Specifications

Helios Platform Hardware Reference Manual
110124-30002, preliminary
18
Communications
A key capability of the Helios platform is its network and wireless connectivity. The
system offers five USB host ports, an EIA-232/485 serial port, a Gigabit Ethernet port,
and GPS. The following sections describe these interfaces.
Universal Serial Bus
Five Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports included on the Helios platform support
connectivity with a wide range of available USB devices. All ports support the USB 2.0
specification operating at low, full, and high speeds. For power requirements, see Power,
page 21. Two ports are general-purpose USB host ports accessible on the rear panel,
while the remaining three ports are located in the USB Bay. For additional information
about these USB ports, see USB Device Support, page 20.
Serial Port
The Helios platform provides a serial port accessible on the rear panel. By default, this
port is an EIA-232, 6-wire interface. Under software-control, the port can be configured
as an EIA-485 interface.
Ethernet
For network connectivity, the Helios platform includes a Gigabit Ethernet port.
GPS
The standard system includes a “u-blox” GPS module with an external antenna
connection on the rear panel. This module is a population option.
Multimedia Cards
To provide custom display and audio solutions, the Helios platform includes an internal
card slot for add-in multimedia cards. This hardware flexibility enables the Helios
platform to support a wide variety of display types and audio requirements.
Display Output
The Helios platform supports the following display output options:
• VGA with max resolution of 1366 x 768 (currently available)
• CVBS, S-Video, or HDTV
• HDMI
• DVI-D
• LVDS with 24-bit color, touch screen (4, 5, or 8-wire), and backlight
Note: The VGA options board is currently available. Other boards
will be available as future options.