AAEON Unveils UP Xtreme 7100, Targeting Industrial Robotics with 24V Digital IO and More

With 24V digital input/output pins, two-channel CAN bus, RS232/422/485, and more, these boards deliver on connectivity.

Gareth Halfacree
6 months agoHW101 / Robotics

Embedded hardware specialist AAEON has announced its latest high-performance single-board computer (SBC), the UP Xtreme 7100 — designed as the driving force behind industrial robotics systems, the company says, though also available as a cased miniature PC for desktop deployment.

"AAEON's UP brand," the company writes in a press release brought to our attention by Linux Gizmos, "renowned for producing sophisticated developer boards with industrial-grade specifications, has announced the release of the UP Xtreme 7100, an all-in-one robotics solution available as both a single-board and mini PC."

The heart of the UP Xtreme 7100 is the buyer's choice of either an Intel Core i3-N305 or Intel Processor N97 processor, meaning either eight cores running at 1.8GHz base and 3.8GHz boost and a 15W thermal design profile (TDP) or four cores running at 2GHz base and 3.6GHz boost and a 12W TDP. The i3-N305 comes with integrated Intel UHD Graphics running at up to 1.25GHz and with 32 execution units, while the N97 uses a version running at up to 1.2GHz and with 24 execution units.

The compact board design — measuring just 120.35×122.5mm (around 4.74×4.82") — includes support for up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 64GB of storage on an on-board eMMC, expandable with an M.2 M-key slot with PCI Express Gen. 3 connectivity and a single SATA-III port. The board also offers an M.2 B-key slot with nano SIM connectivity for an optional cellular modem, an M.2 E-key slot for an optional Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module, and a pair of 2.5-gig-Ethernet ports based on the Intel I226-IT controller.

Elsewhere on the board are two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort 1.4a alternate mode, an embedded Display Port (eDP) 1.3 connector, and a terminal-block connector with user-selectable RS232/422/485 connectivity.

That's not the only sign of industrial connectivity, either: the board also includes an eight-in eight-out 24V digital input/output terminal block with 500mA current per channel, six general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins on another terminal block, and a two-channel CAN 2.0B bus exposed on another terminal block with dedicated indicator LEDs — all key to AAEON's claim the board is suited to industrial robotics.

For those looking for more than a bare board ready for integration into a robotics platform or other project, the UP Xtreme 7100 Edge takes the same core hardware and puts it in a robust metal chassis with integrated VESA mount — and an optional shock-absorber kit, should it be required. Both are cooled passively using a large metal heatsink, taking up one entire side — and doubling as the lid on the Edge variant.

The UP Xtreme 7100 boards are available to order on the AAEON shop now, priced at $445 for the UP Xtreme 7100 with N97, 8GB of LPDDR5, and 64GB of eMMC storage and $648 for the i3-N305 variant with 16GB of LPDDR5 and 64GB eMMC; the Edge variants add $53 and $61 to these prices, respectively.

Gareth Halfacree
Freelance journalist, technical author, hacker, tinkerer, erstwhile sysadmin. For hire: freelance@halfacree.co.uk.
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