DFI ADN253-N305 Intel Core i3-N305 4″ Embedded Board with 9 to 36 V DC Input and Dual 2.5GbE

When one box has to run the HMI, a local historian, a VPN and a containerized analytics service, core count decides whether they share a processor comfortably. The ADN253-N305 is the eight-core build in the DFI ADN253 series of 4″ embedded boards, with the most processing and the full 16 GB of memory the range offers.

Its Intel Core i3-N305 (Alder Lake-N) has eight cores, twice the x7425E and N97 builds. Memory is 16 GB of LPDDR5-4800 soldered to the board, which suits containers and in-memory buffering. Intel UHD Graphics with up to 32 execution units drives an HDMI 1.4b output and an internal eDP or dual-channel LVDS connector, and DFI lists quad display support for multi-screen operator stations.

Two 2.5GbE ports on Intel I226, with TSN as a project option, and one GbE port on Intel I210 carry control, device and uplink traffic separately. The six COM ports (two RS-232/422/485 and two RS-232 on DB9, two RS-232 on headers) and 8-bit DIO, selectable in BIOS in place of COM4, connect PLCs and field devices. Three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Type-C port, two USB 2.0 headers and three M.2 slots for an SSD, Wi-Fi and cellular with SIM complete the I/O.

The ADN253-N305 runs from 9 to 36 V DC on a barrel connector or 4-pin header. The series is rated from -5 to 80 °C with 0.2 m/s airflow, but DFI lists support for the i3-N305 across that range as conditional, so we check the enclosure’s thermal design before it ships. For a cooler four-core build, ADN253-x7425E keeps 16 GB, and ADN253-N97 suits single-application kiosks.