The new MinnowBoard is twice as cheap, half the size and three years more modern

About a year ago, we presented a MinnowBoard mini-computer based on the Intel Atom processor in a blog , addressed primarily to fans of creating intelligent and robotic devices with their own hands. In comments to that and subsequent posts about MinnowBoard, interested users did not fail to note the shortcomings of this mini-PC: high cost, outdated processor and oversize. It’s more pleasant for us to announce today that we now have MinnowBoard, in which all these problems are solved - the new MinnowBoard MAX.

The last week’s MinnowBoard MAX, like its predecessor, was developed by Intel units in collaboration with the manufacturer of circuit boards and components CircuitCo. The basis of the mini-PC is the latest 64-bit processor with support for virtualization Intel Atom E38xx (Bay Trail) - single or dual core, depending on the configuration. The use of a quad-core processor in MinnowBoard is under consideration.

Compared to the previous MinnowBoard, the new one has become almost twice as compact: the board area has decreased from 112 cm ² to 73 cm ² . Another change visible to the naked eye is that all GPIO / I2C / SPI connectors are made in the form of standard 0.1 ”pins. The photo above shows a test model of the board, in serial samples the processor will be closed by a radiator.

The main specifications of MinnowBoard MAX are shown in the table below, the appearance can be examined by the KDPV ( clickable ).

	Package 1	Package 2
CPU	E3815 (single-core, 1.46 GHz)	E3825 (dual-core, 1.33 GHz)
Memory	1 GB DDR3 RAM	2 GB DDR3 RAM
Video	HD4000 Graphics (with open source drivers)
Multimedia connector	Micro HDMI with HDMI audio support
Network adapter	10/100/1000 Ethernet
Connecting drives	SATA2 3 Gbps, MicroSD via SDIO
USB ports	1 x USB 3.0 host + 1 x USB 2.0
Digital interfaces	8 GPIO (2 with PWM support), I2C, SPI
Cost of	$ 99	$ 129

As you can see , almost all product characteristics were improved. And, of course, especially pleased with the price, which for the base model has become half as much. Coupled with significantly increased performance, this makes MinnowBoard MAX more attractive from the user's point of view.
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According to the creators, MinnowBoard MAX will be used as a platform for developing various software, including Android and custom versions of Linux, such as Yocto; as a key component of home multimedia systems or the “Internet of Things” node, as well as in any other role where an inexpensive, compact, but at the same time productive computer is required.

Sales of MinnowBoard MAX through authorized distributors will begin in June 2014. All information related to the computer can be found on the official website of the project .