BeagleBoard.org Targets Harsher Environments, More Demanding Work with the PocketBeagle 2 Industrial
New model comes with a wider operating temperature range, twice the RAM, and 64GB of on-board eMMC storage.
Open hardware specialist BeagleBoard.org has launched a new variant of the PocketBeagle 2 single-board computer, now boasting a wider operating temperature range targeting industrial deployment — and with twice the RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage.
"PocketBeagle 2 Industrial is an industrial-grade version of the popular PocketBeagle 2. This ultra-compact, low-cost, yet powerful single-board computer (SBC) is designed for prototyping and industrial equipment," BeagleBoard.org says of the new model in the family. "It retains the simplicity and flexibility of its predecessor while delivering enhanced performance with on-board 1GB DDR4 RAM and 64GB eMMC storage to meet modern development demands. Engineered for reliability in harsh environments, it features an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to 85°C [-40–185°F]. Its small form factor and low power consumption make it a robust and versatile platform for embedded development, from prototyping to large-scale deployment."
Visually, the PocketBeagle 2 Industrial, brought to our attention by CNX Software, closely resembles the original PocketBeagle 2 — which, in turn, looks identical to the "Rev A1" variant the company unveiled back in May last year, with a more powerful processor and on-board graphics processor. Rather than a black PCB, though, the PocketBeagle 2 Industrial has a red one — and the usually-unpopulated eMMC footprint has been populated with a 64GB module.
There are only two other changes: the PocketBeagle 2's 512MB of DDR4 memory has been replaced by a more generous 1GB module, and the overall operating temperature rating has been extended to an industrial-suitable -40–85°C (-40–185°F). Other than that, you get exactly what you would expect from a PocketBeagle 2: a Texas Instruments AM6254 with four Arm Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 1.4GHz, a Cortex-M4F coprocessor running at up to 400MHz, dual-core Programmable Real-Time Unit Subsystem (PRUSS), dedicated TI Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller core, and the usual twin expansion headers for "Cape" add-ons and other external hardware.
The addition of more RAM and on-board storage at a time when both are in short supply thanks to the insatiable hunger of the AI bubble, though, means that unlike the move from dual- to quad-core the move from consumer to industrial comes with a price hike: the PocketBeagle 2 is now available in the channel for $50.03, a $20 premium over the standard model.
More information is available on the BeagleBoard.org product page.