Advantech unveiled two rugged embedded computers built on Intel’s Apollo Lake SoCs, as well as an embedded PC with a Bay Trail Atom E3845.

We recently covered the five SBCs and three COMs in Advantech’s announcement of products built around Intel’s 14nm Apollo Lake family of Atom E3900, Celeron, and Pentium SoCs. Here now are the three embedded systems that were announced: a “UTX-3117” system designed as an IoT gateway, an “ARK-1124C” general purpose fanless embedded PC, and an EN50155 S2/C1 compliant ARK-2231R computer for the railroad industry.

Atom E3900

Despite suggesting that the ARK-2231R is an Apollo Lake product, the product page instead lists a 22nm Bay Trail Atom E3845. It’s unclear if Advantech plans to update this system to Apollo Lake in the near future, or if it simply tossed it in with the Apollo Lake systems due to timing.

We’ll focus primarily here on the ARK-1124C, the only fully documented system here for general-purpose industrial applications. At publication time, Advantech had not yet posted a data sheet for the UTX-3117. No OS support was listed for the UTX-3117, but the other two systems run various Windows versions, and they list Linux as “support by project.”

 
UTX-3117

The slimly documented UTX-3117 is said to be designed for IoT gateway in the announcement, but is billed as fanless compact box in the product page. The 152 x 128 x 37mm system is equipped with a dual-core Atom X5-E3930 Apollo Lake processor with 6.5W TDP. Intel lists the clock speed for the SoC at 1.3GHz/1.8GHz, and the UTX-3117 version is listed as 1.6GHz. No RAM allotment was mentioned for the system, which has a 2.5-inch SATA bay for HDD or SSD storage.

UTX-3117, front and side views

The UTX-3117 has extended -20 to 60°C support, and is said to offer certification for RF and safety. A double-sided thermal cover reduces heat impact on RF performance, and 5x optimized antennas help avoid RF signal conflicts, says Advantech. The system features a half-sized mini-PCIe slot that can be used for mSATA or ZigBee, plus a full-sized mini-PCIe slot that supports cellular, and an M.2 slot that Advantech recommends for a WiFi module.

The system is further equipped with 2x GbE, 2x USB 3.0, and 2x COM ports. An HDMI port and DisplayPort are available along with TPM and a 12 to 19V DC power input. Other Advantech UTX IoT gateways include the Bay Trail based UTX-3115.

 
ARK-1124C

The rugged ARK-1124C is available with a choice of two dual-core Apollo Lake SoCs with 6W TDPs: the Celeron N3350 with 1.1GHz or 2.4GHz turbo burst speed and the Atom x5-E3930 with 1.3GHz or 1.8GHz turbo burst. The 133 x 94.2 x 44mm system is available in a taller version that makes room for Advantech’s dual-layer iDoor expansion system in a compartment located under the chassis.

ARK-1124C (left) and special iDoor SKU

iDoor is also available in systems like Advantech’s Bay Trail based TPC-1051WP and TPC-1551WP panel PCs and Intel Quark-based UNO-1252G embedded PC. However, this is the first time we’ve seen the iDoor option made available as part of a separate SKU.

The mini-PCIe based iDoor expansion system is available with optional add-on modules including DI/O ports, Power over Ethernet, Profibus, and CANOpen modules, while also supporting standard mini-PCIe wireless modules. The standard system also offers a mini-PCIe slot, so we presume that on the iDoor SKU, Advantech offers a second mini-PCIe slot optimized for iDoor.

ARK-1124C detail views
(click images to enlarge)

You can load up to 8GB of DDR3L-1866 via a single SODIMM, and store data on an optional 2.5-inch SATA III HDD or SSD, as well as a half-size mSATA socket with USB signal co-lay. Dual GbE ports are supplied with WoL, and there are 2x USB 3.0 and 4x RS-232/422/485 ports.

For displays, you’re limited to a single VGA port for up to 2560 x 1600 pixels. Other features include audio I/O and a watchdog. There’s a lockable 12V power supply, with an optional 12-24V supply. DIN-Rail, wall, and VESA mounting kits are optional.

The system can run at extended -20 to 60°C temperatures, or when an HDD is use, at 0 to 40°C. When using an SSD, the system offers vibration resistance per IEC 60068-2-64 (3 Grms, random, 5 to 500Hz, 1 hr/axis), and shock resistance per IEC 60068-2-27 (30G, half size, 11ms duration). The computer is compatible with Advantech’s WISE-PaaS/RMM IoT remote monitoring platform.

 
ARK-2231R

The rugged, EN50155 S2/C1 compliant ARK-2231R rolling stock computer is listed with a quad-core, 1.91GHz Atom E3845 from the 22nm Bay Trail generation. The train-focused ARK-2231R offers -40 to 70°C support, as per EN50155 TX, and shock and vibration endurance per IEC61373 Category1, Class B. There are also EMC and safety certifications.

ARK-2231R
(click image to enlarge)

The 260 x 160.2 x 57mm system is noted for its “stackable extension design” and optional “extension kit for applications,” but no more details were available. The system supports up to 8GB of DDR3L-1866 via a single SODIMM. It provides an optional 2.5-inch SATA III HDD or SSD, as well as a full-size mSATA socket. There are dual GbE ports, plus 2x RS-232/422/485 ports, 2x USB 2.0 ports, and a USB 3.0 port.

The ARK-2231R supports dual displays via HDMI 1.4 and VGA ports, and provides HD audio I/O. For expansion, you get three full size mini-PCIe slots, one of which supplies an accessible SIM slot.

ARK-2231R detail views
(click images to enlarge)

The 24V DC input can be replaced with 48V, 72V, or 110V options, and there are multiple mounting kits. A watchdog is also available, along with WISE-PaaS/RMM support.

 
Further information

The latest Advantech embedded computers are due to ship in Q1 to Q2 2017. More information may be found at the UTX-3117, ARK-1124C, and ARK-2231R product pages.