IEI’s EPIC form factor “Nano-GLX” SBC runs on an AMD G-Series LX SoC and offers dual GbE ports, four USB ports, SATA and mini-PCIe expansion, and dual display support.



AMD’s Ryzen Embedded V1000 is all the rage in embedded right now, but for lower-power IoT operations, the more affordable AMD G-Series SoC is probably the better option. IEI is keeping the G-Series flame alive with a 165 x 115mm EPIC form factor SBC called the Nano-GLX which uses the most recent and most power efficient G-Series: the dual-core G-Series LX family, which has TDP ratings as low as 4.5W.







Nano-GLX (left) and detail view

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This is the first G-Series based EPIC board we’ve seen, although earlier versions of the SoC have been used in many other SBCs such as the open-spec Gizmo 2 . We missed IEI’s earlier G-Series “Steppe Eagle” based Nano-SE-i1 and G-Series “eKabini” based Nano-KBN-i1 EPIC boards. These have similar layouts and features, but run older, faster quad-core G-Series models. The three EPIC boards are software compatible and share a newly revised Nano datasheet that also includes a 4th Gen Intel Core based Nano-QM871-il EPIC board.

The Nano-GLX supports the 1.8GHz G-Series GX-218GL and 1.5GHz GX-215GL, both with 15W TDPs, as well as the 1GHz GX-210KL with a 4.5W. As usual with IEI, no OS support is listed, but Linux and Windows should both run fine. The board is targeted at power-efficient embedded applications including parking systems, industrial control, automation, and gaming systems.







Nano-GLX front panel detail view

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The Nano-GLX supports up to 8GB DDR3/DDR3L RAM and offers dual, powered SATA III slots. IEI mentions “dual PCIe Mini” in the ordering guide, but the spec list suggests there is only a single mini-PCIe slot that supports both PCIe and mSATA.

The SBC is further equipped with 2x GbE, 2x USB 3.0, and 2x USB 2.0 ports. The other coastline ports are a VGA port and 4K-ready HDMI port, which together support dual independent displays. You also get LVDS along with analog and S/PDIF audio interfaces.







Nano-GLX with optional thermal solutions

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Onboard I/O include 6x serial, 8-bit DIO, TPM, and more. Options include a TPM 1.2 chip, various thermal solutions, and IEI’s iRIS-1010 module for out-of–band remote management. The 12V board has a 0 to 60°C range.

Specifications listed for the Nano-GLX include:

Processor — AMD G-Series SoC LX (2x x86/Jaguar cores @ 1GHz to 1.8GHz); Radeon R1E GCU graphics; 1MB L2 cache; 4.5W to 15W TDP

Memory/storage: Up to 8GB DDR3-1600/1333 DDR3 or DDR3L via single SODIMM 2x SATA 3.0 with 5V SATA power mSATA via mini-PCIe slot

Networking — 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports (Intel 1210-AT with NCIS and Intel 1211-AT)

Media I/O: Dual independent displays HDMI port (up to 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz) VGA port (up to 2048 x 1536 @ 60Hz) 18/24-bit dual-channel LVDS (up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz) Analog audio and S/PDIF (Realtek ALC892 HD Audio)

Other I/O: 2x USB 3.0 ports 2x USB 2.0 ports 2x USB 2.0 headers 5x RS-232 headers RS-422/485 header 8-bit DIO KB/MS, SMBus, I2C, fan, TPM headers

Expansion — Full-size mini-PCIe slot (supports PCIe, SATA signal co-lay SATA port 2)

Other features — Watchdog; 3x LEDs; mounting holes for various thermal solutions; optional iRIS-1010 module; IEI One Key Recovery for rapid OS backup and recovery

Power — 12V DC input and power header (AT/ATX); power and reset buttons; [email protected] consumption with GX-210KL and 4MB

Operating temperature — 0 to 60°C

Dimensions — 165 x 115mm (EPIC form factor)



Further information

The Nano-GLX SBC appears to be available now at an undisclosed price. More information may be found in IEI’s Nano-GLX announcement and product page.

