Kaynes’s “SKATE-212” SBC runs Android Nougat or Linux on a quad -A7 Snapdragon 212 with WiFi, BT, GPS, LAN, IMU, dual MIPI-CSI, and a 7-inch touchscreen.

Long-time Qualcomm partner Intrinsyc delivered the first SBC built around Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 212 SBC back in May with its $595 Open-Q 212. Now, as noted first by CNXSoft, Intrinsyc has some cheaper competition from a SKATE-212 SBC development kit from India-based Kaynes Technology that has gone on pre-order for only $349. The kit is designed for “industrial, medical, IIoT, mission critical, and surveillance verticals.”

SKATE-212, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

The Snapdragon 212 is a minor update to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 210 that was released last year with a faster, up to 1.3GHz clock rate. The quad-core, Cortex-A7 SoC is paired with an Adreno 304 GPU. As with the Intrinsyc board, Android 7 “Nougat” is standard, and Linux is available on request.

Open-Q 212

The Snapdragon 212 SoC offers HD video decode support, although the Open-Q 212 supports only [email protected] H.264/H.265 (HEVC or AVC) playback and H.264 AVC capture. This appears to be the same with the SKATE-212, which notes only that “HDMI supports max 720P only” and that the HDMI and LCD interfaces can’t be used simultaneously. Unlike the Open-Q, the SKATE-212 comes standard with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen.

The SKATE-212 measures 90 x 70mm, compared to the 120 x 120mm, Nano-ITX based Open-Q 212. No temperature range was listed. The SBC supplies the same standard memories and microSD slot as the Open-Q, but unlike Intrinsyc, Kaynes offers expansion options of up to 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC flash.

The SKATE-212 provides a second 2-megapixel camera interface in addition to the 8-megapixel interface provided by the Open-Q 212, and an 8-megapixel camera accessory is said to be coming soon. The SBC lacks the Intrinsyc board’s extensive audio I/O support, and there’s no mention here of support for Qualcomm’s Voice Activation, Voice+, or Fluence audio technologies. You do get some basic audio features, however.

SKATE-212 (left) and block diagram
(click images to enlarge)

There are no antenna connectors listed for the WiFi and Bluetooth BLE, but Kaynes adds GPS support, with optional GLONASS. Like the Open-Q board, the SKATE-212 provides a Fast Ethernet port.

There are only two USB 2.0 hosts instead of four on the Open-Q board, and there’s no serial port. On the other hand, Kaynes adds a micro-USB console port and micro-USB device port. However, you can’t use the device port when the Ethernet port or USB host ports are in operation.

With its 40-pin connector, the SKATE-212 appears to have more expansion I/O that its rival. Battery power is similarly optional on this 12V board.

Specifications listed for the SKATE-212 include:

• Processor — Snapdragon 212 (4x Cortex-A7 cores @ 1.3GHz; Adreno 304 GPU, DSP
• Memory/Storage:
  • 1GB LPDDR3 RAM, expandable up to 2GB
  • 8GB eMMC flash, expandable up to 16GB
  • MicroSD slot
• Display/imaging:
  • HDMI port up to 720p (can’t operate with LCD in use)
  • LCD interface with 7-inch, 720p capacitive touchscreen
  • MIPI-CSI for up to 8MP
  • MIPI-CSI for up to 2MP
• Audio:
  • 1x or 2x mic inputs
  • 1x mono speaker output
  • 3.5mm audio jack with mic
• Wireless:
  • 802.11b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 4.x + BLE
  • GPS (optional GLONASS)
• Networking — 10/100 Ethernet port
• Other I/O:
  • 2x USB 2.0 host ports
  • Micro-USB device port (can’t be used when dual USB hosts and Ethernet are used and vice versa)
  • Micro-USB debug console
  • 40-pin expansion header (SPI, I2C, GPIOs)
• Other features — Secure boot (TrustZone)
• Power — 12V DC or optional 3.7V 2500Ma Li-Ion battery; PMIC
• Dimensions — 90 x 70mm
• Operating system — Android 7 “Nougat”; Linux on request

 
Further information

The SKATE-212 kit, including 7-inch touchscreen, is on pre-order for $349, but with no stated ship date or details about shipping costs. More information may be found on the Kaynes Technology SKATE-212 product page.