Vecow ECX-4000 – Intel Core Ultra 200S-powered fanless Edge AI embedded system features up to 9 Ethernet ports

Taiwan-based company Vecow has recently launched the ECX-4000 series, an Intel Core Ultra 200S-powered fanless Edge AI embedded system with up to nine Ethernet ports including two 10G SFP+ cages, five 2.5GbE ports (with 4 supporting PoE+), and a gigabit Ethernet jack, SUMIT (Stackable Unified Module Interconnect Technology) expansion, and a 9V to 50V DC redundant power input.

The ECX-4000 supports the whole line of Intel Core Ultra 200S Series of Processors (Arrow Lake). It comes with W880 PCH which gives access to various I/O options including USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, RS-232/422/485 serial ports, sixteen isolated digital I/O (8x input, 8x output, optional), DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI-I video outputs. Additionally, it offers M.2 Key B and Key E sockets for wireless modules, and expansion options including multiple storage interfaces such as SATA III ports and an M.2 Key-M socket. The system also features a range of power and remote management interfaces like redundant power input, software ignition control, and TPM 2.0 support.

Vecow ECX-4000 series specifications:

• Intel Core Ultra 200S SoC options
  • Intel Core Ultra 9 285 – 8P + 16E cores / 24 threads, 2.5 GHz base frequency, 5.6 GHz turbo frequency, 36MB cache, 64 EUs, TDP 65W, MAX 182W
  • Intel Core Ultra 9 285T – 8P + 16E cores / 24 threads, 1.4 GHz base frequency, 5.4 GHz turbo frequency, 36MB cache, 64 EUs, TDP 35W, MAX 112W
  • Intel Core Ultra 7 265 – 8P + 12E cores / 20 threads, 2.4 GHz base frequency, 5.3 GHz turbo frequency, 30MB cache, 64 EUs, TDP 65W, MAX 182W
  • Intel Core Ultra 7 265T – 8P + 12E cores / 20 threads, 1.5 GHz base frequency, 5.3 GHz turbo frequency, 30MB cache, 64 EUs, TDP 35W, MAX 112W
  • Intel Core Ultra 5 245 – 6P + 8E cores / 14 threads, 3.5 GHz base frequency, 5.1 GHz turbo frequency, 24MB cache, 48 EUs, TDP 65W, MAX 112W
  • Intel Core Ultra 5 245T – 6P + 8E cores / 14 threads, 2.2 GHz base frequency, 5.1 GHz turbo frequency, 24MB cache, 48 EUs, TDP 35W, MAX 114W
  • All processors feature Intel Xe LPG Graphics and Intel AI Boost low-power AI Engine (NPU)
• Chipset – Intel W880 Chipset
• Memory – 2x DDR5 6400MHz CSODIMM, up to 96GB (ECC/Non-ECC)
• Storage
  • 2x  SATA III (6Gbps), software RAID 0/1
  • 1x M.2 Key M Socket (PCIe x4)
  • 2x Front-access M.2 Socket (PCIe x4, Optional)
• Video output
  • 2x DisplayPort (Up to 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz)
  • HDMI 2.0 (Up to 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz)
  • DVI-I (Up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz)
• Audio
  • Realtek ALC888S-VD, 7.1 Channel HD Audio
  • Mic-in, Line-out
• Networking
  • Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port via Intel I219LM  (iAMT)
  • 2.5GbE RJ45 port via Intel I226IT (TSN)
  • Up to 3x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via Intel I225 (ECX-4025R/4025 only)
  • 4x 2.5GbE RJ45 ports via  Intel I226IT with PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at, 25.5W/48V)
  • 2x 10GbE SFP+ cages via Intel X710-BM2 (ECX-4071R/4071 only)
  • Optional Wi-Fi & Bluetooth support also via M.2 socket
  • Optional 4G LTE/5G via M.2 socket and 2x external SIM card sockets
• USB
  • 6x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports
  • USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 with M.2 E-Key and B-Key (See Expansion section)
• Serial – 4 x DB-9 COM RS-232/422/485 ports
• Expansion
  • M.2 M-Key socket (PCIe x4)
  • 2x M.2 B-Key sockets (PCIe x2/USB 3/SATA)
  • M.2 E-Key socket (PCIe x2/USB2)
  • 16x Isolated DIO: 8x DI, 8x DO (Optional)
• Security – TPM 2.0 (Infineon SLB9672, SPI Interface)
• Misc
  • AMI BIOS
  • 2x SUMIT slots
  • Wake on LAN, PXE supported
  • LED – LED Power, HDD, PoE, Wireless
  • Watchdog Timer – Reset: 1 to 255 sec./min. per step
  • HW Monitor – Temperature and Voltages, auto throttling when CPU overheats
• Power
  • 2x DC 9V to 50V Redundant Power Input via 3-pin Terminal Block
  • 16-mode Software Ignition Control
• Dimensions – 260 x 175 x 79mm
• Weight – 3.8 kg
• Operating Temp
  • 35W TDP CPU : -40°C to 75°C, Fanless
  • 65W TDP CPU : -40°C to 55°C, Fanless
  • ECX-4025 Series : -40°C to 70°C, Fanless
  • ECX-4071 Series : -40°C to 55°C, Fanless
• Storage Temp – -40°C to 85°C
• Humidity – 5% to 95% (non-condensing)
• Shock
  • 50G (IEC 60068-2-27)
  • SSD – 50G @ wall mount, Half-sine, 11ms
• Vibration
  • IEC 60068-2-64
  • SSD – 5Grms, 5Hz to 500Hz, 3 Axis
• EMC Certification– CE, FCC, ICES, EN50155, EN50121-3-2

While reading the specifications from the datasheet, I found that the ECX-4025R and ECX-4025 models support 8x 2.5GbE LAN, 4  2.5GbE with PoE, and a single 1GbE port which is common for all the modules. This brings the total Ethernet port count to 13. However, the company does not provide any product images where all these ports are visible and only mentions LAN1 to LAN9 in the specifications. Those may be implemented through SUMIT expansion modules like the 10 SFP+ cage that do not show on photos either.

In terms of software, the ECX-4000 series supports various development tools and SDKs. The VHub AI Developer Kit includes the OpenVINO Toolkit for optimizing and deploying deep learning models on Intel hardware. For robotics, the VHub ROS AMR Developer Kit uses the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework, while the VHub EtherCAT I/O Control Platform provides an interface for managing EtherCAT I/O devices with ease. It also has support for Windows 11, Windows 10, and Linux operating systems.

Previously we have written about various fanless Edge AI embedded computers like the DFI X6-MTH-ORN, the IBASE Technology ISR500, the Axiomtek AIE900-XNX, and many others using earlier-generation processors that are not quite as powerful as the Intel Core Ultra 200S processor used in the Vecow computer. We have also written about Portwell PCOM-B887 and PCOM-B886 which are Intel Core Ultra 200S/H/U CPU-based COM-HPC client modules that support up to 192GB DDR5 memory, PCIe Gen5, and the Jetway MTX-MTH1 Mini-ITX SBC based on the Intel Core Ultra 5/7 which features three 2.5GbE, four HDMI 2.1, PCIe Gen5 x8 slot, and more.

At the time of writing the company does not provide any pricing information about the Vecow ECX-4000 Intel Core Ultra 200S-powered fanless Edge AI embedded system. More information can be found on the product page or the press release.

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