Xavier NX and Nano carriers include six-cam board and a dual Jetson system

Xavier NX and Nano carriers include six-cam board and a dual Jetson system

Aug 13, 2020 — by Eric Brown

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Auvidea has launched several carrier boards and systems for the Jetson Xavier NX and Nano: a JN34 with 6x FPD-Link III camera interfaces, JNX22 and JNX30 boards with PoE support, and a ES-JNX80/ES-J180 system for dual, mix-and-match Jetson modules.

Back in February, we covered Auvidea’s JN30A and JN30B carriers for Nvidia’s Jetson TX1, TX2, and AGX Xavier along with some Jetson-powered boards from other vendors. Then in April, we posted a roundup of new Jetson Xavier NX carriers from D3, Diamond, and ConnectTech, Inc. In that story we mentioned some upcoming Auvidea Jetson carriers in passing. Auvidea has informed us that these and other boards are now available for order.

JN34 (left) and ES-JNX80/ES-J180 boardset with dual Jetson Nano modules
(click images to enlarge)

The new Auvidea carrier boards and systems include the following, with links to product/shopping pages and prices, which do not include the Jetson modules:

• JN34 — Nano with future Xavier NX support — €499 ($591) — MIPI-CSI-2 camera carrier with 6x FPD-Link III interfaces
• JNX22 — Xavier NX and Nano — €199 or €179 ($236 or $212) — for monitor-free projects with 2x PoE-PSE or PoE-PD for IP cameras
• ES-JNX22 — Xavier NX and Nano — €272.30 to €737.20 ($323 to $873) — enclosure version of JNX22
• JNX30 — Xavier NX and Nano — €199 ($236) – Full featured carrier with choice of PoE-PD or PoE-PSE
• JNX30-LC — Xavier NX — €109 ($129) — Low-cost, reduced feature version of JNX30
• JNX30-LC-PD — Xavier NX and Nano — €124 ($147) — Like low-cost JNX30-LC but with PoE-PD and microSD
• ES-JNX30 — Xavier NX and Nano — €202.30 to €737.20 ($240 to $873) — enclosure with choice of different JNX30 family models
• ES-JNX80/ES-J180 — Nano, NX, and/or TX2 — up to €939 ($1,113) — embedded systems with dual Jetsons: 2x Nano or NX, 2x TX2, or Nano/NX with TX2

JN34

The JN34 can extend your Jetson Nano with 6x dual-lane FPD-Link III interfaces equipped with Fakra connectors to support MIPI-CSI-2 cameras. The key FPD-Link III advantage over CSI alone is ability to connect cameras via coaxial cables up to 15 meters. The board supports 2-megapixel/60fps cameras and radar sensors at up to 1080p60.

JN34, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

The JN34 has a coastline GbE port with optional PoE-PD so the board can be powered by an external network switch. There is an option for PoE-PSE to enable the board to power IP cameras. Two more GbE interfaces without PoE support are available internally.

Other features include USB 2.0 host, micro-USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, and an M.2 2242/2280 SSD slot with PCIe x4 and NVMe support. The 104.6 x 103.5mm board has a 12-48V DC input, but you need to supply your own 30-60W power supply. Options include SuperCAP UPS and an aluminum case.

Auvidea says “Xavier NX is planned,” but it’s unclear if that’s a software upgrade or a new product. Other FPD-Link III boards for the Xavier NX include DesignCore’s Nvidia Jetson Xavier NX 12-Camera Carrier Board.

JNX22 and ES-JNX22

The JNX22 carrier is designed for headless IP camera applications using the Xavier NX or Nano, such as a license plate recognition system (ALPR), says Auvidea. The board offers dual GbE ports with PoE-PSE support for controlling external cameras. Options include PoE-PD, LTE, and WiFi.

JNX22 (left) and ES-JNX22
(click images to enlarge)

No other specs were available, but the render images show USB 3.0 host and OTG ports, a microSD slot, a CSI-2 interface, and an M.2 2242/2280 SSD slot with PCIe x4 and NVMe support. There is also a DC input and a power output.

