Single-board computers

A single-board computer system is a complete computer on a single circuit board. The board includes a processor(s), RAM, input/output (I/O), and networking ports for interfacing devices. Unlike traditional computer systems, a single-board computer is not modular and its hardware cannot be upgraded as it is integrated on the board itself. Single-board computers are used as low-cost computers in academia, research, and embedded systems. The use of single-board computers in embedded systems is quite prevalent and many individuals and organizations have developed and released fully functional products based on single-board computers.

The Microcomputer Trainer MMD-1 designed by John Titus in 1976 is the first true single-board microcomputer that was based on the Intel C8080A. It was called dyna -micro in the prototyping phase, and the production units were called MMD-1 (short for Mini Micro Designer 1).

Popular single-board computers available in the market include but are not limited to Raspberry Pi, Banana Pro, BeagleBone Black, and Cubieboard. The following images are of the front view of BeagleBone Black, Banana Pro, and Cubieboard 4, respectively: