For When Ease-of-Design Is Key
System-on-modules (SoMs) continue to offer numerous cost and design advantages, to the consumer and the embedded developer, both. This month’s gallery focuses on a range of SoMs, from the niche to the broad.
I reckon not a few of our readers might fashion themselves “tinkers,” although doubtless prototyping an embedded design at home is significantly more complicated than mending utensils. I’ve read enough articles in Circuit Cellar at this point to understand, if only vicariously, the joys (and pains) of hand-wiring a prototype, trying out different components, throwing in some solder for good measure, and test-running your humble device before returning, inevitably, to the drawing board. The do-it-yourself quality—the mess of it all, so to speak—is a part of the fun. But there are also times when “sleek,” “easy,” and “professional” are good things. For those times, we might well turn to the every-ballooning field of system-on-modules (SoM).
The name just about says it all. But for those who are returning to civilization after having lived for a few decades under a rock, a SoM (also known as a computer-on-module, or CoM, depending on who you ask), integrates all or most of a system’s functions into a single module. Unlike their cousin the system-on-a-chip (SoC), SoMs are board-level circuits.
Their advantages are many. When your team is seeking design simplification, faster time-to-market, modularity, scalability, adaptability, cost efficiency, resource optimization, easier hardware and software integration, longevity, reduced risk, or all of the above, the right SoM can save the day (and save you a dozen or so headaches).
And so we bring you this month’s gallery. In it, you’ll find SoMs geared for applications in industrial settings, vision systems, network control, wireless connectivity, automotive systems, machine learning, and IoT. You’ll see a few familiar names, and some that were new to me. As always, I attempted to hint at the breadth of options available, while keeping my focus on products released approximately within the last 12 months. This column necessarily only reflects a small corner of the wealth of choices on the market today.
A Smart Choice for Smart Cameras
Boundary Devices Tungsten700 SMARC is powered by MediaTek’s Genio 700 processor and the Sona MT320 Wi-Fi 6/BLUETOOTH 5.3 radio based on MediaTek’s Filogic 320, high-performance LPDDR4 RAM, and eMMC storage. The device, combined with the universal SMARC carrier board, serves as a single-board computer (SBC). The Boundary Devices Tungsten700 SMARC creates a custom carrier that supplies users’ mechanical, environmental, temperature, and interface requirements. Applications include smart cameras, industrial tablets and handhelds, industrial IoT and vision systems, smart fitness equipment, autonomous and automated robots and vehicles, and smart signage and retail POS.
- Optional Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.3
- SMARC 2.1.1 standard form factor of 82mm x 50mm
- 2.2GHz dual-core Cortex-A78 and Hexa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A55
- Powered by MediaTek Genio 700 processor
- Machine learning, graphics, video, vision, and audio
- Multiple high-performance memory options
- Extensive range of pre-certified antennas
- 10+ year product lifecycle
- Software support includes Yocto, Android, Linux, and Ubuntu
- Boundary
Wireless Connectivity and Built-In Security
DIGI International ConnectCore 93 SoMs are integrated platforms with Wi-Fi 6 and BLUETOOTH 5.2 wireless connectivity. They’re designed for a wide range of medical, industrial, energy, and transportation applications. ConnectCore 93 offers up to two power-efficient Arm Cortex-A55 cores, with a Cortex-M33 core, AI/ML Arm Ethos U65 NPU, and NXP PMIC for maximum power efficiency. The devices provide industrial reliability and 10+ year product lifecycles of embedded devices. The DIGI SMTplus surface-mount form factor enables simplified design integration, efficiency, and reliability. DIGI ConnectCore SoM solutions provide built-in security with DIGI TrustFence, a fully integrated device-security framework that simplifies the process of securing connected devices.
