BIVROST Lite5 mini-STX motherboard supports up to 96GB RAM for machine vision applications

BIVROST, manufacturer of solutions in the field of image analysis and live video streaming, has just presented the mini STX Lite5 motherboard powered by an Intel Core Coffee Lake processor and targeting machine vision, digital signage, security, video streaming and other advanced computing applications.

The board is equipped with an Advantech SOM-5899 COM Express Basic Type 6 module that supports up to 96 GB of DDR4 ECC memory, while the carrier board offers two Gigabit Ethernet ports, twelve USB interfaces, dual video output HDMI 2.0 and five M.2 extension sockets.

BIVROST Lite5 specifications:

• SoCs
  • Intel i7-8850H 6-Core/12-Thread Processor @ up to 2.6GHz / 4.3GHz (Turbo) with 9MB Cache, 24 EU Intel UHD Graphics 630; TDP 45W
  • 2.5GHz / 4.2GHz (Turbo) 4-core/8-thread Intel i5-8400H processor with 8MB cache, 24 EU Intel UHD 630 graphics; TDP 45W
  • Some Xeon processors are also available on request
• System memory – Up to 96 GB DDR4 (16 GB default) DDR4-2666 in dual channel mode, with ECC support
• Storage room
  • 2 SATA 3.0 interfaces
  • SATA SSD via M.2 socket
  • Up to 3 M.2 M-key NVMe SSD sockets
• Video output
  • 2 HDMI 2.0 ports up to 4Kp60 resolution
  • 1x 24-bit dual-channel LVDS interface up to 1920×1200 @ 60Hz with backlight (power, control)
• audio
  • 3.5mm headphone jack, 3.5mm microphone jack
  • 1x optical audio output (S/PDIF)
  • 1x HD 5.1 audio header
• Networking
  • 2 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports
  • Optional WiFi/Bluetooth via M.2 socket
• USB
  • 2x front USB 3 (5Gbps) ports
  • 4x “USB 3.2 Gen2” (8 Gbps) rear connectors (8 Gbps shared bandwidth, red color)
  • 4x “USB 3.2 Gen2” (10 Gbps) rear connectors (dedicated bandwidth 32 Gbps, blue color)
  • 2x USB 2.0 interfaces via 9-pin connector
• Expansion
  • 3 M.2 2280/2260M key slots (4 PCIe 3.0 lanes per slot)
  • 1 M.2 2242/2260 B key slot for SATA SSD system drive
  • 1x M.2 2230/2232 E key slot for WiFi card
  • 8x GPIO with PWM support
  • 2x UARTs, 1x I2C
  • 4 programmable 4-pin PWM fan connectors
• Power source
  • 19 V via DC socket (5.5/2.5 mm)
  • 12V via 4-pin ATX connector
  • 2x 5V/12V AUX power supply (load up to 1A)
  • Power up to 180W
• Dimensions – 147 x 140 x 50mm (Mini-STX form factor)
• Temperature range – Operation: 0 to +40°C; storage: -20 to +60°C
• Humidity – 10% to 85% at 40°C

The Warsaw-based company says the card supports Windows 10, Windows 11, and Ubuntu Linux 18.04 or newer. To better understand the capabilities of the card, three use cases are detailed in the product sheets:

• Video processing unit capable of real-time operation and streaming over wired and wireless networks and equipped with two dual channels M-key 4K M.2 capture cards, an NVMe SSD and using dual Gigabit Ethernet for redundant operation or separation from the local studio network. A practical example is the LiveStreamMachine unit pictured below which is supposed to run quietly, but obviously it’s not fanless and cooled with a 120mm PMW fan instead.
• Data / media server equipped with NVMe SSDs for caching, high capacity SATA drives for data/media storage and leveraging the processor’s hardware video decoding capability, Gigabit Ethernet ports and processor AES support for fast access to server data
• Machine Vision Node to supervise production lines or safety applications (surveillance). System can be equipped with up to 3 M.2 M-key AI/ML accelerators, uses GPIO/UART/I2C for integration with existing infrastructure/equipment and Gigabit Ethernet ports for networking

The 8th and 9th Gen Coffee Lake processors might not be the most efficient, and we’ve recently covered systems designed for computer vision based on 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake UP3 processors, including UP Xtreme i11 and Lanner IOT-I530, so it should come as no surprise that BIVROST intends to offer Tiger Lake and Alder Lake options in the near future, according to a report on Linux Gizmoswhere we also learn that BIVFROST also provides Pixelink PL-D755CU-BL industrial USB 3.0 camera which could fit well with mini-STX board because there are so many USB ports.

The BIVROST Lite5 mini-STX platform (engineering bundle samples) is available now from 2,200 euros in Core-i5 configuration, 16 GB of RAM, 250 GB of SSD on the product sheetwhere you will also find a product brochure and full specifications.

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 on a part-time basis, before stepping down as Director of Software Engineering and starting writing daily news and reviews full-time later in 2011.