ADLINK NuPRO-E43: PICMG 1.3 Core 7th Generation Industrial SHB

ADLINK NuPRO-E43: PICMG 1.3 High Performance Industrial SHB Based on 6th/7th Generation Intel Core Processor

In the field of industrial computing, the PICMG 1.3 (also known as SHB Express) standard has gradually replaced the traditional PICMG 1.0 (ISA/PCI) standard since its release in 2006, becoming the mainstream architecture for high-performance industrial single board computers (SHBs). This standard greatly enhances the system's I/O bandwidth and scalability by introducing high-speed PCI Express signals into the backplane, enabling industrial computers to keep up with the technological evolution of mainstream PC platforms.

ADLINK (Linghua Technology) NuPRO-E43 is a full-size system motherboard (Full Size SHB) designed in accordance with the PICMG 1.3 standard. It is based on Intel ®  Q170 Express chipset, supporting 6th generation (Skylake) and 7th generation (Kaby Lake) Intel ®  Core ™  The i7/i5/i3 processor (LGA1151 socket) perfectly combines mainstream desktop level high-performance computing capabilities with industrial grade long lifecycle, high reliability, and rich I/O features. The PCIe slot bifurcation technology and onboard SEMA management solution introduced by it provide unprecedented flexibility and manageability for system integrators.

Overview of Product Positioning and Core Architecture

The NuPRO-E43 adopts the standard PICMG 1.3 full-size specification, with dimensions of 338mm × 126mm. It is connected to a passive backplane through a gold finger connector, and PCIe and PCI bus signals are led out to expansion slots on the backplane. This architecture physically separates the CPU core computing unit from the I/O expansion unit, allowing system upgrades to only require replacing the SHB without the need to replace expensive backplanes and chassis, greatly extending the platform's lifecycle and return on investment.

Its core hardware platform revolves around Intel ®  The Q170 Express chipset is the most comprehensive commercial/industrial chipset in the Intel 100 series, providing comprehensive support for enterprise level management features such as PCIe 3.0, DDR4 memory, USB 3.0, SATA 3.0, and vPro/AMT.

1. Processor support: Full spectrum options covering performance and power consumption

The NuPRO-E43 is equipped with LGA1151 socket and supports a wide range of 6th and 7th generation Intel Core, Pentium, and Celeron processors, including standard versions (65W/54W/51W TDP) and low-power versions (TE series, 35W TDP), to adapt to different heat dissipation conditions and performance requirements:

Processor series core/thread typical clock speed L3 cache TDP applicable scenarios

Core ™  I7-6700/7700 4C/8T 3.4/3.6 GHz 8MB 65W high-performance computing, multitasking processing

Core ™  I7-6700TE/7700TE 4C/8T 2.4/2.9 GHz 8MB 35W High Performance+Low Power Balance

Core ™  I5-6500/7500 4C/4T 3.2/3.4 GHz 6MB 65W Mainstream Industrial Control

Core ™  I5-6500TE/7500TE 4C/4T 2.3/2.7 GHz 6MB 35W Compact Fanless System

Core ™  I3-6100/7101E 2C/4T 3.7/3.9 GHz 3MB 51/54W High cost-effective HMI application

Core ™  I3-6100TE/7101TE 2C/4T 2.7/3.4 GHz 4/3MB 35W economical low-power solution

Pentium ®  G4400/G4400TE 2C/2T 3.3/2.4 GHz 3MB 54/35W Basic Control and Data Acquisition

Celeron ®  G3900/G3900TE 2C/2T 2.8/2.3 GHz 2MB 51/35W Cost Sensitive Embedded Applications

This comprehensive processor support matrix enables NuPRO-E43 to handle applications with different computing power requirements, ranging from simple human-machine interfaces (HMI) to complex machine vision, multi axis motion control, and high-speed data acquisition.

2. Chipset - Intel Q170 Express

Q170 PCH is connected to the processor through DMI 3.0 (Direct Media Interface), providing up to 8GB/s of bidirectional bandwidth. Its key features include:

PCIe 3.0 Channels: Provides up to 20 PCIe 3.0 channels (Gen3, 8GT/s), providing ample bandwidth for high-performance expansion cards (such as GPUs, FPGA acceleration cards, high-speed data acquisition cards) on the backplane.

Integrated storage and networking: Supports SATA 3.0 (6Gbps), USB 3.0 (5Gbps), and Intel ®  I219LM Gigabit Network (supporting iAMT 11).

Enterprise level management: Built in Intel ®  Active Management Technology（iAMT）11.0， Support remote out of band management, system recovery, and security policy deployment.

Deep analysis of key characteristics

1. PCIe slot bifurcation technology

This is one of the most distinctive features of NuPRO-E43. Through BIOS configuration, the onboard PCIe x16 gold finger interface can be flexibly divided into multiple link combinations to adapt to different backplane slot configurations and expansion requirements:

Mode 1:1 x PCIe x16 (full bandwidth single slot)

Mode 2: 2xPCIe x8 (suitable for applications that require dual card parallel computing)

Mode 3:1 x PCIe x8+2 x PCIe x4 (balancing high bandwidth and more expansion slots)

This feature enables the same SHB to adapt to backboards of different designs, greatly simplifying system configuration and inventory management. Combined with 1 x PCIe x4 and 4 x PCI expansion slots on the backplane, the NuPRO-E43 can achieve up to 6 PCIe/PCI expansion slots, meeting the requirements of complex multi card systems.