Advantech’s 3.5-inch “RSB-4760” SBC and “EPC-R4760” box PC feature the quad -A53 Snapdragon 410, and offer WiFi, BT, GNSS, M.2, GbE, mini-PCIe, and more.

Advantech’s IoT gateway-like EPC-R4760 box PC is the first embedded computer we’ve seen that builds on Qualcomm’s quad-core, 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 Snapdragon 410, also known as the APQ8016. Advantech’s 3.5-inch RSB-4760, however, joins several other Linux- and Android-friendly SBCs built on the SoC, which features a Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPU. In addition to Arrow’s Qualcomm-backed, open-spec DragonBoard 410c, we have seen commercial SBCs like Inforce’s 6309 Micro SBC and cheaper, less feature rich 6309L model.

RSB-4760 (left) and EPC-R4760
(click images to enlarge)

The 188 x 150 x 39mm EPC-R4760 computer is almost certainly based on the 146 x 102mm RSB-4760 SBC, although Advantech makes no mention of it. The devices were jointly announced, and offer almost identical features, including support for Android, Windows 10 IoT Core, and Yocto, Debian, and Ubuntu Linux.

The systems are targeted at industrial IoT gateways, and support Advantech’s WISE-PaaS/RMM API for monitoring and controlling hardware features such as GPIO, backlight, and watchdog. Both devices can also connect to Microsoft’s Azure Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), “or other 3rd party solutions,” says Advantech.

Unlike the competitors listed above, the RSB-4760 SBC features a 2GB RAM option in addition to the default 1GB, and like the others, it supplies 8GB eMMC flash. Unlike its rivals, the RSB-4760 goes for a full-size SD instead of a microSD slot.

RSB-4760 block diagram
(click image to enlarge)

The board is unique among Snapdragon 410 SBCs in offering mini-PCIe, micro-SIM, and M.2 2280 expansion. The latter typically supports SATA and PCIe, but Advantech makes no mention of a mass storage capability, and the mini-PCIe is limited to USB signaling. In any case, 3G/LTE modules appear to be optional.

This is not a multimedia SBC, however. Unlike its rivals, its media capabilities are limited to an HDMI port. It lacks the LVDS interface found on the Inforce 6309, and its missing the MIPI-CSI camera interface made available by all three competitors. Like the others, it provides WiFi, Bluetooth, and GNSS (GPS), and like the Inforce 6309, it features a Gigabit Ethernet port.

The RSB-4760 is further equipped with a pair of USB 2.0 ports and two more onboard USB headers. There’s also a micro-USB device port, a RS-232/422/485 DB-9 port, audio I/O, and SPI and I2C interfaces. You also get 16-bit GPIO, with half the pins available via a DB-9 port.

Showing its more industrial focus, the RSB-4760 is the only SBC of its ilk with wide-range power input, and it also stands alone in providing an RTC and a watchdog timer. However, its 0 to 60°C support is more limited than the -30 to 85°C range of the Inforce 6309.

As noted, the EPC-R4760 box computer has an almost identical feature set to the RSB-4760. However, the temperature range drops to 0 to 40°C, and the two USB headers are exposed, giving you four USB host ports overall. You also get a pair of external antennas.

EPC-R4760 detail views
(click images to enlarge)

Specifications listed for the RSB-4760 SBC include:

• Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4x Cortex-A53 cores @ up to 1.2GHz); Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPU @ 400MHz
• Memory/storage:
  • 1GB or 2GB LPDDR3 RAM
  • 8GB eMMC
  • SD slot
• Display — HDMI port up to 1920 x 1080 with H.264 playback @ 30fps
• Wireless:
  • 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • GNSS
• Networking — Gigabit Ethernet port (Microchip LAN7500)
• Other I/O:
  • 2x USB 2.0 host ports
  • 2x USB 2.0 headers
  • Micro-USB 2.0 client port
  • Headphone/mic interface
  • RS-232/422/485 port (4-wire)
  • Console pin header (4-wire)
  • SPI, I2C
  • 16x GPIO (8x headers, 8x via D-SUB 9 port)
• Expansion:
  • Full-size mini-PCIe slot (USB only)
  • M.2 2280 slot
  • Mini-SIM slot
  • Optional 3G/LTE modules
• Other features — RTC; watchdog; 2x LEDs
• Power — 9-36V DC input; PMIC; power and reset buttons
• Operating temperature — 0 to 60°C
• Dimensions — 146 x 102mm
• Operating system — Android; Yocto, Debian, and Ubuntu Linux; Windows 10 IoT Core

 
Further information

Despite the preliminary tags on the datasheets, the 3.5-inch RSB-4760 SBC and EPC-R4760 box PC are now available, says Advantech. More information may be found on the RSB-4760 and EPC-R4760 product pages.