DFI ALF51 Intel Apollo Lake 1.8" Femto-ITX SBCs with Memory Down, 64GB eMMC and Extended Temperature Options

Small controllers, protocol gateways and data loggers are often designed into whatever space is left in an enclosure, and the board has to fit that space with its memory and storage already on it. The DFI ALF51 series puts Intel Apollo Lake processors on an 84 x 55 mm 1.8″ Femto-ITX board, with LPDDR4 memory and 64 GB of eMMC soldered down, dual GbE and a 12 V terminal block input, so a finished unit needs little more than a power supply and an enclosure.

Three processors cover the range. The Intel Atom x5-E3940 has four cores at 1.6 GHz, up to 1.8 GHz, at 9.5 W; the Atom x5-E3930 has two cores at 1.3 GHz, up to 1.8 GHz, at 6.5 W; and the Intel Celeron N3350 has two cores at 1.1 GHz, up to 2.4 GHz, at 6 W. All three use Intel HD Graphics to drive a DP++ output at up to 4096 x 2160 at 60 Hz. Memory is single-channel LPDDR4 at 2400 MHz: 2 GB on the 26 builds, 4 GB on the 46 builds and 8 GB on the 86 builds. A firmware TPM 2.0 and a watchdog timer are included, and DFI lists Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 64-bit and Linux, booting in UEFI mode.

Eleven builds combine processor, memory and temperature grade. At 0 to 60 °C, the ALF51-BN-26E40, ALF51-BN-46E40 and ALF51-BN-86E40 carry the x5-E3940 with 2, 4 or 8 GB, the ALF51-BN-26E30 uses the lower-power x5-E3930 and the ALF51-BN-26N50 the Celeron N3350. The wide temperature EN builds, the ALF51-EN-26E40 and ALF51-EN-26E30, run from -20 to 70 °C with 2 GB. The extended temperature TN builds run from -40 to 85 °C: the ALF51-TN-26E40, ALF51-TN-46E40 and ALF51-TN-86E40 on the x5-E3940 with 2, 4 or 8 GB, and the ALF51-TN-26E30 on the x5-E3930.

The I/O is shaped for a controller or gateway. Two GbE ports on Intel I210 controllers can separate a machine network from the uplink, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports and a USB 2.0 header take peripherals, and a header carries one RS-232/422/485 port for meters, PLCs or older instruments. An 8-bit DIO header reads switches and drives indicators, and a full-size mini PCIe socket with PCIe and USB 2.0 signals can hold a Wi-Fi module.

Every ALF51 board runs from 12 V DC on a terminal block and cools through a passive heatsink, with no fan to wear out. The standard, wide and extended temperature grades let one board design serve indoor equipment, unheated cabinets and outdoor or vehicle enclosures, and the series carries CE, FCC and RoHS compliance.