Fanless Pico-ITX SBC rocks Bay Trail up to 2.4GHz
Feb 4, 2015 — by Rick Lehrbaum — 2625 viewsData Modul’s fanless, Pico-ITX “eDM-pITX-BT” SBC runs Linux on Intel’s Bay Trail SoCs, ranging from a single-core 1.5GHz Atom to a quad-core 2.4GHz Celeron.
Munich-based Data Modul says it developed the eDM-pITX-BT “in cooperation with a long-term partner, a leading manufacturer of industrial computers.” In addition to its passively-cooled, soldered Intel processor, the board features up to 4GB of DDR3L RAM, a CAN 2.0 interface, a pair of mini-PCIe expansion positions, and an assurance of seven-year product longevity.

eDM-pITX-BT runs fanless from
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Although fanless, the eDM-pITX-BT optionally supports an industrial temperature range of -40 to 85°C, which presumably requires a carefully designed thermal solution, especially when equipped with the 2.42GHz J1900 processor option. To aid the heat-extraction process, “heat sources like CPU and RAM are located at the rear side of the PCB,” and the company offers 15mm-thick heat spreaders and a heat sinks for mounting on the board’s bottom. “With the heat spreader the board can be directly adapted to a housing,” adds the company.

eDM-pITX-BT block diagram
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The board offers dual-display operation, and provides two display interface styles: a DisplayPort, supporting up to 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution, and dual 24-bit LVDS interfaces, usable with up to 1920 x 1200 pixel displays. Other I/O includes Intel HD Audio, four USB ports (including three USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 SuperSpeed), a pair of serial ports with one supporting RS422/485, and a CAN 2.0 bus suitable for industrial applications.
A SATA 2.0 interface usable with external HDD or SSD media supports up to 3GB/s transfer rates, and there’s a Gigabit Ethernet port for high-speed networking. Additional, modular expansion is enabled by a pair of half-size mini-PCIe slots, one of which supports mSATA.


More Bay Trail on Pico-ITX: Kontron pITX-E38 (left) and Commell LP-173
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Although the eDM-pITX-BT is a late entrant in the small form-factor Bay Trail SBC market, the board’s robust specs and seven-year lifecycle certainly justify its existence. Other Bay Trail-based Pico-ITX SBCs we’ve seen include the Kontron pITX-E38, introduced last March, and the Commell LP-173, introduced in August. (Both are shown above.)
Summary of eDM-pITX-BT specs
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Specifications listed by Data Modul for the eDM-pITX-BT include:
- Processor:
- Intel Atom E3815 (1x core; 1.46GHz; 5W TDP)
- Intel Celeron J1900 (4x cores; 2.42GHz; 10W TDP)
- Memory — 2GB or 4GB soldered DDR3L RAM (1600 MT/s)
- Storage:
- SATA 2.0 (3GB/s)
- mSATA via mini-PCIe
- Networking — 1x Gigabit Ethernet
- Display:
- Intel HD Graphics
- Dual simultaneous display support
- DisplayPort (up to 2560 x 1600) on front panel connector
- Dual-channel 24-bit LVDS (up to 1920 x 1200)
- Audio — Intel HD Audio
- Other I/O:
- USB — 3x USB 2.0; 1x USB 3.0
- 8x GPIO
- I2C, SMB
- CAN 2.0
- Serial — 1x RS232; 1x RS422/485
- Expansion:
- 1x mini-PCIe/mSATA (half size)
- 1x mini-PCIe (half size)
- Other features — watchdog timer
- Operating temperature — 0 to 60°C (standard); -40 to 85°C (industrial)
- Power — 12V DC (+/-5%); input is via a rear-panel Jack or internal Molex connector
- Dimensions — 100 x 72mm (estimated, since unspecified); Pico-ITX form-factor
- Operating systems — Linux, Windows 7/8; WE Compact 7; WE Standard 7/8
Further information
The eDM-pITX-BT is shipping now, at an unstated price. More information may be found at the Data Modul’s eDM-pITX-BT product page.
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