Qotom Q180P/Q190P Mini PC Comes with Four RS-232 DB9 Connectors

Earlier today, I covered Beelink KT03 “Client Computer”, an Apollo Lake barebone mini PC with two COM ports . But as you must already know, people on the Internet are hard to please, so some readers may have thought “meh, no Thunderbolt”, “lol, Apollo Lake… so old”, “where’s the NVMe socket?”. I won’t be addressing those concerns in this post, and instead I will focus on the “meh, only two COM ports, I need four!” crowd.

So I went a little web search, and found another low power compact mini PCs with not two, but four COM ports. Qotom Q180P/Q190P are Cherry Trail mini PCs based on Intel Celeron J1800 / J1900 dual/quad core processor respectively.

Qotom Q180P/Q190P specifications:

• SoC (one of the other)
  • Intel Celeron J1800 dual core processor @ 2.41 GHz (base) / (turbo) 2.58 GHz with Intel HD graphics; 10W TDP
  • Intel Celeron J1900 Quad core processor  @ 2.0 GHz/ 2.41 GHz with Intel HD graphics; 10W TDP
• System Memory – 1x SO-DIMM DDR3L slot up to 8GB @ 1600 MHz
• Storage – Support for 2.5″ SATA drivers and mSATA SSD
• Video Output – HDMI output + VGA
• Connectivity – Dual Gigabit Ethernet via RTL8111F PCIe to GbE chip, optional mPCIe WiFi card
• Audio – Realtek ALC622 HD audio codec, 1x headphone/LINE Out jack, 1x MIC-in jack
• USB – 3x USB 2.0 host ports, 1x USB 3.0 port
• Serial – 4x COM ports (RS-232 DB9 connector)
• Misc – Power button and LED, Kensington lock
• Power Supply – 12V/3A via 5.5/2.5mm power barrel jack
• Dimensions – 134 x 128 x 45 mm
• Temperature Range – Operating: 0 to 50°C; storage: -20 to +80°C

The mini PC is sold barebone or with pre-installed RAM & storage, and the company claims it supports Windows 7/8/10, Linux distributions such as Ubuntu , as well as pfSense. The company also provides drivers @ https://www.dropbox.com/sh/teuwbqqs9ej3fmz/AAAEaqy7KBQa_DQhCKyQ7eXYa?dl=0. I have not linked to it on purpose since it is  temporarily disabled due to reaching daily limit of traffic or downloads. So only try it if you really need those drivers. I’ll update the link if/once a mirror download link is available.

The package will include the mini PC, a 12V/3A power supply with power cord for your country, a VESA mounting bracket and screws, as well as two antennas if you’ve selected the WiFi option.  Price starts at $111.33 plus shipping on Aliexpress for the barebone version based on J1800 without RAM, storage, nor WiFi. But options to order the device with up to 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD are offered. If you order by DHL or FedEx Express, you’ll be liable to custom duties, but somehow ordering via UPS Express allows you to avoid custom duties if you are based in the European Union (UK included).

Qotom-Q180P is also listed on Amazon with a single customer review that’s rather positive:

Love it! The four on-board RS232 ports are natively supported with no driver issues, Runs Win 7 Ultimate like a champ, Has 2 knockout holes ready to go for WiFi antenna connectors and an extra 1/2 size mini card slot ( in addition to the full size mini-pci slot with the SSD card) Has separate jacks for audio input and output, Only one downfall – the 3 rear DB-9 connectors get in the way of the 2nd HDD bracket, so you can only use one bracket to secure a 2.5 HDD, Not a big deal but if they would switch to lo-profile DB-9’s on all 3 ( instead of one only) this wouldn’t be an issue. Would like to see this motherboard and chassis offered without the tiny SSD or RAM, (or maybe with larger ones) but I can live with that and just drop in my own upgraded ones.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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