Apollo Lake Pico-ITX doubles down on GbE and M.2

Oct 26, 2018 — by Eric Brown

IEI is launching a Pico-ITX form-factor “Hyper-AL” SBC with a dual-core Celeron N3350 and a pair each of GbE, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and M.2 ports plus HDMI, LVDS, SATA, and serial connections.

The Hyper-AL (for Apollo Lake) was part of a recent group announcement that also included IEI’s first Arm-based SBC — the Rockchip RK3399 based Hyper-RK39. With the Hyper-AL, IEI is more in its comfort zone with an Intel dual-core Celeron N3350 with up to 2.4GHz clock and 6W TDP. Recent Apollo Lake based Pico-ITX boards include Aaeon’s PICO-APL4.

Hyper-AL (left) and detail view

Nano-GLX

EPIC SBC and two older Mini-ITX boards, targets the gaming industry. Yet, there’s nothing very gaming specific about any of these general-purpose boards. Although the Arm-based Hyper-RK39 runs Ubuntu and Android, no OS is listed for the Hyper-AL, but it presumably runs Linux, as well as Windows.

Hyper-AL portside detail view

You can load up to 8GB DDR3L and store data via a SATA header or the M.2 B-key slot. There’s also an M.2 A-key slot for PCIe and USB driven cards. Dual GbE ports are also onboard.

Dual displays are available via the HDMI port and LVDS interface, and there are 2x USB 3.0 ports and two more USB 2.0 headers. Other features include 8-bit DIO, a serial header, and a watchdog. The board has an extended -20 to 60°C range, and there’s an optional heatsink.

Specifications listed by Axiomtek for the Hyper-AL include:

• Processor — Intel Celeron N3350 (2x Apollo Lake cores @ 1.1GHz (2.4GHz burst); Intel Gen9 Graphics
• Memory — up to 8GB DDR3L-1866/1600 via 1x SODIMM
• Storage — SATA III interface with 5V power; SATA also available via M.2 B-key
• Networking — 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports (Realtek RTL8111H)
• Media I/O:
  • HDMI port
  • 24-bit single channel LVDS
  • Dual independent displays
  • HD audio interface with optional 7.1 channel HD AC-KIT-892HD-R1
• Other I/O:
  • 2x USB 3.0 host ports
  • 2x USB 2.0 headers
  • RS232 header
  • 8-bit DIO
• Expansion – M.2 A-key 2230 (PCIe, USB); M.2 B-key 2242 (USB, SATA)
• Other features — watchdog timer; optional heatsink; optional cables
• Operating temperature — -20 to 60°C
• Power — 12VDC jack (AT/ATX); [email protected] consumption with 8GB RAM
• Weight — 250 g
• Dimensions — 100 x 72mm; Pico-ITX form factor

Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the Hyper-AL. More information may be found on IEI’s Hyper-AL announcement and product pages.

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