sata News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 29, 2025October 28, 2025 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

TerraMaster launches Intel N150 NAS systems with 5GbE networking, AI photo recognition

TerraMaster F4 425 Plus and F2 425 Plus Intel N150 Hybrid NAS

TerraMaster F4-425 Plus (4-bay) and F2-425 Plus (2-bay) hybrid AI NAS systems are upgrades to the earlier Intel N95-based F4-424 and F2-424 NAS systems with an Intel N150 processor, dual 5GbE ports (up from 2.5GbE), and up to three M.2 SSD slots for up to 144TB of hybrid storage. Both models feature DDR5 memory (up to 16GB), 4K/8K video transcoding, and support TerraMaster’s TRAID technology for improved performance and data redundancy. They also offer USB expansion options and quiet cooling, making them NAS solutions suitable for home and business use. TerraMaster F4-425 Plus and F2-425 Plus specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 CPU – Quad-core “Twin Lake” processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache GPU – 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1000 MHz Hardware transcoding F4-425 Plus – H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, VC-1 up to 8K@60fps F4-425 Plus – H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, VC-1 up to 4K@60fps TDP – 6W to […]

July 21, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Pico-ITX SBC features Intel Processor N150 or Core 3 N355 Twin Lake CPU, DDR5 SO-DIMM memory slot

Want a Twin Lake Pico-ITX SBC? That’s what AAEON offers with the PICO-TWL4 single board computer equipped with either an Intel Processor N150 quad-core CPU or an Intel Core 3 N355 octa-core SoC, and available in either commercial or industrial temperature grade. The board features a SO-DIMM socket for DDR5 memory, a SATA and mSATA storage, two display interfaces (HDMI and eDP/LVDS), 2.5GbE and GbE RJ45 ports, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and M.2 and mPCIe sockets for expansion. By default, the board supports 12V DC power, but AAEON offers a 9V to 36V DC input option. AAEON PICO-TWL4 specifications: Twin Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N150 quad-core processor @ 800 MHz / 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W Intel Core 3 N355 octa-core processor @ 1.9 GHz / 3.9 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD […]

July 14, 2025July 14, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Waveshare SATA HAT+ adds two SATA 3.0 ports to Raspberry Pi 5

Waveshare PCIe TO 2-CH SATA HAT+ is a dual-channel PCIe FFC to SATA 3.0 HAT+ board for the Raspberry Pi 5, which offers a low-cost alternative to the Radxa Penta SATA HAT with support for up to five SATA drives. The HAT+ is compliant with the SATA Gen3 and PCIe Gen2 standards and features onboard dual LED indicators for monitoring drive activity. Additionally, it includes an EEPROM for storing HAT+ ID and product information. It can be used for simpler DIY NAS setups or Pi-based media servers. Waveshare PCIe TO 2-CH SATA HAT+ specification: Compatibility – Designed for Raspberry Pi 5 Storage – Onboard EEPROM for HAT+ ID and product info SATA Ports – 2x SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) channels via JMB582 PCIe Gen3 x1 to 2x SATA controller Host Interface – PCIe Gen3 x1 via 16-pin PCIe FFC connector Misc 40-pin header with exposed RPi GPIOs (not used directly by the HAT, […]

June 26, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Topton N18 NAS mini-ITX motherboard ships with Intel N150 or Core i3-N305 SoC, offers 6x SATA, 10GbE, 2x 2.5GbE

Topton N18 is a mini-ITX motherboard powered by either an Intel Processor N150 Twin Lake CPU or a Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N SoC, and suitable for NAS and networking applications with six SATA ports, a 10GbE RJ45 port, and two 2.5GbE jacks. The motherboard also features a DDR5 SO-DIMM socket for up to 64GB memory, two M.2 PCIe sockets for NVMe SSD storage, HDMI and DisplayPort video output, and up to eight USB ports via ports and internal headers. Topton N18 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics @ 1.25 GHz; TDP: 15W System Memory – Single-channel DDR5 SO-DIMM slot fitted with up to 32GB RAM; upgradeable to 64GB […]

