DFRobot Launches the LattePanda IOTA, Offering a Big Drop-In Boost for LattePanda V1 Projects
Identical hardware layout makes the new board easy to install in existing projects, but watch the higher thermal output and new 3.3VDC IO.
DFRobot has announced the launch of a new entry in the LattePanda family of x86 single-board computers, powered by an Intel Processor N150 and up to 16GB of ECC LPDDR5 RAM: the LattePanda IOTA, designed as a more powerful successor to the original LattePanda.
"LattePanda IOTA is a palm-sized, high-performance x86 single-board computer (SBC), engineered as a bridge between rapid prototyping and commercial deployment," DFRobot explains of the device. "As the next generation of the classic LattePanda V1, It integrates a powerful Intel Processor N150 with a versatile [Raspberry Pi] RP2040 co-processor, delivering a significant leap in computing power within a compact footprint.
"Key differentiators include its high speed LPDDR5 memory with IBECC [In-Band Error Correction Code] for enhanced reliability, broad compatibility with desktop operating systems like [Microsoft] Windows and [Canonical] Ubuntu, and a range of hardware configurations to meet diverse performance and budget needs."
The LattePanda IOTA, brought to our attention by CNX Software, is designed as a replacement for the ageing original LattePanda — maintaining the same "palm-sized" footprint and interface layout, with DFRobot claiming it should be a drop-in upgrade for most projects "nearly without mechanical redesign or enclosure modification." Those upgrading will find themselves with a big performance boost, thanks to a move to the Intel Processor N150 — a Twin Lake-architecture quad-core chip running at up to 3.6GHz "Turbo" speed an delivering an order-of-magnitude gain over the original LattePanda V1's Intel Atom x5-Z8350 for common workloads.
The processor is paired with the buyer's choice of 8GB or 16GB of LPDDR5 memory running at 4,800MT/s and with in-band ECC; those two models in turn include either 64GB or 128GB of on-board eMMC 5.1 storage, expandable via microSD Card or by using an on-board PCI Express lane with optional M.2 M-key expansion board to add a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) storage module — or, if you'd prefer, a high-speed accelerator for on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) workloads.
Other ports include HDMI 2.1 4k60 and embedded DisplayPort (eDP) 1.4b 1080p60 video outputs, three USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Tye-A ports running at up to 10Gb/s, one USB 2.0 pin header, a gigabit Ethernet port, and a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) header linked to the Raspberry Pi RP2040 coprocessor. Power is provided over a USB Type-C connection, with the board configurable in two thermal profiles: 6W, for battery-powered applications, and 15W for performance-hungry projects.
"We know that for many of you, your LattePanda V1 is at the heart of a finely-tuned project," DFRobot says, by way of explanation as to why the new board is only "nearly" a modification-free drop-in upgrade for existing users. "To make your transition to the powerful new IOTA as seamless as possible, we've created a comprehensive migration guide. While the identical form factor allows for a simple 'drop-in' hardware replacement, the leap in performance comes with important updates to power requirements, cooling solutions, and I/O specifics (like the new eDP display interface and 3.3V GPIO)."
The new LattePanda IOTA is now available on the DFRobot store at $129 for the 8GB/64GB variant and $175 for the 16GB/128GB version; both models are also available with a Microsoft Windows 11 IoT Enterprise license, at additional cost. The migration guide, meanwhile, is available on the company blog.