This Week's Focus: Embedded Boards
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Raspberry Pi I/O Add-On Targets 
Aquaponics and Hydroponics

We knew it was only a matter of time before we covered a board from Luxembourg, and that time has come. Rodange, Luxembourg based Upsilon Engineering, which is led by embedded engineer Yann Leidwanger, has gone to Kickstarter to launch its BioControle add-on board for the Raspberry Pi 3. The board can be used as a general purpose I/O and data acquisition add-on but is specifically designed as a control board for aquaponics and hydroponics gardening.
The BioControle, which we spotted on Geeky Gadgets is available for 76 Euros ($89) through Oct. 17. Assuming Upsilon can raise another $7,000, shipments are expected in November.

The BioControle is a more general purpose offering than the recent Autogrow OpenMinder root zone monitor HAT for the Raspberry Pi, which includes software that helps manage water, pH, and nutrient usage in hydroponic farming. The proof of concept was developed for an aquaponics project at the Thilab FabLab based in Thionville, France. Leidwanger then built a prototype with additional features that also support hydroponics and other projects that need a mix of servos, sensors, relays and I/Os.

 
 

1U Network Service Appliance Embeds 
AMD EPYC 7000 Processor

WIN Enterprises has announced the PL-81280, a 1U high-performance rack-mounted networking system designed for use in the cloud and datacenter. The appliance supports the AMD Naples EPYC 7000 SoC processor. The System on Chip (SoC) processor features integrated security and graphics capabilities.
The EPYC processor achieves high computing performance offering up to 32 processing cores. Big data analytics and in-memory databases are accelerated with the additional parallelism enabled by this microarchitecture. Overall throughput is optimized in data intensive environments by two standard PCI Express x16 slots that support two 100 Gbit Ethernet adapter cards.

The PL-81280 supports up to 4 NIC modules and has multiple Ethernet module bays that enable flexible port configuration. This includes 1/10/40 Gigabit fiber and Gigabit copper with BYPASS option.Strong I/O elements include Ethernet ports for management and optional IPMI, a console port, two USB 3.0 ports, a Graph LCD module, 5-key interface and LEDs for power/HDD/2x GPIO.

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The winner of the September IkaScope WS200 drawing has been selected. Congratulations to Nuno F.!  And many thanks to all who participated in the drawing.
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The CM50C is a COM Express Mini module for rolling stock, public transportation and industry applications. It is compatible to COM Express Type 10 Pin-Out and conforms to the VITA 59 standard which specifies the mechanics to ensure reliable operation in harsh environmental conditions. In accordance with the Rugged COM Express standard, the CM50C is embedded in a solid aluminum frame that protects the electronics from environmental influences such as humidity, dust, vibrations or EMC radiation and also enables operation in the extended temperature range from -40°C to +85°C via conduction cooling.

Based on the Intel Apollo Lake-I E3900 CPU series with a low power dissipation of 7 W to 16 W, the CM50C provides a scalable performance up to 4 cores and integrated quality graphics. It also offers Intel VT-x virtualization support. This allows it to run multiple applications on a single hardware platform, saving physical hardware and costs.