IoT and edge devices are increasingly required to be equipped with a variety of functions, and low-power, high-performance embedded chips that can perform enhanced functions in low-power edge devices are entering the market.

Kontron, a global leader in Internet of Things (IoT) and embedded computing technology (ECT), announced today the launch of its 3.5-inch Single Board Computer (SBC)-EKL general-purpose product designed for commercial and industrial IoT applications that require high-performance edge processing.

The four types of 3.5-inch single-board computers (SBCs) are equipped with the latest Intel Atom x6000E series, Celeron J6000/N6000 series, and Pentium J6000/N6000 series processors.

These include the industrial Intel Atom x6212RE/x6425RE, the embedded Intel Atom x6211E, and the commercial Intel Celeron J6413, with more products using Intel's other system-on-chip (SoC) options expected to be available in the future, the company said.

The newly launched SBC-EKL is designed for industrial and commercial system developers in △industrial automation △retail △smart city △healthcare devices. △It is designed to build low-power, small IoT edge devices that meet enhanced real-time computing and graphics performance and enhanced security requirements in other similar applications.

Contron emphasized that the 3.5-inch SBC-EKL has improved CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance compared to Intel’s previous generation SoCs. The explanation is that the improved graphics performance makes AI and computer vision tasks faster while also improving energy efficiency. The SBC also provides two DisplayPort connectors on the rear panel to support dual 4K 60-frame displays that can be used in retail and advertising, public terminals or HMI applications.

In addition, to minimize latency in multi-hop network environments, SBC-EKL is equipped with dual-channel DDR4 SO-DIMM memory that supports in-band ECC, as well as two socket 2.5 GbE LAN ports, four USB 3.2 2nd generation connectors, and one SATA 3.0 port for SSD or HDD storage.

Models supporting Intel TCC (Time Coordinated Computing) technology and TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) protocol are also available, enabling highly stable, low-latency Ethernet communication with an accuracy of up to one millionth of a second (1 μs).

These SBC-EKL performance improvements lead to improved responsiveness for ARM-based edge IOT devices. Supports Intel Programmable Services Engine (PSE), which uses a dedicated ARM Cortex-M7-based microcontroller (MCU) integrated into the PCH.

The microcontroller (MCU) operates independently, directly routes two CAN bus interfaces, and supports CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate) transmission at speeds of up to 5 Mb/s. This enables real-time, responsive communication in ARM-based edge IoT devices such as sensors, actuators, and controllers.

In terms of I/O ports, the 3.5-inch SBC-EKL includes three M.2 expansion slots, each with △SSD △WLAN △Bluetooth △WWAN, as well as a Key B·E·M interface for M.2 expansion options. A board-to-board connector is also featured, allowing system developers to add Kontron's 3.5-inch -elO series boards for additional I/O ports or functionality depending on the application.

With security enhancements against malware and advanced cyberattacks emerging as important issues at the edge, the 3.5-inch SBC-EKL integrates a TPM 2.0 security chip into the board in addition to the integrated security features provided by the processor, such as Intel Platform Trust Technology, Intel AES-NI (AES New Instructions), Intel SHA Extensions, Intel Secure Key, and Intel Boot Guard.

This could provide a more secure hardware-based approach to managing user authentication, network access, and data protection.

SBC-EKL is available in an industrial grade family supporting a wide operating temperature range from -40 to 85°C, while the standard family supports a temperature range from 0 to 60°C.