[Updated: Dec. 16] — Aaeon’s $219-and-up “UP Squared 6000” SBC and “6000 Edge” mini-PC run Linux or Win 10 on Elkhart Lake. Specs include up to 8GB LPDDR4 and 64GB eMMC plus 1GbE, 2.5GbE, SATA, HDMI, DP, 2x USB 3.2 Gen2, 3x M.2, and an optional carrier board.

Aaeon has opened pre-orders on its latest community-backed UP board. The UP Squared 6000 SBC and UP Squared 6000 Edge mini-PC follow the UP Squared from 2017 and this year’s more feature-rich UP Squared Pro, both with Intel’s Apollo Lake SoCs. Aaeon teased the UP Squared 6000 Edge over a year ago when it revealed plans to produce an Elkhart Lake powered UP Squared Pro 2.

UP Squared 6000 (left) and UP Squared 6000 Edge
(click images to enlarge)

Aaeon has opened pre-orders on the UP Squared 6000 SBC and the UP Squared 6000 Edge embedded PC, with shipments starting in February 2022. The SBC and Edge mini-PC are each available in four SKUs based on different Elkhart Lake processors. They all support Ubuntu 20.04, Yocto 3.1, and Windows 10 and 10 IoT Core.

The four UP Squared 6000 and 6000 Edge SKUs are as follows, with EU referring to Intel UHD Gen11 Graphics execution units and GB listings to RAM/eMMC):

• Celeron N6210 (2x 1.2GHz/2.6GHz, 16EU, 6.5W) — $219 (SBC), $289 (Edge); 2GB/32GB
• Pentium J6426 (4x 2.0GHz/3.0GHz, 32EU, 10W) — $309 (SBC), $379 (Edge); 4GB/32GB — adds Intel PSE
• Atom x6413E (4x 1.5GHz/3.0GHz, 16EU, 9W) — $319 (SBC), $389 (Edge); 4GB/32GB — adds Intel PSE, ECC, TPM, carrier support
• Atom x6425RE (4x 1.9GHz, 32EU, 12W) — $369 (SBC), $439 (Edge); 8GB/64GB — adds Intel PSE, ECC, TPM, carrier support, TCC

Features vary slightly, depending on the SKU, as shown in the bullet points above and SKU chart below. The two, higher-end Atom-based SKUs are available with an optional carrier board that sits elevated above the mainboard. The carrier, which will also be sold as part of an UP Squared 6000 Edge Computing Kit, connects via a 100-pin connector to Elkhart Lake’s Intel Programmable Services Engine. Intel PSE is built around a real-time Arm Cortex-M7 companion core and supports remote out-of-band (OOB) and in-band (INB) device management. The carrier will add a second 40-pin HAT, CANbus, and more SATA and GbE ports, among other features (see farther below).

UP Squared 6000 block diagram (left) and SKU comparison chart
(click images to enlarge)

Intel’s 10nm Elkhart Lake family of Atom x6000, Pentium, and Celeron processors provides 1.7x faster CPU speeds and twice the 3D graphics performance of Gemini Lake, says Aaeon. The processors have shown up on SBCs including Aaeon’s PICO-EHL4 Pico-ITX board. The Atom x6425RE on the high-end industrial SKU adds Intel TCC technology to synchronize data, communications, and executions across networks of IoT devices.

Like the earlier UP Squared Pro, the 6000 model measures 101.6 x 101.6mm. Major features include SATA III with power plus GbE, 2.5GbE, HDMI 2.0b, DP 1.2, and 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 ports.

UP Squared 6000 detail views
(click images to enlarge)

The Atom-based SKUs add eDP, a Gen2 OTG Type-C port, and an RS-232/422 interface that is offered as a port on the Edge mini-PCs. The Edge also extends the audio I/O headers to dual audio jacks and breaks out an external connector for the board’s 40-pin GPIO. The UP Squared 6000 and Edge have a 12VDC jack, a 0 to 60°C range, a heatsink, a watchdog, an RTC, and on the Atom SKUs, TPM 2.0.

Expansion features include M.2 M-key, B-key, and E-key slots for optional NVMe or Myriad X NPU, 5G, and WiFi/BT, respectively. A micro-SIM slot is available, and the Edge system offers 6x antenna mounts. The Atom SKUs provide a 100-pin B2B connector for the optional carrier board.

