Embedded

The UP Element i12 Edge computer combines precision engineering with Intel technology to a new era in industrial robotics, said Aaeon. The computer has target applications in the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and industrial automation markets. 

The computer uses the 12th Generation Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processor platforms with industrial-grade engineering to harness up to 10 cores and 12 threads, Intel Iris Xe graphics and a selection of peripheral technologies in a rugged, flexible edge system.

It has three USB 3.2 and two USB 2.0 ports for multiple 3D cameras and sensors and a dual COM port pin header for RS-232 / 422 / 485 connectivity. It is equipped with enhanced object detection capabilities and accurate positional data via lidar and inertial measurement unit (IMU) connections. 

The UP Element i12 Edge, unlike many options in the current AMR landscape, is an industrial-grade computer with enhanced shock and vibration resistance, said Aaeon, and therefore suitable for outdoor use. It also has optional I/O cable locks, shock absorbers and a phoenix connector to ease deployment. 

The integration of the Intel NUC 12 Compute Element, features Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, 12th Generation Intel Core processors and up to 32Gbyte LPDDR5 system memory.

It is estimated that the attributes offered by the Intel NUC 12 Compute Element will reduce lead time for the UP Element i12 Edge by 50 per cent, giving the development community a more advanced, streamlined route to deploying AMR and industrial automation solutions for both indoor and outdoor settings.

Established in 1992, Aaeon designs and manufactures industrial IoT and AI edge solutions. The company provides industrial motherboards and systems, rugged tablets, embedded AI Edge systems, uCPE network appliances and LoRaWAN / WWAN solutions. 

Aaeon provides experience and knowledge to provide OEM / ODM services worldwide. Aaeon also works closely with cities and governments to develop and deploy smart city ecosystems and works closely with premier chip designers to deliver stable, reliable platforms. The company is recognised as a Titanium member of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. 

http://www.aaeon.com.

Equipped with an LGA1700 socket for the 12th generation Intel Core i9 / i7 / i5 / i3 processors (code named Alder Lake-S), the IBM540 is the latest industrial ATX motherboard from Axiomtek.

It has quad displays and dual GPU expansion for AIoT applications. The IMB540 is built with the Intel R680E chipset and the Alder Lake-S CPU options. It also has four DDR4-3200 ECC/non-ECC un-buffered long-DIMM slots with a total capacity of 128Gbyte. There are five PCIe slots, two 4.0 x16 slots and three x4 slots for GPU, AI acceleration, frame grabber, NIC and motion control card configurations. 

The networking interfaces consist of a 2.5GbE LAN port with time-sensitive networking (TSN), a GbE LAN port, as well as a PCIe mini card slot with SIM slot for Wi-Fi / Bluetooth / LTE connectivity. The Intel Iris Xe Graphics allows for support of up to four independent displays via HDMI, DVI-D, VGA, and DisplayPort++.

For storage, there are four SATA 3.0 ports with integrated RAID 0 / 1 / 5 / 10 and additional storage is available via an M.2 Key M 2280 slot with PCIe x4 signal for NVMe SSD. The USB interface support includes four USB 3.2 Gen2, four USB 3.2 Gen1 and five USB 2.0 ports. The board is further equipped with four RS-232, two RS-232 / -422 /- 485, eight-channel programmable digital I/O, one HD codec audio, one SMBus, and one PS/2 keyboard and mouse. 

The industrial ATX motherboard can withstand a wide operating temperature range from 0 to 60 degrees C. It also supports onboard Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM) to provide hardware-based data protection. Operating systems are Windows 10 and Linux.

The IMB540 drives AI computing performance and includes sufficient I/O, high-speed interfaces, multi-display connection capability and flexible expansion slots for medical imaging, video surveillance, computer vision and data analysis, said Kasper Tsai, the product manager of the AIoT team at Axiomtek. “Moreover, we have the capability to assist with any customer’s industrial integration requirements and achieve fast time to market,” he added.

http://www.axiomtek.com 

For high performance embedded computing (HPEC) the Advantech SQF 930 and SQF ER-1 are claimed to have industrial heat dissipation capabilities suitable for stable operation in edge computing. According to Advantech, they maximise system efficiency while accommodating the harsh conditions and wide temperatures found in outdoor or industrial usage scenarios.

The Advantech SQF 930 and ER-1 series are designed with PCIe Gen. 4 specifications, delivering double data streaming performance compared to Gen. 3 versions. They are also available in M.2 2280 and U.2 (SFF-8639) sizes. 

SQFlash provides different types of general, read-intensive, and mixed-use options that enable edge storage devices to keep up with numerous, real time streaming data sources. In addition, the SQF 930 and ER-1 series support three drive writes per day (DWPD) and one DWPD levels to meet different industrial requirements. These also support a wide temperature range (-40 to +85 degrees C) for mission critical applications. In addition, the ER-1 series is built with low power consumption credentials that meet high power and low carbon expectations, said Advantech. 

As is the case with the proliferation of the IoT, AI technology development has increased power consumption and heat at the edge. In response, Advantech has engineered the SQF 930 and ER-1 to adopt thermal glue with mechanical flexibility to avoid the risk of physical damage to SSD components during sudden temperature changes. The combination of thermal throttling design and real-time I/O adjustment can effectively balance temperature and performance, reported Advantech. 

In addition, the adoption of IoT has led to unprecedented inter-connectivity and increased security concerns. The SQF 930 and ER-1 meet these challenges by protecting data stored on the SQFlash SSD with support for real-time monitoring and security at the SSD firmware level. 

Advantech’s SQF 930/ER-1 PCIe Gen. 4 solutions will be available from October 2022. 

Advantech’s promotes IoT hardware and software with the Edge Intelligence WISE-PaaS core. The company is also working with business partners to co-create business ecosystems.

http://www.advantech.eu

VPX carriers introduced by Acromag route power and bus signals to two plug-in XMC mezzanine modules with a 16-lane Gen 3 PCIe interface. The VPX4840 and VPX4850 enable a range of FPGA, GPU, I/O and CPU combinations when interfacing XMC modules to a VPX computer system. 

The VPX4840 and VPX4850 feature two XMC slots with support for front or rear panel I/O. They are available with VITA 42, VITA 61, or VITA 88 connectors to route power and interface bus signals to the plug-in mezzanine modules. Both models support a choice of direct PCIe connection to the VPX backplane via the data or expansion plane. 

The XMC sites have a 16-lane PCIe bus Gen A3 interface enabling rapid data throughput. By inserting XMC mezzanine modules on the carrier, including XMC processor (prXMC) modules, developers can leverage hundreds of available function modules currently unavailable in a VPX platform, said Acromag. 

“With two XMC sites, system integrators can combine FPGA, GPU, I/O, avionics, communication, and even prXMC modules to create custom computing boards in a single slot” said Robert Greenfield, Acromag’s bsiness development manager.

Air-cooled models with a 0 to +55 degrees C temperature range, versions with extended temperature ranges or conduction cooling support are also available.

Designed and manufactured in the USA the carriers are suitable for high-performance aerospace, defence, scientific research and industrial systems requiring high-speed I/O. 

Founded in 1957, Acromag designs and manufactures hi-tech industrial electronics. The international corporation’s headquarters are near Detroit, Michigan and the company has a global network of sales representatives and distributors. 

Acromag offers embedded computing including general purpose I/O boards, single-board computers, FPGA modules, embedded computers, COM Express products, mezzanine modules, wiring accessories, and software. Industries served include military, aerospace, manufacturing, transportation, utilities, and scientific research laboratories.

http://www.acromag.com