Rough, tough Coffee Lake system is totally upfront with its I/O
Apr 24, 2020 — by Eric Brown 242 viewsAxiomtek’s fanless, rugged “eBOX640-521-FL” computer runs Linux or Win 10 on 8th Gen Coffee Lake CPUs with all front facing I/O including dual displays, 6x USB, 2x SATA, 2x GbE, 2x serial, mini-PCIe and M.2, and “flexible I/O.”
Over the last year, Axiomtek has launched rugged, fanless, Intel Coffee Lake based embedded computers including the 8th Gen eBOX671-521-FL and last week’s 8th/9th Gen eBOX710-521-FL. Now, the company has announced an 8th Gen Coffee Lake eBOX640-521-FL system with a boxier, more compact design with all front-facing I/O. The new system carries on the tradition of the front-facing, 7th Gen Kaby Lake based eBOX640-500-FL, but is slightly smaller at 210.3 x 195 x 80mm.

eBOX640-521-FL
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The front-facing I/O design eases maintenance and supports space-limited environments where rear access is restricted. Applications include rugged smart production, machine automation, product testing, smart warehouse, and other AIoT jobs.
The eBOX640-521-FL has a different front-panel layout than the eBOX640-500-FL and adds an M.2 slot, 8-bit DIO, and one of Axiomtek’s “flexible I/O” windows with cutouts for dual DB9 ports for optional mini-PCIe based I/O modules. Vibration resistance has been boosted to 3G (per IEC 60068-2-64), and the system adds 50G shock resistance per IEC 60068-2-27,
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On the other hand, the temperature and power input ranges have shrunk slightly to -10 to 50°C and “12/19 to 24 VDC,” respectively. The new eBOX640-521-FL also loses the VGA port and a pair of serial ports and its 6x USB ports are more USB 2.0 than 3.0.
The eBOX640-521-FL runs Linux or Win 10 IoT on 8th Gen Core and Celeron processors with up to 35W TDP that use an LGA1151 socket. An Intel H310 chipset is also available.

eBOX640-521-FL detail view
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You can load up to 32GB DDR4-2400 via dual channels and store data with 2x 2.5-inch SATA HDD bays. The full-size mini-PCIe slot supports SATA along with PCIe and USB, while the M.2 E-key 2230 slot supports WiFi. You also get 4x SMA antenna connectors.
The eBOX640-521-FL is equipped with 2x GbE ports (Intel i219V-LM and i211-AT), as well as 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, and single RS-232, RS-232/422/485, HDMI, and DisplayPorts. Other features include the flexible I/O window, 4-in/4-out DIO, an audio-out jack, a watchdog, an AT/ATX switch, and TPM 2.0.
The IP40-protected, 3-kg system is made of heavy-duty aluminum extrusion and steel and offers 10% – 90%, non-condensing relative humidity resistance. Options include storage, wireless modules, a power adapter, and wall- and DIN-rail mounting kits.
Further information
The eBOX640-521-FL will be available at the end of May, with undisclosed pricing. More information may be found in Axiomtek’s announcement and product page.
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