AAEON PICO-ADN2 Fits 2.5GbE Into an 80-Gram Pico-ITX SBC

A Board Designed Around the Space It Has to Fit

Industrial single-board computers usually compete on peripheral count. AAEON's PICO-ADN2, detailed on August 13, 2026, competes on height. It is a Pico-ITX board built specifically for enclosures where the vertical clearance is the binding constraint — digital signage housings, kiosk cabinets, and transportation equipment bays.

• Intel Processor N97 (quad-core, 3.6 GHz, 12W) or Core i3-N305 (octa-core, 3.8 GHz, 15W)
• Up to 16GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz with an mSATA/mPCIe socket for storage
• 2.5GbE plus Gigabit Ethernet, delivered via 8-pin connectors rather than stacked RJ45 jacks
• 100 x 72mm Pico-ITX footprint at 80 grams, drawing about 29.2W typical and 35W maximum

Notably, AAEON built this as a single 4-layer integrated PCB rather than a system-on-module paired with a carrier board, which is what keeps the profile low.

Why Choose an Integrated PCB Over a SoM?

The system-on-module approach dominates industrial embedded design for good reasons: you can upgrade the compute module without redesigning the carrier, and a vendor can serve many form factors from one module. The cost is a stacked connector and the height it adds.

For a board whose entire premise is fitting into tight enclosures, that trade flips. Putting everything on one integrated PCB gives up modularity to reclaim vertical space, and for signage and kiosk integrators shipping a fixed design in volume, modularity was never the feature they were paying for. This is a different philosophy from the module-plus-carrier boards we covered in the DEBIX T62P-01 industrial SBC, and both approaches are valid for different customers.

The connector choice follows the same logic. Routing both Ethernet interfaces to 8-pin headers instead of RJ45 jacks lets the integrator place the physical ports wherever the chassis needs them — and RJ45 jacks are tall.

What I/O Does the PICO-ADN2 Offer?

The display side is built for the installed base rather than the spec sheet. HDMI 1.4 handles up to 4K at 30Hz, dual-channel LVDS drives up to 1920x1200 at 60Hz, and an optional eDP 1.4 output reaches 4K at 60Hz. LVDS is legacy technology almost everywhere else, but industrial panels have long lifecycles and signage integrators still need it.

Legacy serial gets the same treatment, with RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 all supported. There is a USB 3.2 Gen 1 connector carrying two ports, two USB 2.0 headers, an M.2 E-Key socket for wireless, an optional 80-pin BIO expansion connector, and TPM 2.0 for platform security. Power comes in over 12V DC, and AAEON lists support for Windows 10/11 64-bit and Ubuntu 24.04.2.

Availability and What Is Still Unknown

Pricing has not been announced. CNX Software estimates roughly $784 by extrapolating from the related PICO-ADN4, but that is an inference rather than a quoted figure, and buyers should treat it as such until AAEON publishes official numbers.

For integrators tracking compact industrial computing, the PICO-ADN2 is a narrow, well-targeted product rather than a general-purpose board. It solves the height problem, brings 2.5GbE to a class of device that usually tops out at Gigabit, and does it in something that weighs less than a deck of cards. That is a specific answer to a specific complaint — which is generally how good industrial hardware gets designed.

Sources: CNX Software — August 13, 2026; AAEON product page — August 2026.