Aaeon announced a 3.5-inch single board computer (SBC) with dual display support and a touchscreen controller. The GENE-LN05 Rev. B offers a choice of Intel Atom N455 or dual-core, 1.8GHz D525 processors with up to 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory, respectively, and includes CompactFlash, SATA, gigabit Ethernet, USB, serial, Parallel, and expansion interfaces, says the company.

Aimed at a wide range of embedded and digital signage applications in industrial automation, transportation, defense, and government markets, the GENE-LN05 Rev. B Digital continues a line of 3.5-inch GENE boards (last covered in 2010 with the Intel Core 2 Duo ready GENE-9655).

Aaeon's GENE line dates back, well, eons — at least in tech time. The first GENE board we covered, albeit briefly, was the GENE-4310 back in November, 2000.
 

GENE-LN05 Rev. B

The GENE-LN05 Rev. B is equipped with Intel's single-core, 1.66GHz Atom N455 or dual-core D525, clocked at 1.8GHz. It does not appear that the Rev. A version was ever announced, but a GENE-LN05 datasheet is still posted that was last updated in April.

Apparently Aaeon revamped the SBC before shipment to upgrade to newer Atom processors and DDR3 support. Aaeon has yet to update its product page and data sheet, however, which contradict the press release by still listing Atom N450 and D510 chips, as well as DDR2 memory, and fail to note the bump up to 4GB DDR3 for the D525 version.

The Rev. B version supports up to 2GB of DDR3 667/800 memory for the N455 processor and up to 4GB for the D525 processor, says Aaeon. In addition, the SBC supplies a CompactFlash socket and dual SATA 3 interfaces, with optional RAID 0/1, according to the company. Expansion includes an LPC bus and dual "Mini-Card interfaces" which we assume are Mini PCI slots.

GENE-LN05 Rev. B port detail
(Click to enlarge)

The GENE-LN05 Rev. B offers a coastline VGA port and internal 18/24-bit, single-channel LVDS, and is said to support dual simultaneous or independent displays. The device also ships with a 4/5/8-wire resistive touchscreen controller, says Aaeon.

The SBC is further equipped with dual gigabit Ethernet ports on the coastline, and seven USB coastline ports, according to Aaeon. Six COM ports are available, with one port available on the board's coastline, and one said to be configured for RS-232C/422/485. (We're guessing the latter is the real-world port.)

Other I/O, all internal, includes a parallel port and an 8-bit digital I/O (DIO) interface. Audio I/O is said to be available to express the SBC's dual-channel HD audio.

The GENE-LN05 Rev. B comes standard with +12VDC input support, but optional +5VDC input is available with the N455 processor. The 5.75 x 4.0-inch board supports operating temperatures ranging from 32 to 140 deg. F, and a fan is optional, says the company. Drivers are said to be available for Linux, Windows XP, and Windows 7.

Features and specifications listed for the GENE-LN05 include:

• Processor — Intel Atom N455 (single-core, 1.66GHz) or D525 (dual-core, 1.8GHz)
• Chipset — Intel ICH8M
• Memory — up to 2GB (N455) or 4GB (D525) DDR3 via single SODIMM
• Storage — 1 x CompactFlash (Type 2) socket; 2 x SATA (3Gbps) interfaces; optional RAID 0/1
• Expansion — 2 x "Mini-Card" interfaces (Mini PCI presumed); LPC bus
• Display:
  • CRT/LCD simultaneous dual view display
  • VGA port (coastline) with CRT res. up to 2048 x 1536 pixels on D525; up to 1400 x 1050 on N455
  • 18/24-bit single channel LVDS with up to 1366 x 768 or 1280 x 800
  • 4/5/8-wire resistive touchscreen controller
• Networking — 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports (Intel 82567V & 82583V); wake on LAN
• Other I/O:
  • 7 x USB 2.0 (2 x real-world coastline ports)
  • 6 x COM ports (1 x RS-232C/422/485; 1 x coastline port)
  • PS/2 port (1 x keyboard; 1 x mouse)
  • Parallel port interface (SPP/EPP/ECP)
  • 8-bit DIO (programmable)
  • audio line-in, line-out, mic-in (2-ch HD audio)
• Other features — watchdog timer; hardware monitoring; optional trusted platform module (TPM); optional fan
• Power — +12V or +5V (optional and requires N455); AT/ATX; Lithium battery
• Operating temperature — 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 60 deg. C)
• Dimensions — 5.75 x 4.0 inches (146 x 101.6mm); "3.5-inch" form-factor

Availability

No pricing or availability information was available on the GENE-LN05 Rev. B, which is available for Linux, Windows XP, and Windows 7. More information may be found at the GENE-LN05 product page (though, as we've noted, this still lists an earlier version of the board).

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