Single-board computer

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Microcomputer.
The Raspberry Pi (Model 2B shown) is a low-cost single-board computer often used to teach computer science.[1]

A single-board computer (SBC) is a complete

circuit board, with microprocessor(s), memory, input/output (I/O) and other features required of a functional computer. Single-board computers are commonly made as demonstration or development systems, for educational systems, or for use as embedded computer controllers. Many types of home computers or portable computers integrate all their functions onto a single printed circuit board
.

Unlike a desktop

ARM. Other types, such as blade servers, would perform similar to a server
computer, only in a more compact format.

A computer-on-module is a type of single-board computer made to plug into a carrier board, baseboard, or backplane for system expansion.[2][3]

History

An early MMD-1, the world's first true single board computer, with most chips removed

The first true single-board computer was based on the Intel C8080A, also using Intel's first EPROM, the C1702A. Schematics for the machine, called the "dyna-micro" were published in Radio-Electronics magazine in May 1976. Later that year, production of the system began by E&L Instruments, a Derby, Connecticut based computer manufacturer, which branded the system as the "Mini Micro Designer 1", intending it for use as a programmable microcontroller for prototyping electronic products.[4][5] The MMD-1 was made famous as an example microcomputer in popular 8080 instruction series of the time.[6]

Early SBCs figured heavily in the early history of

enclosure, which had to be added by the owner. Other early examples are the Ferguson Big Board, the Ampro Little Board,[7] and the Nascom
. Many home computers in the 1980s were single-board computers, with some even encouraging owners to solder upgraded components directly to pre-marked points on the board.

As the PC became more prevalent, SBCs decreased in market share due to their low extensibility. The rapid adoption of

daughterboards
.

Computers began to move back towards fewer boards in the 2000s. As new standards like

RAID controllers, and specialized I/O cards such as data acquisition and DSP
boards.

The 2010s were defined by rapid and sustained growth in single-board computers, enabled largely by advances in integrated circuit production techniques that made it possible for the first time to include most or all of the core components of a motherboard on a

Broadcom SoC with open-source drivers. Originally intended for education, the Raspberry Pi contained a number of features, such as optimized Linux support and programmable GPIO pins, that were also greatly appealing to hobbyists, who used the Pi, and other comparable SBCs, for projects such as home automation, video game emulation, media streaming, and other experimentation.[8] In industry, the rapid growth of smartphones and other small-scale devices encouraged hardware manufacturers to move towards more frequent use of SoCs and the reduction of motherboards in size, extensibility and complexity, while the proliferation of the Internet of Things
increased demand for small, cheap components that would allow unconventional devices to access the Internet. Both of these factors dramatically increased production of single-board computers throughout the decade.

By the end of the 2010s and the early 2020s, many devices, including smartphones,

System on a Chip). While this has greatly increased performance and power efficiency, it has raised concerns that single-board computers, particularly those built around SoCs, are harder to repair and may be less friendly to attempts to monitor or modify instructions programmed into the boards by manufacturers.[9]

Applications

A socket 3 based 486 SBC with power supply and flatscreen

Single board computers were made possible by increasing the density of integrated circuits. A single-board configuration reduces a system's overall cost, by reducing the number of circuit boards required, and by eliminating connectors and bus driver circuits that would otherwise be used. By putting all the functions on one board, a smaller overall system can be obtained, for example, as in notebook computers. Connectors are a frequent source of reliability problems, so a single-board system eliminates these problems.[10]

Single board computers are now commonly defined across two distinct architectures: no slots and slot support.

disk drive
), no video, etc.

The term "Single Board Computer" now generally applies to an architecture where the single board computer is plugged into a

PC104
, the bus is not a backplane in the traditional sense but is a series of pin connectors allowing I/O boards to be stacked.

Single board computers are most commonly used in industrial situations where they are used in

Pegasus rockets and Space Shuttle.[11] Because of the very high levels of integration, reduced component counts and reduced connector counts, SBCs are often smaller, lighter, more power efficient and more reliable than comparable multi-board computers.[12]

The primary advantage of an ATX motherboard as compared to an SBC is cost. Motherboards are manufactured by the millions for the consumer and office markets allowing tremendous economies of scale. Single-board computers are a market niche and are manufactured less often and at a higher cost. Motherboards and SBCs now offer similar levels of feature integration meaning that a motherboard failure in either standard will require equivalent replacement

Types, standards

Ranges of single-board computers include Raspberry Pi, BeagleBoard and Nano Pi.[13][14][15]

One common variety of single board computer uses standardized

VXI, and PICMG. SBCs have been built around various internal processing structures including the Intel architecture, multiprocessing architectures, and lower power processing systems like RISC and SPARC. In the Intel PC world, the intelligence and interface/control circuitry is placed on a plug-in board that is then inserted into a passive (or active) backplane. The result is similar to having a system built with a motherboard
, except that the backplane determines the slot configuration. Backplanes are available with a mix of slots (ISA, PCI, PCI-X, PCI-Express, etc.), usually totaling 20 or fewer, meaning it will fit in a 19" rackmount enclosure (17" wide chassis).

Some single-board computers have connectors that allow a stack of circuit boards, each containing expansion hardware, to be assembled without a traditional backplane. Examples of stacking SBC form factors include

PCI-104, EPIC, and EBX
; these systems are commonly available for use in embedded control systems.

Stack-type SBCs often have memory provided on plug-cards such as

Hard drive
circuit boards are also not counted for determining if a computer is an SBC or not for two reasons, firstly because the HDD is regarded as a single block storage unit, and secondly because the SBC may not require a hard drive at all as most can be booted from their network connections.

Form factors

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Single-board computers.
  1. ^ "Foundation Strategy 2016–2018" (PDF). Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi Foundation. pp. 3–5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  2. ^ "COM – Based SBCs: The Superior Architecture for Small Form Factor Embedded Systems" (PDF). Diamond Systems Corp. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Implementing High Performance Embedded Computing Hardware" (PDF). Trenton Systems, Inc. September 1, 2016. pp. 13–15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  4. ^ "E&L Instruments | OpenCorporates". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  5. ^ "Mini-Micro Designer 1 (MMD1)". www.decodesystems.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  6. ^ "Virginia Information". www.bugbookcomputermuseum.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  7. ^ "Ampro Little Board". Archived from the original on 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  8. ^ Cawley, Christian (2019-12-10). "19 Awesome Uses for a Raspberry Pi". MUO. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  9. ^ "What You Should Know About Right to Repair". Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  10. ISBN 0-7897-1743-3
    pp. 50-51
  11. ^ "Single Board Computer Peripherals". Newmicros. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  12. ^ "A UHF RFID Printed Circuit Board Solution". Magicstrap. January 2012. p. 4. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  13. ^ updated, Brian Westover last (2021-05-27). "Raspberry Pi 4 Model B review". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  14. ^ Manager, Content (2023-01-29). "BeagleBone Black Review". ElectronicsHacks. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  15. ^ Alderson, Alex. "FriendlyELEC introduces new NanoPi R6C single-board computer for US$89". Notebookcheck. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
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