AAEON’s UP brand announced the release of two new developer boards based on the new Intel Core 3 processor platform (formerly Twin Lake), the UP TWL and UP TWLS. Those familiar with the UP 710S, released by the company late last year, will no doubt see a pattern emerging with the continuation of the slimmer, more advanced features hosted by the UP TWLS, while the developer community will note the more classic features of the UP TWL, including the return of the Raspberry Pi-compatible 40-pin GPIO that came to be a signature of AAEON’s UP Brand portfolio.
Both boards offer a choice of the Intel Core 3 Processor N355, Intel Processor N250, or IntelPr ocessor N150 CPU, the latest in Intel’s processing technology focused on low power, energy-efficient performance. However, it is clear from the circuit board design of each that the boards are tailored for different deployment environments, with AAEON slimming down the height of the UP TWLS to just 25.13mm by placing both its I/O and CPU on the same side.
The UP TWL provides a more classic UP-style I/O, with a Raspberry Pi-compatible 40-pin GPIO joined by three USB 3.2 Gen 2, one HDMI, and one RJ-45 LAN port. Meanwhile, the UP TWLS foregoes the 40-pin GPIO connector for individual key headers that include an 8-pin I2C wafer, a 10-pin SPI wafer, and an 8-bit GPIO, again via a 10-pin wafer. Unlike its counterpart, the UP TWLS offers serial a communication interface in the form of a 10-pin wafer for RS-232/422/485, as well as an M.2 E-Key slot for Wi-Fi module support.
Measuring just 85mm x 56mm, both boards are exceptionally compact. Despite this, they are both distinct from previous developer boards on the form factor in that they support an extended temperature range of -20°C to 70°C without the sacrifice of any interfaces. Similarly, both boards support Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Yocto, and Windows operating systems and host TPM 2.0 onboard.
