Newly Released SBCs to Drive Industrial Innovation in 2024

June 18, 2024

The latest single-board computers look to push the boundaries of industrial applications and spur innovation for next-gen applications.

Cabe Atwell

Related To: Electronic Design

The Nano Pi R2S is a combination mini-router and SBC with edge-computing capabilities.

FriendlyElec NanoPi R2S Plus

The NanoPi R2S eschews the typical SBC design in favor of a mini-router with edge-computing capabilities. Developed by FriendlyElec, it’s an updated version of the board that was introduced in 2020 and adds 32 GB of eMMC flash, a USB-C debug port for debugging, and an M.2 socket for an optional SDIO Wi-Fi module.

The latest revision of the Nano Pi R2S is another great SBC that makes use of the Rockchip RK3328 SoC. The chip features a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, an Arm Mali-450MP2 GPU, 1 GB of DDR4 RAM, and the aforementioned 32 GB of eMMC flash.

The board also packs a pair of Gigabit Ethernet ports (LAN/WAN), an optional M.2 RTL8822CS Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0 module for wireless connectivity and support for a pair of antennas. USB options here are few, but the board comes equipped with a pair of USB Type-A host ports and a single USB-C port.

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What you’ll learn:

Snapshots of new industrial SBCs to arrive on the market.
The advanced hardware that powers the boards.
Potential applications for these new SBCs.

Summer is just around the corner, and manufacturers have already ramped up production of the latest single-board computers (SBCs) to hit the market, driven by new designs that push innovation for myriad industrial and IoT applications. These SBCs come packed with the latest processors, enhanced connectivity options, and increased storage options to handle the entire industrial ecosystem, where space, power consumption, and reliability are vital considerations.

The SBCs released during the first quarter of 2024 have shown significant advances over previous offerings and are set to extend the boundaries of what can be achieved using the tiny boards. From the industrial-grade capabilities of the SECO SBC-3.5-RK3568 to the increased performance capabilities of Jetway’s JNUC-ADN1, these boards are set to deliver innovation that transforms all sectors of the electronics world, especially Industry 4.0:

About the Author

Cabe Atwell | Technology Editor, Electronic Design

Cabe is a Technology Editor for Electronic Design.

Engineer, Machinist, Maker, Writer. A graduate Electrical Engineer actively plying his expertise in the industry and at his company, Gunhead. When not designing/building, he creates a steady torrent of projects and content in the media world. Many of his projects and articles are online at element14 & SolidSmack, industry-focused work at EETimes & EDN, and offbeat articles at Make Magazine. Currently, you can find him hosting webinars and contributing to Electronic Design and Machine Design.

Cabe is an electrical engineer, design consultant and author with 25 years’ experience. His most recent book is “Essential 555 IC: Design, Configure, and Create Clever Circuits”

Cabe writes the Engineering on Friday blog on Electronic Design.