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Up Board

Up Board by Up

Turn an UP Board into a robot brain with ARCx, browser control, EZB connection, vision, voice, scripting and headless operation
Connection Type
Wi-Fi / USB
Number of Servos
None
Audio Support
Yes
Camera Support
Yes
UARTs
None
I2C Support
No
ADC Ports
None
Digital Ports
None
Manufacturer's Page
A credit-card sized x86 computer with a heatsink and header pins on top of a wheeled robot with a camera, controlled from a laptop and a phone showing a browser dashboard
Up Board + Synthiam ARCx

A credit-card sized PC for your robot

The UP Board is a tiny Intel computer that runs the same Windows and Linux software as a desktop PC. Mount it in a robot, install ARCx on Windows or Ubuntu 24.04, and drive, program and talk to the robot from a web browser on any device.

Download ARCx Ezb Connection robot skill Synthiam ARC

How the UP Board works with Synthiam. The UP Board is the robot's on-board computer: it runs ARCx on 64-bit Windows 10/11 or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, or ARC on Windows. Servos, motors and sensors connect through an EZB controller (an EZ-B v4, IoTiny, or an Arduino or ESP32 with EZB firmware) over USB or Wi-Fi, while cameras, microphones and lidars plug into the board's USB ports. We recommend ARCx: the robot runs headless and anyone on the network can use it from a browser.

Meet the hardware

What is the UP Board?

The UP Board is a credit-card sized single-board computer (SBC) built around an Intel Atom "Cherry Trail" processor. Think of it as a small Windows or Linux PC that can be bolted into a robot.

Because it is an x86 computer, it runs full desktop operating systems and their drivers: Windows 10 and Linux distributions including Ubuntu. That makes it a natural home for Synthiam software, with HDMI for setting up on the bench, USB ports for cameras and controllers, and Gigabit Ethernet for a reliable wired link while you develop.

It has a 40-pin expansion header for connecting hardware. Synthiam does not drive those pins directly; robot I/O comes from an EZB controller instead, which gives steadier servo timing and analog inputs. It belongs to the same family of robot computers as the Rock Pi X, LattePanda and Atomic Pi.

UP Board at a glance

Typex86 single-board computer
MakerUP (AAEON)
ProcessorIntel Atom x5-Z8350 quad-core, up to 1.92 GHz
Memory / storage1, 2 or 4 GB; 16, 32 or 64 GB eMMC
ConnectivityGigabit Ethernet, 4 × USB 2.0, 1 × USB 3.0 OTG, HDMI 1.4a, 40-pin header
Power5 V DC, 4 A (5.5/2.1 mm jack)
Synthiam uses it forRunning ARCx or ARC on board the robot
Websiteup-board.org
Capabilities

What you can do with it in Synthiam

🤖

Run the robot on board

The ARCx project runs on the UP Board inside the robot and keeps running with nobody connected.

📱

Control from any browser

Open ARCx from a phone, tablet or laptop on the network. Several people can use it at once; closing the browser leaves the robot running.

⚙

Servos and sensors

An EZB controller over USB or Wi-Fi adds servos, PWM, digital and analog ports, I2C and UARTs, for movement panels, Auto Position animations and the Servo Pad.

📷

Camera and vision

USB cameras with Camera Source (usb) for face, color, glyph and object tracking.

🎙

Voice and AI

Speech recognition, text to speech and conversational AI robot skills. ARCx is an MCP server, so AI agents can see, drive and program the robot.

🎮

Scripts, Custom UI, remote

Blockly, JavaScript and Python; touch-friendly Custom UI screens; and Exosphere for driving from anywhere and telepresence.

Get started

Set up ARCx on the UP Board

What you need

  • The power supply recommended for your UP Board (5 V, 4 A)
  • An HDMI monitor or TV and cable, plus a USB keyboard and mouse, for the first setup
  • An internet connection (Ethernet, or a USB Wi-Fi adapter)
  • Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (64-bit)
  • An EZB controller for servos and sensors
  1. Install the operating system. For Windows, install 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 and then the UP Board drivers (next section). For Linux, install Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (64-bit) Server or Desktop.
  2. Install ARCx. Follow Install ARCx on Windows 64 or Install ARCx on Linux x64.
  3. Open ARCx from another device. On Windows start ARCx Server (Bind Any) and allow it on private networks; on Ubuntu start it with: 
    ./ARCx -b http://0.0.0.0:5000
    Then browse to http://<up-board-address>:5000 from your phone, tablet or laptop.
  4. Connect your EZB. Add the Ezb Connection robot skill and enter the controller's port (COM3, /dev/ttyUSB0) or IP address. On Ubuntu, add your user to the dialout group first.
  5. First test. Add a Servo robot skill or a movement panel and make something move. Then add a camera, speech and the robot skills your project needs.
  6. Go headless. Once everything works, unplug the monitor. Set the project to open at start-up (Windows shortcut -f option, or a systemd service on Ubuntu, as the install guides describe).
Windows setup

