Avalue EMX-PTLP Thin Mini-ITX Motherboard Features Intel Panther Lake-H Processors

The Avalue Technology EMX-PTLP is a thin Mini-ITX industrial motherboard that is used in embedded systems and industrial automation, as well as edge computing uses. It is a board built around Intel Panther Lake-H processors of the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 family, combining the current performance of a CPU with inbuilt graphics card and AI acceleration functionality. The motherboard supports high-speed memory, multi-screen outlets, and high levels of I/O connections, which makes it applicable to industrial control systems, robotics, intelligent infrastructure, and sophisticated embedded computing solutions.

EMX-PTLP Thin Mini-ITX Motherboard

Processor and Performance

The press release says that Intel Panther Lake-H processors, such as those of the Intel Core Ultra 5 and Ultra 7 series, power the motherboard. These processors unite CPU cores, integrated graphics and additional dedicated AI acceleration engines aimed at heavy workloads, like machine vision, AI inference, and industrial analytics. The platform can support sixteen CPU cores and integrated Intel graphics and neural processing, depending on the processor setup, and has support for AI work.

In memory, the board has two slots of DDR5 SoDIMM or CSoDIMM with a maximum memory speed of 6400 MHz or 7200 MHz with a maximum memory storage capacity of 64 GB. Elevated data transfer and enhanced system responsiveness with the DDR5 memory are handy in industrial systems that have significant data sets to process or need real-time processing.

Display Support and Graphics Support

The EMX-PTLP is a combination of Intel Xe LPG graphics, which enables graphics and multimedia workloads to be hardware-accelerated. It is an integrated graphics engine with support for multiple high-resolution displays and can be used in digital signage, control room displays, and industrial monitoring systems.

The motherboard has a variety of display interfaces with HDMI 2.1, supporting up to 8K resolutions, DisplayPort 1.4a external monitor, and two USB Type-C ports with DisplayPort output support. It also has an LVDS or eDP connector to be used in connecting embedded display panels, as seen in industrial equipment and kiosks. Combined with such interfaces, the platform can drive many displays at a time, making it appropriate for a multi-screen monitoring or information display system.

EMX-PTLP Front (left) and back (right) view

Storage and Expansion

The board is engineered with a number of expansion and storage solutions for embedded system designers. The PCIe Gen5 support on an x8 card has two unused lanes, which can be used to add an AI accelerator card, a network card, or a dedicated industrial module.

Storage is assisted by two M.2 Key-M slots, which may be used to install high-speed NVMe solid-state drives via the use of the PCIe Gen5 or Gen4 interfaces. This allows quick access to data and high storage access to data-intensive applications. M.2 Key-E slot is also available in the motherboard and is to be used with wireless connectivity devices such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In addition, the M.2 Key-B is also equipped with SIM card support to enable cellular connectivity to be added (i.e. LTE or 5G communications module) to enable remote or mobile usage.

Networking and Connectivity

The EMX-PTLP has networking capabilities with both Gigabit and 2.5-Gigabit Ethernet connection which provide high and reliable network communication. The board incorporates Intel i210AT and Intel i226LM Ethernet controllers that offer robust networking that can be used in industrial communication systems, remote monitoring and data transfer activities.

There is also a comprehensive connectivity interface support in the motherboard for industrial integration. Two USB Type-C ports are available with contemporary high-speed connections and USB3.2 or USB4. The USB connectivity is additionally offered with four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and three USB 2.0 ports that will be used with peripheral devices and legacy hardware. The board supports 5 serial ports, but they can be configured to operate in either RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 modes and are applied in industrial applications, sensors, controllers and automation. It also has a 16-bit GPIO interface that allows communication between the hardware components and the system.

EMX-PTLP side view

Audio and other features

Regarding audio, the motherboard incorporates a Realtek ALC888S HD audio codec with support for microphone input, line in and line out. Two audio amplifiers with 6 watts can also be fitted on the board, which may come in handy in embedded multimedia systems, information kiosks or during a digital signage system that needs built-in audio output.

The EMX-PTLP also has a number of system management and security features that are handy in the industrial setup. There is a TPM 2.0 module that is a hardware support of a software that is commonly used to have security, and there is also a watchdog timer that is employed to keep the stability of the systems, and once the software becomes unresponsive, then the system is ensured to restart. The motherboard is based on the use of AMI UEFI BIOS in the form of the SPI flash memory and hardware monitoring that measures the temperature, the level of voltage, and the speed of the fans to make sure that the work is safe.

Conditions of Power and Operating

The motherboard is based on a large input voltage of between 12V and 24 V DC, which means that it can be used with most industrial power systems. This ease of use is useful in embedded deployments where ATX-power may not be utilized.

With regard to environmental specifications, the EMX-PTLP is built to work in industrial environments with a temperature range between 0°C and 60°C and a storage temperature between 75 o C and -40 o C. The system can maintain a humidity of 95% non-condensing. The board also meets the CE, FCC and RoHS standards, which means that it meets the international safety and environmental standards.

Thin Mini-ITX Motherboard Applications

The EMX-PTLP has become a versatile embedded system, with its high-performance processors, AI features, multi-screen display capabilities and high levels of industrial connectivity, which makes it applicable to numerous embedded systems. These are industrial automation, robotics, machine vision, smart retailing, interactive kiosks, digital signage, industrial monitoring and robotics controllers. Its small, thin Mini-ITX size allows its use in embedded systems with space constraints that need performance as well as connectivity.

Price and Availability

At the time of writing, the company has not publicly listed its price. The thin Mini-ITX motherboard is usually distributed by distributors and system integrators on a quotation basis, like other industrial embedded boards, and prices vary depending on processor configuration and the volume ordered. The board will be supplied by Avalue and its authorized representatives, and the interested customers should contact the supplier to get a description of pricing and lead time.

Images used courtesy of avalue.com