Elkhart Lake arrives on Nano-ITX board

Elkhart Lake arrives on Nano-ITX board

Jul 21, 2021 — by Eric Brown

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Portwell’s “Nano-6063” SBC is equipped with Intel’s Atom x6000E with up to 32GB DDR4, triple displays, GbE, 2.5GbE with TSN/TCC, 4x USB 3.1 Gen2, SATA, serial, M.2, mini-PCIe, and -40 to 85°C support.

American Portwell has launched an Intel Elkhart Lake based Nano-ITX board, which follows its Apollo Lake powered Nano-6062. This is the first board we have seen equipped with the 10nm Atom x6000E that uses the 120 x 120mm Nano-ITX form factor. Other Elkhart Lake SBCs include Congatec’s Conga-PA7 Pico-ITX SBC, Ibase’s 3.5-inch IB836, Avalue’s 3.5-inch ECM-EHL, and Advantech’s AIMB-218 thin Mini-ITX board.

Nano-6063, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

Portwell appears to offer a choice of any Atom x6000E model. The MaxLinear GPY215-driven 2.5GbE port supports Intel Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Time Coordinated Computing (TCC) technologies for real-time computing and control, which suggests the SBC also supports the TSN/TCC-ready “RE” Elkhart Lake models. Other Elkhart Lake features include up to 32EU Intel Gen11 graphics with triple 4K and an Intel PSE engine built around a Cortex-M7 with remote OOB and INB device management.

The Nano-6063 features -40 to 85°C support and a slim, 25.25mm profile. The board is aimed at applications including industrial automation, robotic control systems, automated test equipment, automated guided/unmanned vehicles, medical equipment, outdoor gateways, and outdoor digital signage. Portwell did not list OS support but Linux and Windows should feel at home.

You can load up to 32GB DDR4, although there is no support for Intel’s error-correcting IBECC RAM. Storage is available via microSD, SATA, and the mSATA-ready mini-PCIe slot. For networking, you get a GbE port in addition to the 2.5GbE port. An M.2 E-key slot supports WiFi.

Nano-6063 detail view
(click image to enlarge)

The Nano-6063 supplies 4x 10Gbps 3.2 Gen2 connections via 2x ports and 2x headers. The detail view probably erroneously labels them as USB 3.0 and lists a 12-24V input instead of the 12V jack listed elsewhere.

Triple simultaneous displays are enabled via 4K-ready DP and HDMI ports along with a VGA header. Other features include an audio jack and headers, onboard serial and GPIO connections, and a watchdog and TPM 2.0.

Specifications listed for the Nano-6063 include:

• Processor — Intel Elkhart Lake Atom x6000E (2x or 4x 10nm Elkhart Lake cores @ up to 1.8GHz/3.0GHz); Intel UHD Graphics (Intel Gen11) up to 32EU; Cortex-M7; 4.5-12W TDP
• Memory — Up to 32GB DDR4 (3200 MT/s)
• Storage — MicroSD slot; SATA 3.0; mSATA available via mini-PCIe
• Networking:
  • 1GbE port (Intel I210)
  • 2.5GbE port with TSN/TCC (MaxLinear GPY215)
  • Wireless available via M.2 or mini-PCIe
• Media I/O:
  • DisplayPort at up to 4K
  • HDMI port at up to 4K
  • VGA header
  • Triple independent display support
  • Audio line-out jack and 3x audio headers (Realtek ALC888)
• Other I/O:
  • 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 host ports
  • 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 headers
  • RS-232/422/485 header
  • 8-bit GPIO
• Expansion:
  • M.2 E-key slot for WiFi/BT
  • Mini-PCIe (full-size) slot with mSATA support
• Other features — Watchdog; HW monitoring; TPM 2.0
• Power — 12V DC input (possibly 12-24V)
• Operating temperature — -40 to 85°C with 5-95% non-condensing relative humidity tolerance
• Dimensions — 120 x 120 x 25.25mm (Nano-ITX form factor)

Further information

The Nano-6063 is available now at an undisclosed price. More information may be found in Portwell’s announcement and product page.