SATURN – Rugged Apollo Lake x7-E3950 SBC with Data Acquisition and PCIe/104 Expansion

SATURN combines a feature-rich Atom-class processor-based SBC with a professional-quality industrial analog and digital data acquisition subsystem and flexible I/O expansion in a single board designed for rugged applications.

• Intel “Apollo Lake” x7-E3950 1.6GHz (burstable 2.0GHz) quad-core processor with 15-year lifecycle
• 4GB non-ECC or 8GB ECC RAM soldered down
• Integrated professional-quality analog and digital data acquisition subsystem with software support
• Bottom side heat spreader with integrated thermal pad provides efficient cooling and convenient mounting
• Full -40 to +85ºC industrial operating temperature range
• Thicker PCB and latching connectors increase resistance to shock and vibration
• PCIe/104 OneBank expansion socket for industry-standard rugged I/O expansion
• Minicard expansion socket for versatile low-cost I/O

Available models:

Key Features

SBC features:

Designed for rugged applications with intensive I/O requirements
Intel “Apollo Lake” x7-E3950 1.6GHz quad-core processor
4GB non-ECC / 8GB ECC RAM soldered down
2 gigabit Ethernet ports
2 HDMI ports
Dual-channel 24-bit LVDS with backlight power
2 USB 3.0 ports with USB 2.0 downward compatibility
2 dedicated USB 2.0 ports
2 RS-232/422/485 + 1 RS-232 serial ports
HDA audio (ALC662)
SATA 7-pin connector
TPM 2.0 chip on board
On-board RTC backup battery with external battery connector
PCIe/104 OneBank I/O expansion connector with 4 PCIe x1 and 2 USB 2.0 connections
M.2 2242 SATA socket supports up to 1TB flashdisk
Bottom-mounted heat spreader for efficient cooling and convenient mounting
5VDC input voltage
4.5 x 4.0″ / 114 x 102mm W x H
-40/+85ºC operation fanless
Windows 10 64-bit and Ubuntu Linux 64-bit OS support

Data acquisition subsystem features:

16 single-ended / 8 differential analog inputs
16-bit A/D resolution
Unipolar and bipolar analog inputs
Single-ended and differential input configuration
Programmable gain 1/2/4/8 providing input ranges +/-10V / 0-10V down to +/- 1.25V / 0-1.25V
250KHz maximum A/D sample rate, single-channel and multi-channel mode
Internal clock / external clock / software A/D triggering
Single-channel and multi-channel-scan A/D operation
Interrupts with FIFO to support reliable high-speed sampling
4 16-bit single-ended analog outputs
+/-10V, +/-5V, 0-10V and 0-5V output ranges
Autocalibration with Universal Driver software maintains accuracy over time and temperature
24 digital I/O, 3.3V logic / 5V tolerant inputs
8 32-bit counter/timers for A/D timing and general counting purposes
8 24-bit PWM outputs

Key Benefits

• Long lifecycle processor with high performance for industrial applications
• Robust RAM options ensuring data integrity and performance
• Comprehensive data acquisition capabilities for diverse application needs
• Designed for extreme environments with efficient cooling and rugged design
• Flexible I/O expansion for tailored system configurations
• Easy setup with complete cable kits and development kits
• Ready-to-run development kits for quick project startup
• Versatile mass storage options to suit different storage requirements
• Enhanced durability against shock and vibration for reliable operation
• Supported by Diamond Systems’ Universal Driver software for seamless integration

Specifications

Block Diagram

Saturn Block Diagram

Mass storage

Saturn offers two options for mass storage:

• An M.2 2242 size SATA socket is provided for onboard mass storage. Modules up to 1TB are available. This is the most common choice.
• A standard 7-pin SATA connector is available for connecting a standard 2.5″ or other form factor hard drive. This connector can be used when higher capacity storage is needed. Diamond offers accessory board ACC-HDDMOUNT which allows a 2.5″ drive to be mounted on the PC/104 holes on Saturn.

Cable Kit

The Saturn cable kit includes all I/O cables needed for all I/O connectors on Saturn except the LCD data and backlight cables, which are customized for each individual application. Cables are normally sold as complete kits. Individual cables may be available in some cases or may be ordered with minimum order quantities; contact us for availability. Detailed drawings listing all components are provided to enable customers to build their own cables.

CK-SAT-01 includes the following cables:

Development kits

Development kits are available to support quick project startup. Each kit includes the Saturn SBC, a cable kit, and a programmed 64GB flashdisk with a read-to-run installation of Windows 10 or Linux operating system, plus a backup USB memory device. Simply install the flashdisk, attach the cables, add your keyboard, mouse, and display, and connect power, and the board will boot into a fully functional OS.

Configuration files and instructions are provided to rebuild the OS with your application. The Linux kit includes all the tools needed to rebuild the OS. The Windows 10 kit includes a runtime license.

A software-only kit is available that consists of just the programmed flashdisk and backup USB memory device. This software kit is intended for customers who already have one or more Saturn SBCs. One software kit can be used on any number of Saturn boards. (Windows licensing requirements still apply.)