UP Squared 6000 accessories (l-to-r): carrier board, UP AI Core XM 2280 (2x Myriad X), and M.2 2230 WiFi Kit
(click image to enlarge)

The UP Squared 6000 Edge Computing Kit with the Atom x6425RE and carrier board (or the carrier accessory on the SBC) adds two more GbE ports (via Marvell Alaska), a RS232/422/485 port, and a micro-USB debug port for PSE connections. The carrier also provides a second SATA interface with power, a USB 2.0-driven mini-PCIe slot, and CANBus and UART interfaces. There is a second 40-pin GPIO interface that, judging from the image, may offer additional pins. The 117 x 106 x 82mm kit box drops to a 0 to 50°C range.


UP Squared 6000 Edge (left) and UP Squared 6000 Edge Computing Kit detail views
(click images to enlarge)

The UP Squared 6000 Edge Computing Kit will ship with an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS stack with Linux 5.13, Intel OpenVino, Intel Media SDK, and Intel Python. The distribution will also include MRAA and UPM I/O and sensor libraries, Docker-CE, Kubernetes k3s, ONNX, AWS Greengrass, and much more.

Like other UP boards, the UP Squared 6000 products are supported with UP Community resources, downloads, and tech support. As usual, this is not a fully open spec board, but 2D/3D design files have already been posted.

Specifications listed for the UP Squared 6000 and UP Squared 6000 Edge include:

• Processor — Intel Elkhart Lake (see bullet points above)
• Memory/storage:
  • 2GB to 8GB LPDDR4 (per SKU); In-band ECC available on Atom SKUs
  • 32GB or 64GB eMMC
  • SATA III with power (second powered SATA on optional carrier)
  • SSD available via M.2 M-key (see expansion)
• Networking:
  • 1GbE port with WoL, PXE, TSN, TCC (x6425RE only); Intel i210-IT
  • 2.5GbE port with WoL, PXE, TSN, TCC (x6425RE only); Intel i225-IT
  • 2x more GbE ports (via Marvell Alaska) on optional carrier
  • WiFi/BT and 4G/5G available via M.2 E- and B-key (see expansion)
• Media I/O:
  • HDMI 2.0b port
  • DP 1.2 port
  • eDP (only on Atom SKUs)
  • Mic-in, Line-out headers (available via jacks on Edge)
• Other I/O:
  • 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 ports
  • USB 3.2 Gen2 OTG Type-C port (only on Atom SKUs)
  • 2x USB 2.0 headers
  • Fan power header; UART via optional carrier
  • RS-232/422 (Atom SKUs only); available as DB9 port on Edge
  • RS232/422/485 and CANBus port via optional carrier (probably shared port)
  • Micro-USB debug port via optional carrier
• Expansion:
  • 40-pin GPIO connector (second 40-pin via optional carrier)
  • 100-pin B2B connector with optional carrier (Atom SKUs only)
  • M.2 M-key 2242/2280 for optional 256GB NVMe SSD or UP AI Core XM 2280 with 2x Myriad X
  • M.2 B-key 3042/3052 for optional 4G or 5G, etc.
  • M.2 E-key 2230 for optional WiFi/BT (Intel Wireless-AC 9260)
  • Micro-SIM slot
  • Mini-PCIe with second micro-SIM via optional carrier
• Other features — watchdog; TPM 2.0 (Atom SKUs only); RTC with battery; passive heatsink; 6x antenna mounts on Edge; 2035 availability; 2D/3D files
• Power — 12VDC, 6A jack with AT/ATX, power button, 22W to 38W consumption per SKU
• Operating temperature — 0 to 60°C; 0-90% non-condensing relative humidity
• Dimensions — 101.6 x 101.6mm (SBC); 207 x 174 x 121mm (Edge)
• Operating system — Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (image available for download), Yocto 3.1, and Windows 10 and 10 IoT Core

 
Further information

The UP Squared 6000 SBC and UP Squared 6000 Edge mini-PC are available for pre-order starting at $219 and $289, respectively, with shipments starting in February. The UP Squared 6000 Edge Computing Kit with the carrier board will launch in early 2022 at an undisclosed price. More information may be found in Aaeon’s announcement, as well as the UP Squared 6000 and UP Squared 6000 Edge product/shopping pages and the UP Squared 6000 Edge Computing Kit product page.