Advantech announced several modules and single board computers (SBCs) equipped with Intel's new dual-core “Cedar Trail” Atom processors. The tiny COM Express Mini SOM-7565 module offers the 1.6GHz Atom N2600; the larger COM Express Compact SOM-6765 also supports the 2.13GHz D2700; and the 3.5-inch MIO-5250 SBC and AIMB-214 Mini-ITX board add the 1.86GHz N2800.

Advantech's latest embedded products — similar in scope to the company's onslaught of "Pineview" Atom based products two years ago — share a foundation in a recently released family of Intel Atom CPUs. In this case, it's the 32nm-fabricated N2000 (N-Series) and D2000 (D-Series) Atom chips, also known as the "Cedar Trail" processors. 

The four dual-core Atom processors, all of which are offered with Intel's NM10 chipset, are primarily notable for their lower power consumption compared to earlier Atom processors, as well as video-related enhancements (see farther below for more details).

Although the N-Series (pictured) is primarily aimed at netbooks, such as the models recently tipped from Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and MSI, it can be used in a broader set of embedded computing applications as well. Similarly, the D-Series, which targets entry-level desktops, can also be used for single-purpose systems such as digital signage.

Advantech's new Cedar Trail products include the tiny COM Express Mini SOM-7565 and larger COM Express Compact SOM-6765 computer on modules (COMs), as well as the 3.5-inch MIO-5250 MI/O-Compact SBC, the latter offering Advantech's MIO extension-board interface. Also available is a AIMB-214 industrial Mini-ITX motherboard, says the company.

In addition, Advantech announced an ARK-2120 box PC in two different flavors, supporting Atom N2600 or D2700 processors. We will cover these box PCs in a subsequent report.

All the new systems are supported by Linux, QNX, Windows XP Embedded, and Windows CE operating systems. They ship with APIs, and in the case of the modules, optional development boards, says Advantech.

Also available are Advantech Industrial Cloud Built-in Services. These are said to include a partially chip-based self-management, auto-protection, and secure storage solution called iManager, as well as the SUSE Linux-based SUSIAccess embedded configuration and monitoring service. The CloudBuilder service, meanwhile, updates software and enables the development of industrial clouds, says the company.  

COM-Express Mini SOM-7565

The Advantech COM Express Mini SOM-7565 module is built around Intel's dual-core, 1.6GHz Atom N2600 processor. Adopting the COM Express form factor, the device is notable for its compact 84 x 55mm (3.3 x 2.17-inch) dimensions. This is slightly smaller than Advantech's similar, Atom E6xx-based SOM-7564 module from October.

COM Express Mini SOM-7565

The SOM-7565 supports up to 2GB of 800MHz DDR3 memory, twice the capacity of the SOM-7564, says Advantech. Also new is the module's dual display capability: mix-and-match options include DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, and eDisplayPort (eDP), as well as 18-bit LVDS at up to 1366 x 768 resolution, says Advantech.

A gigabit Ethernet port is said to be available, as well as an HD audio interface and 8-bit GPIO. New features unavailable in the previous module include a SATA port (two are optional), and an onboard interface for a 4GB solid state drive (SSD), says the company. Also new are the eight USB 2.0 ports.

SOM-7565 block diagram

The SOM-7565 has three PCI Express x1 interfaces, a fourth being optional. In addition, LPC, SMBus, and I2C buses are available, says Advantech.

The device supports ATX and AT power, says the company. Power consumption figures — which should be pretty low considering the 3.5-Watt TDP CPU that runs the device — have yet to be determined. The module is said to support operating temperatures of 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 60 deg. C).

COM Express Compact SOM-6765

Like the SOM-7565, the COM Express Compact SOM-6765 uses the COM Express format, but it is larger, measuring 3.74 x 3.74 inches (95 x 95mm). In addition to supporting the Atom N2600, it also supports the desktop-oriented, 2.13GHz D2700 processor. Like the N2600, the chip offers dual cores, but along with its faster speed, it also has a much larger 10-Watt TDP.

COM-Express Compact SOM-6765

The SOM-6765 supports up to 2GB of 800MHz DDR3 memory when fitted with the N2600, or 4GB of 1066MHz memory with the D2700, says Advantech. The D2700 option also moves the embedded graphics up to 640MHz compared to the 400MHz graphics available with the N2600.

As with the SOM-7565, the module supports supports DX9 and OGL 3.0 media formats using either processor option, says Advantech. Dual display capability is provided, but only with the more limited display interfaces, which include DVI, VGA, and LVDS. When the D2700 chip is present, LVDS resolutions move up to 1440 x 900 pixels, says the company.

