Z Micro Takes ATX Motherboards to New Heights: On a Blackhawk

Z MPU 7X - Rugged High-Performance Multi Processor Unit

Quietly nestled in San Diego is Z Microsystems, an off-the-shelf supplier that embodies the spirit of COTS. Using commodity PC ATX motherboards, hard disk drives and LCD displays, the company applies its unique brand of ruggedization to enable low cost sub-systems to withstand harsh environments. For instance, the company's 7X Z MPU has been chosen to ride along on the Army’s UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. The Z MPU is being qualified for a portion of the Army Airborne Command & Control System (A2C2S), an airborne commander's tactical command post for on-the-move situational awareness.

Z Microsystems uprates, packages and qualifies the ATX motherboard into field-deployable and hot-swappable slide-in Sealed Computer Modules that are installed in a rack-like cabinet. The system's elegance comes from its lower cost compared with traditional backplane systems such as CompactPCI or VME, its rapid technology refresh cycles based upon desktop PC technology, and its robustness. For instance, a Z MPU can be yanked out and replaced in a matter of seconds to completely change a mission profile—the rest of the system does not need to be taken off-line or rebooted.

About Z Microsystems Inc.
Z Microsystems leads the "field-ready" deployable computing category - a growing segment of the multi-billion dollar worldwide portable computing market. Focused on the military and government arena, Z Microsystems' field-ready commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment such as flat panel displays, computers, and storage systems are a superset to traditional MIL-STD equipment.

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