X86 Single Board Computers the size of a Raspberry Pi, suitable for the most demanding applications
By now you have probably heard of the Raspberry Pi, a small compact development board originally designed to provide individuals with access to programmable hardware at an affordable price from that base it grew into an impressive product offering flexible I/O connectivity in a compact and affordable computer board. The success of the Raspberry Pi has captured the attention of many single board computer manufacturers resulting in hundreds of competing products in this tiny 1.8” form factor. Some of our manufacturing partners have produced boards similar in concept to the Raspberry Pi but with the capabilities, connectivity, and performance of a more powerful x86 processor, perfect for industrial Gateway and Edge computing applications. These tiny boards built around Intel and AMD embedded processors offer substantial boosts in graphics acceleration and processing performance over the Raspberry Pi, with additional features that are useful in industrial applications offering long-lifetime availability, wide operating temperature, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology, embedded flash storage and plenty of I/O interfaces. Here are some of the most powerful 1.8” SBCs (Single Board Computers) on the market and they are all available from Impulse alongside our leading embedded design and technical support services.
PCSF51
The PCSF51 is a 1.8” single board computer (SBC) produced by DFI featuring the latest AMD Ryzen R2000 embedded CPU series. Whilst it is not the most powerful of the 1.8” SBCs that has been released, the Ryzen Embedded R2514 processor has 4 cores and 8 threads with 8 AMD Radeon graphics compute units in a low power 15W TDP package which can be increased to 25W for more intensive applications or reduced to 10W if heat or power consumption is a concern. Additionally, the PCSF1 comes with 4GB onboard DDR4 system memory and 64GB eMMC storage onboard as standard. The SBC also comes with one Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port, two 10Gbps USB3.1 ports, both on the rear I/O panel, and an 8-channel digital I/O interface that can be broken out via a header on the board. For display support, there is an HDMI port that supports full 4K resolution, and for additional wireless connectivity, there is an M.2 2230 E-key slot available.
de next-TGU8
The de next-TGU8 from Aaeon Technology, is the smallest single board computer that features an Intel Core processor, offering excellent performance with the i7 version offering 4 core, 8 threads, and Intel’s Iris Xe graphics with 96 execution units. There is 16GB LPDDR4x system memory onboard and for additional AI (Artificial Intelligence) acceleration there is an M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe x2) slot for Google Coral.ai or Hailo-8 support with the relevant module. The whole platform comes in a 15W TDP package and like the Ryzen Embedded processor, the Intel Tiger Lake CPU’s can be powered up or down depending on your application power and speed requirements. The de next-TGU8 is specifically targeted towards Edge AI, robotics, and smart transportation markets with a wide selection of fully-function I/O including high-speed interfaces including a 2.5Gigabit RJ45 Ethernet port, and 10Gbps USB3.2 ports on the rear I/O. There are also options to break out up to four additional USB2.0 ports and two serial ports supporting RS-232/422/485 on the board headers. There is a HDMI port for interfacing to displays which also supports 4K resolution and additionally for machine builders, there is an onboard eDP interface for pairing directly to a flat panel LCD.
de next-V2K4
The de next-V2K4 shares all the same features that are mentioned on the de next-TGU8 but offers extra processing and graphics power. It is the second 1.8” development board from Aaeon Technology and is built around the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000 series processor including the 8 core 16 thread Ryzen V2718 processor. According to PassMark’s CPU benchmark, the Ryzen V2718 is comprehensively the most capable processor used in the 1.8” SBC form factor making it an essential choice for the most demanding industrial Edge AI applications.
ALF51
The ALF51, from DFI is a low power 1.8” single board computer suited for space-constrained and thermally restricted industries like robotics control and industrial automation. It is built around the tried and tested Intel Apollo Lake series of processors, and whilst it only has a TDP of 9.5W, it still offers an excellent performance boost over the Raspberry Pi, it also comes with 8GB onboard system memory and 64GB of eMMC storage as standard. Extended operating temperature (-40°C to +85°C) versions are also available ensuring reliable performance in the harshest of conditions. Looking at the board specifications you can see the rear I/O is equipped with two Gigabit RJ45 Ethernet ports, a mini-DisplayPort and two 5Gbps USB3.1 ports. Board headers also provide an additional USB2.0 port and support for one serial port supporting RS-232/422/485 comms as well as a full size MiniPCIe slot with USB and PCI interfaces for installation of cellular, wireless, or additional I/O modules.
Kiwi310
Last but not least is the KIWI310 from Axiomtek. It is built around the established Intel Apollo Lake processor, the Celeron N3350, and offers 6W TDP making it the lowest power rated CPU used in the range. It comes with 4GB of onboard DDR4 system memory and 64GB eMMC storage making it ready for install straight out-of-the-box. Like the Raspberry Pi, the KIWI310 has two USB3.0 ports, two USB2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port, a mini-HDMI interface, and a USB-C power port on the rear plate. Additionally, there is a 40-pin GPIO port which supports I2C, SPI, UART and PWM which, as we know from the HAT expansion modules for the Raspberry Pi, opens a world of innovative expansion options including Axiomtek’s own 5G expansion module which is available soon.
Our Embedded Systems Capabilities
Impulse has been delivering embedded board solutions for 30 years covering a wide range of projects in a variety of industrial markets and applications that demand rugged and long-lifetime platforms. With our Embedded Systems capabilities, Impulse creates reliable, repeatable, and revision-controlled systems which can reduce project costs and development time. Our team of in-house engineers and specialists, all with decades of experience, can offer you fully deployable embedded computing solutions straight out of the box. For more details about our Embedded Systems capabilities, please click here