Windows 10 drivers for the UP Board

After installing Windows 10, install the UP Board driver package so Windows can use the built-in hardware (chipset, GPIO devices and so on). Download the official Windows 10 (64-bit) drivers from downloads.up-community.org.

Install the driver package

  1. Boot into Windows 10.
  2. Download the driver package from the link above.
  3. Extract the ZIP file (right-click, Extract All).
  4. Run the included installer(s) or install the drivers as the package instructs.
  5. Reboot when prompted.

AAEON DEV devices and driver signatures

Some devices may show up as AAEON DEV, with drivers in the package's "Windows Dummy" folder. These may need Windows to allow unsigned drivers temporarily.

The instructions in that folder use bcdedit to disable driver signing, but that may not work on some systems. The reliable method is to use Advanced Startup to disable driver signature enforcement for the next boot only (steps below).

Disable driver signature enforcement for one boot

  1. Save your work and close programs.
  2. Open Settings → Update & Security → Recovery.
  3. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
  4. In the blue menu, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings, then click Restart.
  5. After the reboot, press the key for Disable driver signature enforcement (usually 7 or F7).
  6. When Windows starts, install the AAEON / "Windows Dummy" drivers, then reboot normally.
ARCx or ARC?
  • Runs on 64-bit Windows 10/11 or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on the UP Board.
  • Headless; used from any web browser, by several people at once.
  • AI agents connect through MCP; robot skills install from the Synthiam store.

ARC

  • Windows desktop application, installed the same way as on a desktop PC.
  • Shows on an HDMI monitor, or headless through remote desktop software.
  • A good choice if you already have ARC projects.

Small boards have limited storage and benefit from a few tweaks. Our Tips to Make a Robot guide covers freeing disk space, improving performance, power considerations and running headless with remote desktop software.

Troubleshooting

When something does not work

Install the UP Board Windows 10 driver package. For the AAEON DEV devices, boot once with driver signature enforcement disabled (Advanced Startup, option 7 or F7) and install the drivers from the "Windows Dummy" folder.

This is a known limitation on some systems. Use the Advanced Startup method on this page instead; it disables signature enforcement for the next boot only.

ARCx listens only on the board itself unless started with Bind Any (Windows) or -b http://0.0.0.0:5000 (Ubuntu). Use the board's IP address (ipconfig or hostname -I), not 127.0.0.1, and allow port 5000 through the firewall (Windows private networks, or sudo ufw allow 5000/tcp).

Check that the baud rate in Ezb Connection matches the firmware, and try toggling DTR and RTS (some Arduino clones need one or the other). On Ubuntu, make sure your user is in the dialout group.

Give the board its own regulated 5 V supply that can deliver 4 A, and power servos and motors separately. Voltage dips when motors start are a common cause of resets.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

ARCx runs on both. Ubuntu 24.04 Server is lighter and leaves more of the board's memory and storage for your project; Windows is familiar and also runs ARC. Use 64-bit editions either way.

Not directly. Connect servos and sensors to an EZB controller, and connect the controller to the UP Board by USB or Wi-Fi with the Ezb Connection robot skill.

The version with the most memory you can get, ideally 4 GB. Vision, speech and a desktop operating system all share it, and browser windows opened on the board itself use extra memory.

Only for the first setup. With ARCx, the browser on any device is the robot's screen. ARCx has no login of its own, so keep it on a trusted network.

Turn an UP Board into a robot brain

Install ARCx on Windows or Ubuntu, connect an EZB controller, and control your robot from any browser.

Download ARCx Windows install guide Linux install guide Synthiam ARC

ARC Pro

Upgrade to ARC Pro

ARC Pro is your passport to a world of endless possibilities in robot programming, waiting for you to explore.

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