Nvidia-based modules deliver AI to the edge
Four carrier boards and a finished system from Diamond Systems are all targeted at delivering artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge computing. The family is based on Nvidia Jetson TX2, TX2i and AGX Xavier modules and target industrial and military applications, particularly those in harsh environments such as vehicles and other outdoor applications.
The Ziggy (pictured) and Jethro carriers are designed to work with the Jetson TX2 and TX2i system on modules (SoMs). Stevie and Elton implement AGX Xavier. Elton is distinguished by a PCI/104 Express expansion socket. According to Diamond Systems, Elton bridges Ai and machine learning (ML) with the durable, rugged industrial PC/104 computing ecosystem.
Elton provides support for PCI-104, PCIe/104 type 2 (x8 lane), and PCIe/104 OneBank expansion modules (4 x1 lanes), for the rapid creation of rugged, custom-configured PCIe-based computing using off-the-shelf I/O modules from a large number of manufacturers.
Another feature of all four modules is the data acquisition circuit with analogue input, analogue output and digital I/O to interface to analogue and digital sensors and controls. There is a programming library with support for custom development and an application with graphical user interface (GUI) for real time control of the data acquisition I/O and data logging.
Ziggy is the carrier for Jetson TX2 and TX2i. It is compact, measuring just 50 x 87mm. The compact ZiggyBox computer system houses the Ziggy carrier and Jetson module and has DIN rail mounting capability, both characteristics that make it suitable for equipment racks and cabinets.
Jethro measures 76 x 107mm – slightly larger TX2/TX2i carrier – and offers more I/O and expansion capability, as well as a rugged connector scheme, explains Diamond Systems. It includes a PCIe MiniCard socket, an M.2 SATA flash socket, and a LTE modem socket designed to work with Nimbelink SkyWire cellular modems. Pin headers can accommodate both low-cost, traditional connector technology, or more rugged latching connectors where resistance to vibration and shock are required
Stevie is a translator board that enables the Ziggy and Jethro TX2 carriers to be used with the higher performance AGX Xavier module. It is the same size as Xavier (87 x 100mm) and adds an M.2 PCIe NVMe flash socket, two CAN ports, and an additional USB 3.0 port, as well as a socket for connecting high performance cameras.
Finally, Elton is a rugged carrier board for NVidia’s Xavier SoM. It uses a PCB that is around 50 per cent thicker than the others in the family, and has latching connectors and the rugged PCI/104-Express expansion bus for the most demanding compute-intensive harsh-environment applications. It is larger too, measuring 102 x 152mm which allows it to include all the I/O and expansion of Diamond’s other carriers, namely data acquisition, M.2 and PCIe minicard sockets, and LTE modem socket.
Visit Diamond Systems at Embedded World (Hall 2, stand 2-350) for a chance to win one of three ZiggyBox Nvidia Jetson TX2 embedded computers.
