The market of single-board computers keeps growing. These computers usually comprise four or eight ARM cores, and can be found in industrial and embedded applications. But what if an application requires the use of an X86 operating system? So UP Board was created to solve this and many other issues – it’s a single-board computer with an X86-64 processor.
Along with the dynamically expanding IoT market, the demand for single-board computers is growing as well. With minimum work, they allow you to create a graphical user interface (GUI), which can be simple and intuitive, and good-looking at the same time. The architecture of the UP X86-64 computer enables easy installation of virtually any compatible version of Windows (e.g. 8.1 or 10), and dedicated distributions of Linux (e.g. Ubuntu) or Android OS.
Quad Core Intel Atom x5-Z8350
The heart of the UP computer is the Quad Core Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor. It is an X86 CPU with 64-bit architecture, clocked at 1.44GHz (up to 1.92GHz in boost mode). Power is supplied by a 5V adapter with 4A current efficiency. It also features built-in Intel HD® Graphics. According to tests ordered by TME, as well as those published on the /dev/Jarzebski blog, a processor with a built-in GPU handles even 3-D graphics with up to 1920×1080 resolution.
Extensive capabilities
Virtually all space on the board was used to improve the capabilities of the computer in the field of co-operating with external peripherals. This resulted in a variety of communication interfaces:
- 4 x USB 2.0,
- micro USB 3.0 OTG,
- DSI/eDP,
- MIPI-CSI,
- HDMI,
- 40-pin interface in the most common standard on the market.
What’s more, you can easily connect any of over 300 Click Boards expansion boards with the mikroBUS interface. This allows you to instantly expand your computer by various functionalities, such as: Wi-Fi, LTE, GPS, inertial and non-inertial sensors, LED modules, and many more. And all this is possible with the use of a single Pi click shield (MIKROE-1513) adapter.
Variants for different applications
The computer comes in numerous variants, which allows you to optimize your costs and select appropriate parameters for your application. Available versions offer different amount of RAM (from 1GB up to 4GB) and built-in eMMC (from 16GB up to 64GB). As a standard, the computer comes with passive cooling and a massive heatsink. However, the manufacturer also offers a version with a fan.
Summary
Due to its processor architecture, which can rarely be found in single-board computers, UP Board is an excellent alternative for applications requiring a powerful graphics processor while keeping power consumption low. More information can be found at Transfer Multisort Elektronik’s website (www.tme.eu).
