LattePanda is a $70 Windows 10 mini computer

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This single-board computer comes pre-installed with Windows 10 and an Arduino-compatible coprocessor. 

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Microcomputers aren’t only getting smaller, they’re getting a whole heck of a lot cheaper, too. Just in recent months alone, both the $9 C.H.I.P. and the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero have generated quite a bit of buzz amongst the Maker crowd. However, getting a single-board that runs Windows is a bit more difficult and requires you to dig a little deeper into your pockets. That was until now, at least.

Meet the LattePanda — a $69 board equipped with an Intel Atom x5-Z8300 Cherry Trail processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and yes, a preloaded Windows 10 operating system. What’s more, there’s a pricier ($130) LattePanda Enhanced that boasts the same processor and design along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.

LattePanda is the perfect portable computing device, enabling you to do typical PC things like create documents with Microsoft Office, play HD videos and run Windows apps, all on the go. Since it’s pre-installed with Windows 10, each board features tools including Visual Studio, NodeJS, Java and Processing. Plus, the microcomputer supports a number of accessories, ranging from sensors and joysticks to Leap Motion controllers and Kinect.

Both versions pack HDMI, USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, an audio jack, Ethernet, as well as microUSB for power.

And here’s the part that really fascinates us: The board, which measures just 3.5” by 2.8” in size, includes an ATmega32U4 coprocessor for Arduino compatibility, serial ports and a touchscreen connector.

“Whether you are a Windows developer, an IoT developer, a hardware DIYer, an interactive designer, a robotics whizz or a Maker, LattePanda can aid your creative process,” its team writes.

Among the example use cases provided are camera-enabled robots, security monitoring system, cloud-connected IoT devices and real-time data research projects. With onboard Ei-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and Ethernet connectivity, data transmission can be seamless.

Ready to say goodbye to your bulky laptop? Not only can it serve as a fully-functional Windows PC, it also offers serial connectors, GPIO pins and Arduino support. Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, where the LattePanda crew is seeking $158,858. Delivery is slated for March 2016.

Atmel’s AT91SAM9X25 powers iPAC-9X25 SBC

EMAC has debuted the iPAC-9X25, an embedded single board computer (SBC) powered by Atmel’s ARM-based AT91SAM9X25 microprocessor (MPU).

The iPAC-9X25 is targeted at a number of applications, including industrial temperature operations, embedded data acquisition and control.

Key specs include an industrial temperature range of -40C to 85C, 4GB of eMMC Flash, 16MB of serial data Flash (for boot) and 128 MB of DDR RAM.

“The iPac-9X25 is a web enabled [platform] with the ability to run an embedded server and display the current monitored or logged data,” an EMAC rep explained in a recent blog post.

“The web connection is available via two 10/100 Base T Ethernet ports, or 802.11 wireless WiFi networking when using [specific] Linux modules and adapters. All connectors [are] brought out as headers on [the] board, [with] the same footprint of a standard PC/104 module at 3.77″ x 3.54″.”

Additional features include:

• One RS232 serial port with full handshake (RTS/CTS/DTR/DSR/RI)
• 
Two RS232 serial ports (TX and RX only)
• One RS232/422/485 serial port with RTS/CTS handshake
• Two 10/100 Base T Ethernet ports
• Two USB 2.0 Host ports
• One USB device port
• 7 channels of 12 bit A/D (0-3.3 volt)
• 
Internal real time clock/calendar with battery backup
• 21 GPIO (3.3 V) lines on header
• 
8 high drive open collector dedicated digital output lines with configurable voltage tolerance
• 
16 GPIO (3.3V) on header
• 2 PWM I/O lines with additional 4 PWN lines shared with A/D
• 
5 Synchronous Serial I/O lines (I2S)
• 
5 SPI lines (2 SPI CS), I2C Bus and CAN Bus
• Micro SD socket and an external reset button
• Red power and green status LEDs

The iPac-9X25 is currently priced at $198, while additional information about the product is available here.

AT91SAM9X35 powers SBC with touchscreen display

Premier Farnell has launched the EDM6070AR-01, a fully-integrated embedded display module (EDM) that pairs an ARM9-based single board computer (SBC) with a 7” LCD and touch-screen assembly. According to Premier Farnell CTO David Shen, the multi-function embedded EDM is powered by Atmel’s  AT91SAM9X35 industrial microprocessor (MPU).

“The EDM6070AR-01, designed as an all-in-one solution, is ideally suited for a variety of embedded control HMI (human machine interface) applications including industrial control terminals, intelligent instruments, medical products, network terminals as well as data acquisition and analysis,” he explained.

“The module has a plate with display, connectors and place for the Mini6935 module with ARM microcontroller.”

The module also includes a pre-loaded Smart-Home demo app with an intuitive smart-LED controller that allows users to set independent light levels in each room, regulate temperature and humidity, play streamed audio files and manage surveillance cameras.

Aside from Atmel’s ARM-based MPU, key EDM6070AR-01 specs include:

• 128MB DDR2 SDRAM
• 256MB NAND Flash
• 4MB Data Flash
• 24-bit TFT LCD module, 7” (800 x 480, 24-bit color depth)
• four-wire resistive touch-screen
• SD card interface
• Power supply: +12V@1.25A

On the software side, the EDM6070AR-01 is packaged with Linux BSP, offering support for Linux QT GUI (Graphical User Interface) and multiple file systems such as FAT and NTFS. 

As noted above, the SBC is also supplied with a Smart Home demo app and a number of example applications for developers.

The EDM6070AR-01 is available for $179 with the 7” LCD, although a standalone CPU module can be picked up for $69. Both are live on Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in APAC.

Arietta G25 is an Atmel-powered SBC for the IoT

Acme Systems currently offers the Aria G25, a tiny system-on-module (SoM) built around Atmel’s versatile SAM9G25. As CNX Software reports, the company is prepping a smaller and lower-cost ARM Linux SBC powered by the same processor.

Dubbed the Arietta G25, the new board targets the DIY Maker market and IoT applications.

Key specs include:

• CPU: Atmel’s AT91SAM9G25 (ARM9 clocked @ 400Mhz)
• RAM: 128 MByte DDR2
• MicroSD Socket for up to 32GB bootable Linux microSD (not included)
• USB 2.0 ports: 1 hi-speed host/device, 1 hi-speed host, 1 full-speed
• UART: 1 (RXD,TXD,RTS,CTS)
• I2C bus: 1
• SPI bus: 1 with 2 chip select (5 to 50 MHz)
• PWM: 4 lines
• A/D converters: 4 channels@10 bit
• Size: 25x51mm
• Power supply: single 3.3 Volt DC
• Line levels: TTL 3.3V (NOT 5V tolerant)
• Operative temperature range: -20 +70 °C
• Pinstrip: 20×2 pitch 2,54mm (100mils)
• PCB layers: 8

“Since this is early stage of development, no documentation is available, but we do have some informations about Aria G25 support,” a CNX Software writer explained.

“You can build the latest Linux kernel (3.12.8 release, or 3.13r8) for the board. [Plus], lots of tutorials are provided, including one explaining how to create an Embedded Debian Grip 7.2 image. The board is not open source hardware, but the company provides some hardware documentation. Finally, support is available via Google Groups.”

The Atmel-powered SBC, slated to ship in 2014, will initially be priced at 10 Euros ($13.53) for orders placed before May 2014, increasing to about 20 Euros ($27.06) thereafter.

 Additional information about the upcoming board is available on Roberto Asquini’s blog here.