- Industrial i.MX 93 single/dual-core embedded SOM platform
- AI/ML Arm Ethos U65 µNPU
- Pre-certified dual-band 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and BLUETOOTH 5.2
- 40mm x 45mm
- Seamless cellular modem and DIGI XBee integration
- High level of pin compatibility with DIGI ConnectCore 8 SoMs
- Built-in DIGI TrustFence device security, identity, and privacy
- Remote management with DIGI ConnectCore Cloud Services
- DIGI Embedded Yocto Linux support
Open Standard Module with Multicore Processing
The i.MX 8XLite SoC-based LGA Module is designed as per the Open Standard Module specification (OSM). It integrates NXP’s i.MX 8XLite offerings Dual/Solo Cortex A35 @ 1.2GHz, advanced multicore processing with V2X acceleration supported by Arm cores. The i.MX 8XLite OSM LGA module is aimed to offer for Automotive applications, Telematics, V2X Communications, building control and robotics requiring time-sensitive networking (TSN) Ethernet or controller area network (CAN).
- AEC-Q104 qualified
- Supports Cortex-A35 cores
- Supports 1 x 1Gb Ethernet with AVB
- i.MX 8XLite dual/solo with 64-bit ARMv8 architecture
- 10+ years of product longevity program
- OSM v1.0 size-SE LGA module with 30mm x 30mm form factor
High Performance and Cost-Effective
MYiR’s RZ/G2L high-performance system on module (SOM) is equipped with the Renesas high-performance and cost-effective RZ/G2L processor, ideal for a wide range of industrial applications. Single/dual core Cortex-A55@1.2GHz+Cortex-M33@200MHz; Integrated Arm Mali-G31 3D GPU, VPU supports H.264 1920*1080@30FPS video codec; Rich multimedia interface such as MIPI-DSI/RGB/MIPI-CSI/Parallel CSI, supporting 1080P HD display; Supports 2 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 2 CAN FD interfaces, 2 USB2.0 interfaces, and 5 UARTs.
- CPU: RZ/G2L, dual Cortex-A55@1.2G +Cortex-M33@200M
- RAM: 1GB/2GB DDR4 (supports optional 3GB/4GB DDR4)
- Flash: 8GB eMMC (supports optional 4GB/16GB/32GB eMMC)
- EEPROM: 32KB EEPROM
- OS: Linux 5.10, Ubuntu 20.04
- Size: 43mm x 45mm
Network Control and Communication MOnitoring
The NetBurner Ethernet System-on-Module is a device containing everything needed for design engineers to add network control and to monitor a company’s communications assets. For a very low price point, this module solves the problem of network-enabling devices with 10/100 Ethernet, including those requiring digital, analog and serial control.
- Processor Family: ColdFire
- Clock Speed: 147.5MHz
- Flash: 2MB
- SDRAM: 8MB
- CAN: 1
- Ethernet: 10/100 Mbps
- eTPU: 1
- External Address Bus: 16 bit
- External Data Bus: 16 bit
Powerful Video Processing in This SoM
Portwell’s i.Core MX8M Plus is based on i.MX 8M Plus processor equipped with the quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 plus Cortex-M7. The i.MX 8M Plus series features offer powerful video processing with an H.265 video encoder for highly efficient compression in live video streaming applications. It runs at up to 1.8 GHz with an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) that delivers up to 2.3 TOPS. As the first i.MX processor with a machine learning accelerator, the i.MX 8M Plus processor provides substantially high performance for ML inference at the edge. The i.Core MX8M Plus is suitable for machine learning, IoT connectivity, multimedia and HMI applications. The module is based on the versatile pinout and is compatible with SODIMM SOM product line.