SOM-6765 block diagram

A gigabit Ethernet port is available, as well as HD audio interface and 8-bit GPIO. Like the SOM-7565, eight USB 2.0 ports are said to be available. Two SATA ports are standard instead of one, and an EIDE interface is offered as well. Expansion possibilities are similar to those of its smaller sibling , except that only two PCIe interfaces are standard.

Operating temperatures and power details are the same, and typical power consumption is said to range from +12 V @ 0.5 A with the N2600 to +12 V @ 0.63 A with the D2700.

MIO-5250 MI/O-Compact

Like earlier boards available with Advantech's MIO expansion interface, — such as October's Atom N455-based MIO-2260 — the MIO-5250 MI/O-Compact is a 3.5-inch SBC designed to be "completely customized to meet customers' requirements," according to the company. However, while the MIO-2260 made its debut with a variety of ready-made MIO extension boards, Advantech does not say whether those same boards work here.

MIO-5250 MI/O-Compact

The MIO-5250 is offered with the 1.6GHz N2600, the 1.86GHz N2800, or the 2.13GHz D2700 Atom processors. The SBC support up to 4GB of DDR3 1066MHz with the latter two options, says Advantech. All three versions support dual displays, with LVDS, VGA, and HDMI options, according to the company.

MIO-5250 coastline with D2700 option shown at right, featuring DC input

Dual real-world gigabit Ethernet ports are available on the coastline, along with four USB 2.0 ports, as well as two more internal USB ports. Other coastline I/O is said to include the VGA and HDMI ports, and audio I/O, while the D2700 version also features a coastline DC power port.

MIO-5250 spec chart
(Click to enlarge)

Additional internal I/O includes four serial ports and 8-bit GPIO, says the company. In addition, the MIO-5250 provides a Mini PCI Express socket and the aforementioned MIO interface for expansion.

MIO-5250 block diagram
(Click to enlarge)

The SBC runs on 12 V DC power and offers typical consumption ranging from 7.27 Watts with the N2600 to 8.58 Watts with the N2800, and 19.69 Watts with the D2700, claims Advantech. The 5.7 x 4.0-inch board supports 32 to 140 deg. F operating temperatures, says the company.  

AIMB-214

The AIMB-214 product page is marked as preliminary, so we'll tread lightly here. Like Advantech's  AIMB-212, which supported the Atom N450 or D510 processors, the AIMB-214 is a Mini-ITX SBC, measuring 6.7 x 6.7 inches. As with the the MIO-5250, it supports the 1.6GHz N2600, the 1.86GHz N2800, and the 2.13GHz D2700 Atom processors, with up to 2GB or 4GB of memory supported, depending on the version.

AIMB-214

AIMB-214 features include dual display support, with VGA, LVDS, HDMI, and eDisplayPort (eDP) interfaces, says Advantech. Expansion interfaces are said to include PCI and mini-PCIe. Dual internal SATA ports and a CompactFlash socket are available for storage.
AIMB-214 coastline

Coastline I/O includes dual gigabit Ethernet ports, four USB 2.0 ports, dual serial ports, and a KB/MS port, says the company. Also found on the coastline are video and audio ports.
AIMB-214 block diagram
(Click to enlarge)

Like most other Mini-ITX boards, a wealth of internal I/O is also available. No power consumption figures were offered.

Cedar Trail background

Intel's Cedar Trail processors are primarily notable for their 32-nanometer fabrication, resulting in lower power consumption. Claimed TDPs for the 1.6GHz N2600 and 1.86GHz N2800 are 3.5 Watts and 6.5 Watts respectively. In addition, the processors offer enhanced Intel GMA graphics, especially with the N2800, which provides a GMA3650 engine as opposed to the N2600's 3600 version.

The Cedar Trail Atoms also include a D-Series aimed at entry-level desktops: the dual-core, 10-Watt Atom D2500 and D2700 models, clocked at 1.86GHz and 2.13GHz, respectively.

All the Cedar Trail Atoms are said to include a dedicated media engine enabling 1080p playback of videos and Blu-ray content. Display and output options include HDMI, DisplayPort, eDisplayPort, LVDS, VGA, and dual digital displays, says Intel.

Availability

All of these new Cedar Trail-enabled products are due to ship at the end of the first quarter of 2012, Advantech says. More information, including data sheets, may be found in the following product pages:

• SOM-7565
• SOM-6765
• MIO-5250
• AIMB-214

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