June 8, 2025November 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ZimaBoard 2 Review – Part 2: An Intel N150 micro server and mini PC tested with ZimaOS, Ubuntu 24.04

We’ve already checked out the hardware of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server in the first part of the review with an unboxing and a teardown of the Intel N150 mini PC, followed by a first boot to ZimaOS and a walk-through of the web dashboard to see what features it had to offer. I’ve now connected two SATA drives to the ZimaBoard 2 and done further testing with ZimaOS, notably checking system information and testing storage and networking performance. I also installed Ubuntu 24.04 on the ZimaBoard 2 for further testing for people preferring to use the system as a mini PC with SATA storage. ZimaOS v1.4.1 update When I connected to the web dashboard again, there was a new update for ZimaOS v1.4.1. Before and after the update is completed, I was shown the change log with new features like a scheduled shutdown function and a list of bug […]

June 3, 2025November 26, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Vecow PBC-2000 – An Intel Atom x7211RE fanless embedded system for industrial use

Vecow PBC-2000 is a fanless embedded system that houses the company’s EPBC-2000 2.5-inch Pico-ITX SBC powered by an Intel Atom x7211RE SoC. The PBC-2000 supports a wide -40°C to 70°C temperature range, dual 2.5GbE LAN, serial and USB interfaces, and comes with wall and optional DIN rail mounting options. Other features include support for up to 16GB DDR5 4800MHz SO-DIMM memory, as well as a SATA III port and an M.2 socket for storage. The system also features an external SIM card socket for 5G/4G/LTE connectivity, and an M.2 E-Key slot for wireless modules. Additional features include a 12V DC power input via a 2-pin terminal block, hardware monitoring with auto-throttling, a watchdog timer, and support for Wake-on-LAN and PXE boot. Vecow PBC-2000 and EPBC-2000 specifications: SoC – Intel Atom x7211RE dual-core Amstom Lake processor @ up to 3.2 GHz with 6MB cache, 16EU Intel UHD graphics; TDP: 6W System […]

May 28, 2025May 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

UP Squared TWL / Squared Pro TWL boards are powered by Intel Core 3 Processor N355, N250, or N150 Twin Lake CPU

AAEON has just introduced upgrades to its Alder Lake-N-powered UP Squared 7100 and UP Squared Pro 7000 SBCs with the UP Squared TWL and UP Squared Pro TWL development boards equipped with Twin Lake CPUs, either Intel Core 3 Processor N355, Intel Processor N250, or Intel Processor N150. Both SBCs can operate in the -20°C to 70°C temperature range, support up to three independent displays, and offer M.2 expansion sockets for storage and wireless, a 40-pin GPIO header, RS232/RS485 interfaces, and three USB ports. However, the UP Squared TWL is a smaller 90×85.6mm SBC with dual gigabit Ethernet, and the UP Squared Pro TWL has a slightly larger design (101.6×101.6mm) with dual 2.5GbE, a SATA port, MIPI CSI camera support, and optional cellular connectivity. UP Squared TWL Specifications: Twin Lake SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N150 quad-core processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU […]

May 15, 2025June 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

ZimaBoard 2 micro server review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and ZimaOS interface

We’ve just received a review sample of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server and mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N150 “Twin Lake” CPU. The system features two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, two SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports, and a miniDP video port supporting 4K resolution. IceWhale Technology provided us with the ZimaBoard 2 model 832 prototype with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash preloaded with the ZimaOS operating system for review. In this article, we will unbox the device and its accessories, perform a teardown, and boot the micro server with the pre-installed ZimaOS and check the web dashboard. In the second part of the review, we will test ZimaOS in more detail, run some benchmarks since it’s our first Twin Lake mini PC, install an Ubuntu virtual machine, test the SATA ports and PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and more. ZimaBoard 2 unboxing We received a package […]