Aaeon is rolling out a new EPIC form-factor “EPIC-KBS9” SBC with 6th or 7th Gen Core S-series chips, 4x GbE ports, up to 32GB DDR3, and mini-PCIe and PCIe x4 expansion.



Aaeon’s EPIC-KBS9 follows two other EPIC-KBS SBCs to support Intel’s 6th “Skylake” or 7th “Kaby Lake” generation S-Series processors: the EPIC-KBS7, which emphasized real-world ports, and last month’s EPIC-KBS8, which is a bit more feature rich but with fewer coastline ports. Unlike these earlier models, the KBS9 offers 4x GbE ports, up to 32GB DDR4-2133, and a full-size PCIe x4 slot, which supports NVMe storage.







EPIC-KBS9, front and side views

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Designed for data encryption, video streaming, and advanced machine vision applications, the EPIC-KBS9 is the first EPIC board to support up to 65W TDP S-series models, claims Aaeon. It’s designed for LGA1151 sockets and offers a choice of three Intel I/0 chipsets: the H110, the Q170, and a chipset not available with the other models: the H170. No OS support was listed, but Linux or Windows should run just fine.

With its emphasis on networking, the EPIC-KBS9 sacrifices some of the I/O found on the earlier boards. You’re limited to an HDMI port and a VGA interface for displays, and there are only 2x USB 3.0 ports.







EPIC-KBS9, front and back views

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EPIC-KBS9 block diagram

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Processor — 6th or 7th Generation Intel i7/i5/i3 Core, Celeron, and Pentium S-series up to 65W TDP; Intel H110, H170, or Q170 chipsets

Memory — up to 32GB DDR4-2133 via 2x SODIMMs

Storage — 2x SATA 3 port; mSATA optional via mini-PCIe

Networking — 4x 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports with WoL

Display — HDMI port, VGA interface

Other I/O: 2x USB 3.0 ports 2x USB 2.0 2x RS-232/422/485 Audio interface (ALC269) with amp

8-bit DIO

Expansion – Full-size mini-PCIe slot (with mSATA support); PCIe x4 slot with NVMe support

Other features — Watchdog

Operating temperature — 0 to 60°C

Power — +12V AT/ATX

Dimensions — 165 x 115mm; EPIC form factor

Like the earlier EPIC-KBS boards, there’s a pair of SATA III interfaces and a mini-PCIe slot which can be pre-configured for mSATA. Onboard I/O includes serial, DIO, audio, and USB 2.0. The 165 x 115mm SBC has a 12V DC input and a 0 to 60°C operating range. CPU coolers and cable kits are optional.Specifications listed for the EPIC-KBS9 include:



Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided by Aaeon for the EPIC-KBS9. More information may be found on the EPIC-KBS9 product page.

