linux; with support for other operating systems available on request. The board is also available in an 'extended temperature' version, making it ideal for rugged industrial and scientific applications.
"For engineers looking to make a 'step up' for their next project, we think they should take a look at the RE2," said Barry Husbands. "Especially if the project involves a graphical interface such as an HMI. A high quality HMI can really add value to an embedded system, whether it's medical, industrial control, an electronic dashboard or simply an access control system. In this respect, the RE2 offers one of the best capabilities available and needs to be seen to be fully appreciated."
Although the RE2 is available off-the-shelf in its standard form, Blue Chip Technology also offers a customisation service, enabling it to provide hardware specific to the needs of its customers. Blue Chip Technology also offers extensive software support and a complete product manufacturing and testing service. The company has recently tripled its manufacturing capacity with investment in new surface mount production technology.
About Blue Chip Technology Ltd
Blue Chip Technology Ltd is a European leader in the design and manufacture of industrial and embedded computer systems. Blue Chip Technology serves a wide range of industries, from mission critical systems to the global railway industry to diagnostic test equipment for the automotive sector. It provides a range of standard products such as COM (ETX,XTX and COM Express) and rack mounted PC's but also manufactures high volumes of customer specific hardware. In addition to its technical capabilities, Blue Chip Technology has gained a reputation for being a trustworthy and co-operative supplier, working closely with its clients during development, and reliably delivering components and products to schedule. www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
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