About PC/104 Modules

C/104 (or PC104) is an embedded computer standard controlled by the PC/104 Consortium which defines both a form factor and computer bus. PC/104 is intended for specialized embedded computing environments where applications depend on reliable data acquisition despite an often extreme environment. The form factor is often sold by COTS vendors, which benefits many consumers who want a customized rugged system, without months of design and paper work.

The standard size of boards complying to the form factor is 3.55 × 3.775 inches (90.17 × 95.89 mm), while the height is typically constrained to the boundaries of the connectors. A constrained height region guarantees that modules will not interfere with their neighbors. Vendors often follow these design restrictions to ensure proper stacking of modules, although it is not uncommon to find boards which ignore the form factor requirements.

While a typical system (also referred to as a stack) includes a motherboard, analog-to-digital converter, and digital I/O (data acquisition) module, other peripherals are finding their way into the market including GPS receivers, IEEE 802.11 controllers, and USB controllers.