The ES-JNX22 version adds a case to the board with a ribbed heatsink on top. A low-cost LC version is also in the works.

JNX30, JNX30-LC, JNX30-LC-PD, and ES-JNX30

The JNX30 family of products is based on the earlier JN30 carriers, but it extends the Jetson Xavier NX and Jetson Nano instead of the Jetson TX1, TX2 and AGX Xavier. The higher-end JNX30 model “supports MAXN mode of the NX and adds CAN and PCIe x1 compared to earlier JN30A/JN30B,” says Auvidea in a claim it does not repeat on the LC versions.

JNX30 (left) and JNX30-LC-PD
(click images to enlarge)

The 104.8 x 80mm JNX30 is available with a choice of PoE-PD or PoE-PSE for its single GbE port. An optional U110 module adds 4x more USB 2.0-based 10/100Mbps Ethernet ports with 26W PoE-PSE with a choice of RJ45, IX, or JST-GH connectors.

The JNX30 is further equipped with single USB 3.0 and 2.0 host ports and a micro-USB port for flashing. An optional U120 module adds 4x more USB 2.0 ports.

Other features include a microSD slot, HDMI and DisplayPort, and a CSI-2 interface with 2x 4-lane and 2x 2-lane camera interfaces. There is also an M.2 2242/2280 SSD slot with PCIe x4 and NVMe support plus an optional U100 module that gives you 2x M.2 for LTE and WiFi and 2x USB 2.0 ports with JST-GH connectors.

The JNX30 provides 2x UARTs, a 9 axis IMU, a fan connector, and internal SPI, I2C, GPIOs, and switches. The board is powered by a 12-48V input. Options include superCAP backup and two “dev kit camera modules.” One of these dev kits adds 2x GbE while the other adds a single GbE plus a mini-UPS superCAP controller.

The lower-cost, reduced feature set JNX30-LC and JNX30-LC-PD differ from each other only in that the latter adds PoE-PD and microSD. Both models lack the JX30’s DP, IMU, optional SuperCAP, and GPIOs, and they are limited to a dual-lane CSI-2 interface. The LC models appear to support all the options of the JNX30.

ES-JNX30 (left) and Jetson Nano
(click images to enlarge)

The ES-JNX30 embedded system offers an enclosure for each of the three JNX30 variants. One option provides a JNX30 with a pre-installed Jetson Xavier NX.

The 135 x 109 x 50mm ES-JNX30 supplies a passively cooled aluminum case along with a leaf spring, heat spreader, and mounting material. Auvidea also offers a front plate customization service.

ES-JNX80/ES-J180

Perhaps the most interesting of the Auvidia carriers is its ES-JNX80/ES-J180 “Dual-CPU” system, which lets you run two Jetson modules at once. Apparently available only in an enclosed system, the product combines dual development boards with two small Jetson carrier boards. The JNX80 carrier supports the Xavier NX and Nano while the J180 supports the Jetson TX2.

ES-JNX80/ES-J180 (left) and boardset showing dual Xavier NX modules
(click images to enlarge)

You can therefore have two of the same Jetson modules, or a mixed pair of any of the three supported modules. The system can also operate with just one module.

The ES-JNX80/ES-J180 is equipped with a GbE uplink port and 2x internal GbE interfaces. The board provides a 5-port GbE switch to support these ports as well as 2x more GbE ports linked to each module, which were not evident in the photos. No PoE or other options were listed.

The 135 x 109 x 50mm system provides 2x HDMI, 2x USB 3.0, and a micro-USB port for flashing only one of the two Jetson modules. There are also 2x M.2 2280 slots with PCIe x4 and NVMe support, and the image shows CAN and MCU connectors. The system is powered via a 12-48V input, but you need to bring your own 60W power supply.

Further information

The new Auvidea JN34, JNX22, JNX30 family, and ES-JNX80/ES-J180 systems are available for order, with individual pricing and links to shopping pages shown farther above. Shipment information was not available and judging from the rendered images on some of these products, they are not yet ready. More information may be found at the Auvidea website.