Fanless rugged controller offers 2.5GbE networking, 5G cellular, 9-36V wide power input

ARBOR ARES-1980 is a fanless rugged industrial controller powered by an Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake Core processor with 9-36V wide power input, 2.5GbE, optional 4G/5G cellular and/or WiFi connectivity, and designed for factory automation.

The embedded computer also comes with two PoE-capable Gigabit Ethernet ports, support for NVMe and SATA storage, eight digital outputs, eight digital inputs, several serial ports compatible with RS232, RS422, and/or RS485, and more.

ARES-1980 specifications:

SoC – Intel Core i3-1115G4E, Core i5-1145G7E (default), or Core i7-1185G7E Tiger Lake processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics
System Memory – Up to 64GB 3200MHz RAM via 2x 260-pin DDR4 SO-DIMM sockets
Storage
- 1x M.2 M-Key 2242/2280 (PCIe Gen III x4 + SATA III) socket
- 1x 2.5-inch HDD/SSD SATA III tray
Video Output
- 1x HDMI 2.0b connector up to 4Kp60 resolutions
- 1x DisplayPort 1.4 connector up to 4Kp60 resolutions
- 1x DVI-D connector up to 1080p60 resolution
Networking
- 2x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports with PoE (IEEE802.3af) via Intel i211AT PCIe controller
- 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 port via Intel 225LM PCIe controller (iAMT supported on Core i5/i7)
- Optional wireless/cellular via mPCIe or M.2 socket, up to 10x antennas
USB
- 4x USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (10 Gbps); 2x with independent full speed
- 1x USB 2.0 onboard for encryption dongle
Serial
- 2x RS232 DB-9 male connectors
- 2x RS232 (default)/RS422/RS485 (RI/ 5V/ 12V) DB-9 male connector (selection via BIOS)
Expansion
- 1x full mPCIe slot (PCIe x1+ USB2.0, Full size) with SIM card slot
- 1x M.2 B-Key 2242/3042/3052 socket (PCIe x2 + USB3.0) with 2x SIM card slots
- Digital I/O – 8x DI, 8x DO with 1.5KV isolation
- Multi-Serial Bus – I2C, SPI, UART, GPIO (3.3 or 5V) via DB-15 connector
Misc – Watchdog Timer
Power Supply
- 9 ~ 36V DC wide power input via 3-pin terminal block (V+, V-, GND)
- Power Ignition (IGN +/-) via 2-pin terminal block
- 3-pin terminal block for remote control and PWR LED output
Dimensions (W x D x H) – 210 x 180 x 70 mm (Sheet metal + aluminum alloy enclosure)
Weight – 3.7 kg
Temperature Range – Operating: -20 to 60°C with airflow; storage: -40 ~ 70°C
Humidity – 10 ~ 95% @ 50°C (non-condensing)
Vibration – 5~500Hz 3 Grms X,Y,Z axis w/ SSD, according to IEC 60068-2-64
Shock (IEC 60068-2-27)
- 40G peak acceleration (11 m sec. duration), operation with SSD
- 80G peak acceleration (11 m sec. duration), non-operation with SSD
Certifications – CE, FCC Class A

By default, the ARES-1980 supports wall mounting, but ARBOR also offers DIN-rail or VESA mounts for their device. The company officially supports both Windows 10 IoT and Ubuntu 20.04 Linux.

The fanless rugged industrial controller appears to be available now, but pricing has not been made public. More details, including a datasheet and user manual, can be found on the product page.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.