ASRock Industrial launches iEP-7020E industrial IoT controller

With Intel Iris Xe graphics for fast AI and Intel In-Band ECC support, delivering intelligent and reliable control over vital processes at the edge. The iEP-7020E Series feature optimal flexibility in I/O and expansion design with Intel TCC and TSN support for real-time computing to flawlessly connect edge devices in one compact form factor.

The system’s fan-less and rugged design guarantees functionality in harsh environments with -40~70°C wide operating temperature and 9-36VDC wide range DC-IN power inputs. It is the ideal Edge Controller and IoT Gateway in smart manufacturing, factory automation, robotics, process automation, smart city, smart retail, AI surveillance and more.

Powerful and intelligent control with 13th Gen Intel Core processors

With CPU and GPU enhancement, the iEP-7020E Series enable streamlined solutions through high-performance data acquisition and control capabilities in edge computing, delivering real-time visual insights with intelligence. The iEP-7020E Series Industrial IoT Controller include powerful and versatile models- iEP-7020E-000 (Basic SKU), iEP-7020E-001 (PoE SKU), and iEP-7020E-002 (5LAN SKU) charged by 13th Gen Intel Core i7/i5 Embedded and Industrial Processors (Raptor Lake-P).

The performance hybrid architecture supports up to 14 cores and 20 threads for computing-intensive process control, securing optimised performance and energy efficiency while delivering up to 1.08x faster single-thread performance and up to 1.05x faster multi-thread performance. The Intel Iris Xe Graphics provide up to 96 execution units (EUs) for graphics boosts, along with dual channel DDR4 3200MHz SO-DIMM DRAM up to 64GB supported Intel In-Band ECC for fast AI inference use cases while ensuring reliable data integrity.

Rich IO connections and flexible configurations

The iEP-7020E Series come in fan-less and compact sizes of 55 x 170 x 134mm (W x H x D) for iEP-7020E-000(Basic SKU)/002(5LAN SKU) and 68 x 170 x 134mm (W x H x D) for iEP-7020E-001(PoE SKU).

They are equipped with rich IO extensions, including four RS232/422/485 serial ports, one 4DIs/4DOs with power-on/reset, three USB 3.2 Gen 2x1, one USB 2.0, and one line out/mic in for connection to multiple factory equipment. In addition, there are three 2.5GbE Intel i226-IT LAN with vPro support, two 1GbE Intel i210-AT LAN (PoE SKU/5LAN SKU) plus optional two Intel i210AT supporting IEEE 802.3AF PoE (PoE SKU) with Intel TCC and TSN for real-time computing at the edge.

They also support two DP++ 1.4a for close-to-perfect computer vision processing. The Series implement flexible I/Os design to satisfy diverse and simultaneous IIoT application requirements.

RF capabilities and expandability for flawless IT/OT connection

The iEP-7020E Series support 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, and BT 5.2 RF capabilities with optional three 4G LTE/two Wi-Fi antenna or four 5G/two Wi-Fi antenna to offer high-speed data collection and transmission in IIoT communication. These come with various expansions, including one M.2 Key B socket (3042/3052/2280) for 4G LTE/5G module/SATA3 SSD storage (iEP-7020E-000), one M.2 Key E (2230) for Wi-Fi/BT module, with the addition of one Nano SIM card slot for 4G/5G. For storage support, features include SATA3 connector for 2.5” SSD (iEP-7020E-000) and one M.2 Key M 2280 for NVMe SSD.

The RF connections with Intel In-Band Manageability enable reliable remote management, firmware/software/application of over-the-air (OTA) updates plus M2M protocol support to seamlessly connect IT and OT.

Rugged design and robust power for demanding environments

For long-term reliability and durability, deployment in a harsh environment is the iEP-7020E Series’ embedded quality. Accompanied by a rugged design and expansive range operating temperature from -40°C to 70°C (iEP-7020E-000), The iEP-7020E Series have high shock/vibration resistance for dependable functionality in harsh environments.

Featuring complete power protection of OVP, UVP, OCP, plus 80V Surge Protection, the iEP-7020E-000/002 bring robust power of 9-36VDC and the iEP-7020E-001 to provide 19-36VDC wide range DC input supporting phoenix type connector for industrial applications.

For industrial security, TPM 2.0 is built-in to set up a trusted computing platform. Moreover, the unique addition of one storage/one user-define/two debug LEDs lighting signals carries out debugging function to reduce machine downtime.

Lastly, the Series are equipped with various mounting options, including wall mount, VESA mount, and DIN rail, to offer flexibility for diverse application needs.