ADLINK AmITX ALN Industrial Motherboard Characteristics and Application Analysis

Dual 2.5GbE network port (RTL8125BG), supporting rate adaptation (10/100/1000/2500 Mbps), with network wake-up (WoL) and macro frame support, can build redundant networks or separate data collection and remote management. For the growing demand for high-definition image transmission in industrial automation, 2.5G speed strikes a good balance between cost and performance.

5. Storage interface

SATA 3.0: 1 standard 7-pin SATA interface, supports 6Gbps transmission, can connect 2.5-inch HDD/SSD or DOM disks.

M. 2 M-Key: Supports three lengths of 2242/2260/2280, with interface definitions including PCIe 3.0 x1, SATA, and USB 2.0. It has high flexibility, can install NVMe SSD or SATA SSD, and supports booting the operating system from this interface.

M. 2 B-Key: Supports 3042/3052 modules, in addition to PCIe x1 and USB 3.0/2.0, it also provides a SIM card slot (onboard) for easy installation of 4G/5G cellular modules, achieving wireless wide area networking, suitable for remote monitoring and mobile robots.

6. USB interface

Rear I/O: 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (10Gbps, supports DP Alt Mode), 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 (5Gbps), 2 USB 2.0.

In board pin arrangement: 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 pin arrangements (expandable to 2 ports), 2 USB 2.0 pin arrangements (expandable to 4 ports).

Up to 10 USB ports (including Type-C) can be used in total to meet the needs of multiple peripheral connections, such as industrial cameras, barcode scanners, keyboards, mice, USB drives, etc.

7. Serial port

Onboard 4 COM port pins: 2 support RS-232/422/485 mode selection (via jumper or BIOS), 2 are pure RS-232. RS-422/485 is suitable for long-distance communication and industrial bus environments, such as Modbus networks.

8. Audio and GPIO

Audio: Realtek ALC897 codec, providing Mic in and Line out 3.5mm sockets, supporting high-definition audio playback.

GPIO: 8-bit universal input/output (pin header), can be used to control LED indicator lights, read sensor status, or trigger external relays.

TPM: 1 TPM pin, can be connected to an external trusted platform module to enhance system security.

9. Power supply and mechanical specifications

Power input: 12-28V DC, can be powered through a 4-pin wafer connector or DC Jack (inner diameter 2.5mm), compatible with common 24V power sources in industrial sites, and also supports 12V vehicle or battery power supply.

Size: 170mm × 170mm, standard Mini ITX mounting holes, compatible with various ITX chassis.

Working temperature: -20 ℃~70 ℃, meeting industrial wide temperature requirements; In fanless design, it is necessary to ensure good heat dissipation and convection of the chassis.

Expansion slot and wireless module

AmITX ALN offers three M.2 slots and one standard PCIe x16 physical slot (but with an electrical specification of PCIe 3.0 x1):

PCIe x16 (x1 signal): It can accommodate standard sized PCIe expansion cards, such as multi port cards, industrial Ethernet cards, or I/O cards, but is limited by x1 bandwidth (approximately 985MB/s) and is not suitable for high-throughput graphics cards.

M. 2 E-Key (2230): Supports Wi Fi/Bluetooth module (PCIe x1+USB 2.0+CNVi) for convenient wireless connection.

M. 2 B-Key (3042/3052): Designed specifically for cellular modules, comes with a SIM card holder, supports 5G/4G LTE modules, and is suitable for mobile or long-distance communication scenarios.

M. 2 M-Key: Mainly used for SSD storage, but can also be used to install other M.2 devices through adapter cards.

This layered expansion design enables AmITX ALN to meet both basic storage and network requirements, as well as add wireless wide area networks, Wi Fi, and dedicated I/O cards as needed, greatly enhancing system flexibility.

Compatibility between software and operating system

The official provides complete support for the following operating systems:

Windows: Windows 10/11 64 bit IoT Enterprise LTSC (optional pre installed license).

Linux: Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS 64 bit (other distributions may require driver adaptation).

ADLINK provides corresponding chipset drivers, graphics card drivers, network card drivers, audio drivers, and serial port drivers to ensure that the system is installed and used immediately. For applications that require real-time expansion, it is recommended to consider using third-party real-time patches or using Windows IoT Core. In addition, the motherboard supports UEFI booting, is compatible with GPT partitions, and can quickly deploy large-scale system images.

Typical application scenarios

Industrial Automation Controller: Utilizing dual 2.5GbE Ethernet ports to achieve PLC data acquisition and remote monitoring, with multiple serial ports connected to frequency converters, sensors, and other equipment. The wide temperature design is suitable for workshop environments.

Machine vision inspection: Three display outputs can synchronously display processing results and debugging interfaces; The USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C interface can connect to high-speed industrial cameras and perform real-time defect detection with AI acceleration sticks (via PCIe x1 or M.2).

Smart retail and digital signage: Low power (12W) fanless design suitable for enclosed enclosures; Supports 4K HDMI output, dual screen or multi screen advertising playback; Implement content distribution and operation management through dual network ports.