Zendex Corporation announces a special purpose single board computer aimed
specifically at the gaming market. The ZXE-855 is a full-function dedicated
gaming platform that can deliver the rich visual gaming experience that
people now expect in casinos. At the same time, it allows the system
manufacturer to configure the board in order to optimize speed, power
consumption or cost. To allow a choice between performance and cost, many
systems are designed with one or two processor choices. Zendex found a way
to provide numerous speed, power consumption and cost options. For example,
the ZXE-855 with low power Intel [INTL] Celeron 4 processor and Intel 855
chipset can be run at 600MHz for lower power consumption, lower temperature
rise and higher reliability. Typical power consumption at 600MHz is 35W.
Alternatively, the Intel P4 processor and 855 chipset will run at 2GHz for
greater performance. Still other options are available to minimize system
cost. The highly-adaptable VGA video ports will drive two 1600 x 1200
resolution displays. Behind the video outputs are dual VGA outputs with up
to 64MB of shared memory.

For graphically intensive and memory-hungry applications, the board can
accommodate up to 1GB of DDR DRAM that is considered sufficient for 99% of
all applications

The regulatory agencies often demand that casino video games include
redundant mass storage, and the ZXE-855 supports a wide array of mass
storage devices. It features 2 UDMA 100 ATA channels supporting up to 4 ATA
devices (i.e. 4 hard drives) or 4

Compact Flash memory type I headers on the ATA Bus. The ATA bus can also
support an ATAPI CD ROM drive, Disk on Module (DoM) or Multi Media Card
(MMC). There are also sockets for EPROM or other non-volatile memory
devices.

Cooling fans are a problem in gaming applications. They are more
failure-prone than non-mechanical devices and produce audible noise. Zendex
designed the ZXE-855 for convection cooling (no fan) in all speed-power-cost
configurations.

The ZXE-855 mates to a passive backplane, the ZXE-855BP. The backplane
allows quick insertion and removal of the main gaming board and provides I/O
connectors that allows the system to interface with bill acceptors, card
readers, voucher printers, and monitors. The backplane is configured with
numerous I/O ports including six USB 2.0 ports, one 10/100 Ethernet port,
five RS-232 serial ports, two RS422 serial ports and one TTL serial port. In
addition, the ZXE-855 main board includes 40 general purpose inputs and
outputs.

The user has many operating system choices, including Microsoft [MSFT]
Windows® XP, 2000, XP Embedded and Linux. Zendex can modify the proprietary
BIOS software to suit the user’s needs or to include additional security
features.

Most computer systems provide only signal-level audio outputs which must be
amplified before it can be applied to a speaker. The ZXE-855 provides an
AC97® amplified stereo audio output which can be directly connected to
speakers, saving the cost and complexity of external amplification.

An unusual feature not normally found on products like this is an on-board
thermal monitor. While the board itself is designed to run 24/7 without fan
cooling, the system configuration might include other heat-generating
devices that could necessitate a fan. The on-board thermal sensor provides a
digital temperature output which can be accessed over the Intranet via the
10/100MB/sec Ethernet connector. A large array of games with this feature
can be monitored from a single location.

The Ethernet interface allows similar games to be interconnected, so that
one person can play against another, or against an entire room full of
people. Also, the Ethernet interface enables remote system monitoring and
management. In the event of a problem with any game, a warning can appear at
a monitoring location.

The ZXE-855 is designed to operate from a single +12V or +15V supply. Power
consumption is nominally 35W, and varies by configuration. The ZXE-855
measures 12″ x 9-1/4″ x 2″. The low profile is especially useful in desktop
games, where cabinet size is limited.

Commenting on the new board, Howard Czapla, Zendex CEO, said “We designed
this board based on 10 years of experience building similar boards for the
gaming industry. It includes the features that most gaming system
manufacturers are looking for. We anticipate that companies using the
ZXE-855 board will have a significant advantage over our competitors.”

Zendex is a full-service provider of PC/104+ and other single board
computers, embedded processor boards, multi-function boards, CIMbus,
Multibus and iSBX modules, industrial enclosures and custom systems. Zendex
recently celebrated 25 years in the embedded systems industry.