- NXP i.MX 8M Plus Processor; Quad Arm Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.8GHz processor with a NPU up to 2.3 TOPS and Cortex-M7 CPU @ 800 MHz
- Up to 4GB LPDDR4
- Starting from 4GB eMMC drive soldered on-board
- Output: LVDS 18/24bit up to 1080p60; HDMI up to 1080p60; MIPI-DSI 4-Lane option up to 1080p60
- 2x MIPI-CSI 4-lanes
- I²S interface
- 1x 10/100/1000 GbE
- I/O Interfaces: PCIe: 1x PCIe Gen3; USB: 1x USB OTG 3.0, 1x USB HOST 3.0; Peripheral: UART, I²C, SPI, JTAG, CAN, SDIO, GPIOs
Compact and Low-Power
RELOC Brick-ML System-on-Module is a compact, low-power embedded board for high-performance machine learning at the edge. The RELOC Brick-ML is designed as a building block for seamless integration into final products, featuring onboard computing, sensing, and communication capabilities. Brick-ML accelerates development, reducing time to market by offering an integrated kit for custom development and pre-trained Edge ML models.
- 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 core with FPU
- 200MHz clock speed
- Up to 2MB code flash memory, 8KB data flash, and 512KB RAM
- 128Mbit onboard serial flash
- BLUETOOTH 5.1 core specification compliant BLE transceiver and link layer
- USB 2.0 Full-Speed device connector
- Ethernet 10/100, USB 2.0 High-Speed, CAN, UART, I2C, SPI expansion pinout
Cost-Effective and Graphics-Ready
The VAR-SOM-AM62 is a cost-effective System on Module (SoM) / Computer on Module, combining a high-performance CPU, reduced power consumption and graphics capabilities. Powered by 1.4GHz Quad Cortex-A53 TI Sitara AM625x with 400MHz Cortex-M4F and 333MHz PRU real-time co-processors, the SoM provides an ideal solution for industrial embedded products and power-sensitive edge devices. This highly integrated platform’s connectivity options include certified single or dual-band WiFi, BT/BLE5.2, 3x CAN Bus, dual GbE, audio, camera in and dual USB. The platform supports full -40 to 85C industrial operating temperatures, an integrated GPU graphics acceleration engine a dual LVDS display interface and security features.
- CPU: Up to 1.4GHz Quad Cortex-A53 Texas Instruments Sitara AM625x
- Real-time CPU: 400MHz Cortex-M4F and 333MHz PRU
- High Speed Interfaces: 2x USB2.0, 2x GbE
- Certified WiFi/BT: 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n + BT 5.2/BLE
- Temperature range: -40 to 85°C
- Product Longevity: 2038
- VAR-SOM Pin2Pin family
Custom Built for A Smart Future
Xilinx Kria K26 System-on-Modules integrate a custom-built Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC that runs optimally (and exclusively) on the K26 SOM. The devices feature DDR memory, nonvolatile storage devices, a security module, and an aluminum thermal heat spreader. The SOM is designed to be plugged into a carrier card with solution-specific peripherals. Key target applications include smart city, machine vision, industrial robotics, and AI/ML computing.
- Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC (XCK26 in commercial (C) grade or industrial (I) grade)
- 4GB 64-bit wide DDR4 memory
- TPM2.0 security module
- Two 240-pin connectors with access to user-configurable I/O: PS MIO; PS-GTR transceivers; PS I2C platform control bus; PL HPIO; PL HDIO; PL GTH transceivers; Sideband platform signals; Power and power sequencing signals
- Integrated non-volatile memory devices: 512Mb QSPI; 16GB eMMC; 64Kb EEPROM
- Integrated and flexible power design
- SOC power supplies derived from a single +5V input
- PL I/O supplies customized through carrier card-defined power rails
- Compact mechanical size with integrated thermal heat spreader
PUBLISHED IN CIRCUIT CELLAR MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2024 #403 – Get a PDF of the issue
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Sam Wallace - became Circuit Cellar's Editor-In-Chief in August 2022.
His experience in writing, editing, and teaching will provide a great perspective on the selection, presentation, and clarity of editorial content. The Circuit Cellar audience will benefit from his strong academic background encompassing a Master of Fine Arts in Writing and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with honors. His passion for learning and teaching is a great fit for Circuit Cellar's continuing mission of Inspiring the Evolution of Embedded Design.
