New MinnowBoard - Two times cheaper, half as much and three years more modern

About a year ago, we presented on the blog a MinnowBoard mini-computer based on the Intel Atom processor, addressed primarily to fans who want to create intelligent and robotic devices with their own hands. In the comments to that and subsequent posts about MinnowBoard, interested users did not fail to note the shortcomings of this mini-PC: high cost, outdated processor and excess size. It’s all the more pleasant for us to inform you today that we now have MinnowBoard, in which all these problems have been resolved - the new MinnowBoard MAX.

Introduced last week, the MinnowBoard MAX computer, like its predecessor, was developed by Intel in collaboration with the PCB and component manufacturer CircuitCo. The basis of the mini-PC is the latest 64-bit processor with support for Intel Atom E38xx (Bay Trail) virtualization - single or dual core, depending on configuration. The use of a quad-core processor in MinnowBoard is currently under consideration.

Compared with the previous MinnowBoard, the new one has become almost twice as compact: the board area has decreased from 112 cm ² to 73 cm ². Another change visible to the naked eye is that all GPIO / I2C / SPI connectors are designed as standard 0.1 ”pins. The photo above shows the test model of the board, in serial samples the processor will be closed by a radiator.

The main specifications of MinnowBoard MAX are shown in the table below, the appearance can be studied by KDPV ( clickable ).

	Options 1	Options 2
CPU	E3815 (single-core, 1.46 GHz)	E3825 (dual-core, 1.33 GHz)
Memory	1 GB DDR3 RAM	2 GB DDR3 RAM
Video	HD4000 Graphics (with open source drivers)
Multimedia jack	Micro-HDMI with HDMI audio support
Network adapter	10/100/1000 Ethernet
Drive Connection	SATA2 3 Gbps, MicroSD via SDIO
USB ports	1 x USB 3.0 host + 1 x USB 2.0
Digital interfaces	8 GPIO (2 with PWM support), I2C, SPI
Cost	$ 99	$ 129

As you can see , almost all product characteristics underwent improvement. And, of course, the price is especially pleasing, which has become half as much for the base model. Coupled with significantly improved performance, this makes the MinnowBoard MAX more user-friendly.

According to the creators, MinnowBoard MAX will be used as a platform for the development of various software, including for Android and custom versions of Linux, such as Yocto; as a key component of home multimedia systems or the Internet of Things site, as well as in any other role where an inexpensive, compact, but at the same time productive computer is required.

MinnowBoard MAX sales through authorized distributorswill begin in June 2014. All information related to the computer can be found on the official website of the project .