Kontron adds CANBus and Media Server variants to its mission-ready COBALT™ 901 systems line

Powerful new interface and integrated L2 switch capabilities address growing need for faster connectivity and design flexibility

Augsburg, Germany / Washington DC, USA, October 14, 2019 – Today at the 2019 AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington DC, Kontron, a leading global provider of IoT/Embedded Computing Technology (ECT), introduced its new COBALT™ with CANBus and COBALT™ Media Server integrated mission computers. Designed as a mission-ready platform for a wide range of ground vehicle-based defense applications, COBALT with CANBus provides a dual CANBus interface along with an integrated L2 switch with four Gigabit Ethernet ports beyond the standard COBALT front-panel connectivity. COBALT Media Server introduces a new, larger L2 switch, providing 6 Gigabit Ethernet ports beyond the baseline COBALT connectivity, making it a two-in-one platform of a powerful mission computer and a highly-configurable Ethernet switch in one rugged package, ideal for both air- and ground-based vehicle applications. Both address the growing need for connectivity and design flexibility that can help defense system designers speed development and time-to-deployment.

Both platforms are based on Kontron's COBALT 901 | 400 Series and enhances design flexibility by adding a 4-port external/3-port internal L2 Ethernet switch and integrated CANBus interface with two channels in the case of the COBALT CANBus, and by adding a new larger 6-port external/3-port internal L2 Ethernet switch for the COBALT Media Server. Both are based on COBALT's hardened COM Express® Type 6 module form factor module with a specialized carrier board and integrated 6th Generation Intel® Quad-Core™ processors (E3-1505L, 2.0 GHz), Kontron’s new COBALT platforms delivers the dramatically higher CPU and graphics performance necessary to support data-intensive sensor processing applications such as electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR), advanced voice, video, EW, and the latest situational awareness applications. They also feature up to 32 gigabytes (GByte) of ECC RAM, and have a removeable solid state drive (RSSD) bay option that supports two RSSDs. This gives designers maximum flexibility to select and configure the right amount of storage capacity as an ordering option without modifying the system.

"The COBALT with CANBus and COBALT Media Server are important enhancments to the widely deployed COBALT product line," says Matthias Huber, General Manager for Sales and Marketing at Kontron America. "They introduce new capabilities into the base COBALT platform that fill important needs within the military for small, vehicle-deployed mission computing platforms."

In addition, COBALT with CANBus and COBALT Media Server provide flexible and rugged platforms for developers and system integrators to deploy demanding mission-critical applications. These rugged IP67 fully sealed and compact systems have no ITAR restrictions and offers the power-efficient computing performance to meet decreasing SWaP demands in today’s military systems. Plus, the platforms offer high speed data transfer capabilities that enable faster data loading via a dedicated USB 3.0 port.

For more information about the COBALT 901 with CANBus and COBALT 901 Media Server, please visit the Kontron Compact Mission Computers webpages.

Kontron will showcase the new COBALT 901 with CANBus, COBALT 901 Media Server, and its entire line of rugged COTS defense computing products at AUSA Annual Meeting 2019, Washington D.C. October 14-16 in Kontron Booth #2942.

For more information please visit: https://www.kontron.com/products/systems/defense-computers/compact-mission-computers/