Inforce has launched an 85 x 54mm “Inforce 6309 Micro SBC” that runs Linux or Android on a Snapdragon 410 and offers -30 to 85°C operation and optional PoE.

Qualcomm’s ARMv8, 64-bit Snapdragon 410 has proven to be popular among embedded developers. In addition to Inforce Computing’s new Inforce 6309 Micro SBC, we have seen the quad-core, 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 SoC used in the eInfochips Eragon 410 COM, the Intrinsyc Open-Q 410 COM, and Qualcomm’s own DragonBoard 410c SBC.

Inforce 6309 Micro SBC (left) and block diagram
(click images to enlarge)

DragonBoard 410c (click to enlarge)

The Inforce 6309 has the same 85 x 54mm footprint as the community-backed DragonBoard 410c SBC, the first third-party SBC to adopt Linaro’s 96Boards form-factor. Display, USB, and wireless features are identical to the DragonBoard 410c, and other features are similar as well. The main difference is the addition of a Gigabit Ethernet port, which is missing from the Qualcomm board.

Other major differences include the Inforce 6309’s -30 to 85°C operating temperature, as well as a 26-pin expansion connector instead of the 96Boards.org standard’s 40- and 60-pin connectors. To help make up for the reduced number of expansion interfaces, the Inforce 6309 provides an optional daughtercard that provides Power-over-Ethernet support, as well as an RS-485 serial port.

The Inforce 6309 offers a choice of Android Lollipop or Ubuntu, with the latter based on Linaro’s upstream version. Applications include industrial automation, sophisticated IoT, medical, robotics, UAV, and “AR/VR based hands-free computing” devices, says Inforce. The board is a commercial/production ready product, with extended lifecycle assurance, and is easy to scale for mass manufacturing, says the company.

Inforce 6309, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

Specifications listed for the Inforce 6309 Micro SBC include:

• Processor — Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (4x Cortex-A53 cores @ up to 1.2GHz); Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPU @ 400MHz
• Memory/storage:
  • 1GB LPDDR3 533MHz RAM
  • 8GB eMMC 4.51
  • MicroSD slot
• Multimedia I/O:
  • μHDMI 1.3a port with HD audio for up to 1080p HD playback and capture with H.264 (AVC), HD playback with H.265
  • LVDS with optional 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA), 24-bit/pixel or 2048 x 1536 (QXGA) touchscreens
  • 2x MIPI-CSI2 (4/2-lanes) Support for dual cameras (13-megapixel total)
• Wireless:
  • 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz WiFi with support for 720p Miracast
  • Bluetooth 4.1 LE
  • GPS
  • External antenna connectors
• Networking – Gigabit Ethernet port (USB 2.0-to-GbE controller); optional PoE via PoE/serial card (configured as PD)
• Other I/O:
  • 2x USB 2.0 host ports
  • Micro-USB 2.0 OTG port
  • Headphone/mic jack
  • Optional RS-485 port via PoE/serial card
  • JTAG (via bottom side header)
  • 26-pin expansion connector (2x UART, SPI, I2S, I2C, 20x GPIO)
• Power — +12V DC input (1.5A typ.)
• Operating temperature — -30 to 85°C
• Dimensions — 85 x 54mm
• Operating system — Android Lollipop or Linaro Ubuntu Linux preloaded

 
Further information

The Inforce 6309 Micro SBC will be available in the fourth quarter, priced at $120 for the full development kit. Other variants including commercial and extended temperature ranges will start at $99, says the company. More details may be found at Inforce Computing’s Inforce 6309 product page.