Feature-Rich and Ultra-Small
Tiny embedded boards—whether complete single-board computers (SBCs) or powerful systems-on-chips (SoMs)—become ever more powerful, year over year, even as they rapidly shrink in size. This month’s gallery features a wide range of teeny tiny board-level computer options.
it’s been an exciting season for tiny board-level computers. In case you’ve been living in a cave, the Raspberry Pi 5 debuted to great acclaim and much fanfare. I mention this at the outset because they’re likely the most famous relative of the embedded board family currently out there. And to be sure, these devices deserve the attention—the 5 is included in this month’s gallery, and you can read on for more information on its (greatly) improved specs and features. But of course, Raspberry Pis are far from the only devices in the realm of small single-board computers (SBCs) and systems-on-chips (SoMs).
But let me back up for a moment. Some years ago, our former editor-in-chief Jeff Child decided that the somewhat arbitrary metric of 57mm was the threshold for “tiny” embedded boards—an SBC or SoM that was equal to or less than this length for at least one of its dimensions passed the test and could be considered for inclusion in Circuit Cellar’s “Tiny Embedded Boards” Datasheet. If it was an arbitrary measure then, perhaps it is even more so now, as these embedded boards seem to get smaller every year. Nevertheless, 57mm was my approximate guiding light when hunting down newer products in this category to feature.
And reader, I found plenty! In the following gallery, we bring you open-source boards from BeagleBoard and Orange Pi, high-performance options from Variscite and Seeed Studio, a robust SBC from Radxa, a reliable SoM from Digi, an affordable entry-level product from MYiR, and a peripherals-empowered installment in the Feather series from Adafruit. The ESP32, a favorite among Circuit Cellar authors, pops up in a few of these devices, as does the NXP i.MX 93. Many of these products are very recently released, just itching to be deployed in your latest project. So read on, and send me an e-mail to tell me what I missed.
A Glow-Up For a Favorite Feather
Adafruit’s released an upgrade to its Feather M4 Express: the Feather M4 CAN Express features the ATSAME51J19 chipset with built-in CAN bus support. The SAME51 is built on a 120MHz Cortex M4 with floating point support, 512KB Flash, and 192KB RAM. With plenty of peripherals, this board is ready for your next CAN interfacing project. The devices comes equipped with a CAN transceiver chip as well as a 5V converter to generate 5V power to the transceiver even when running on battery. The two CAN signal lines and ground reference signal are available on a 3-pin 3.5mm terminal block. The chip and booster can be put to sleep for power saving. The built-in CAN can read or write packets and has support in both Arduino and CircuitPython. Adafruit’s Feather series is a personal favorite of Circuit Cellar’s own Jeff Bachiochi. In addition, it has:
- 50.8mm x 22.8mm x 7mm without header soldered in
- 5 grams
- 2MB SPI FLASH chip for storing files and CircuitPython code storage.
- 32.768KHz crystal for clock generation & RTC
- 3.3V regulator with 500mA peak current output
- USB Type C connector for USB native support; USB bootloader and serial port debugging
- Built-in crypto engines with AES (256 bit), true RNG, Pubkey controller
- 21 x GPIO pins
A Competitively Priced and User-Friendly SBC
BeaglePlay from BeagleBoard is an open-source SBC designed to simplify the process of adding sensors, actuators, indicators, human interfaces, and connectivity to a reliable embedded system. It features a powerful 64-bit, quad-core processor, and innovative connectivity options, including WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, sub-GHz wireless, and single-pair Ethernet with power-over-data-line. Compatible with thousands of off-the-shelf add-ons, and with a customized Debian Linux image, BeaglePlay makes expansion and customization easy. It also includes ribbon-cable connections for cameras and touch-screen displays, and a socket for a battery-backed real-time-clock, making it ideal for HMI designs. Applications include building/industrial automation gateways, digital signage, human-machine interfaces (HMIs), and BeagleConnect sensor gateways.
- Processor: TI AM6254 (multicore A53s with R5, M4s and PRUs)
- PMIC: TPS652190
- Memory: 2GB DDR4
- Storage: 16GB eMMC
- WiFi: PHY: WL1807MOD (roadmap to next-gen TI CC33XX WiFi 6 & BLE); Antennas: 2.4GHz & 5GH
- BLE/SubG: CC1352P7 M4+M0 with BeagleConnect firmware; BeagleConnect Wireless enabled; Antennas: 2.4GHz & SubG IEEE802.15.4 software defined radio (SDR)
A Reliable, Integrated SoM
Based on the NXP i.MX 93 application processor, Digi’s ConnectCore 93 is an integrated SoM platform with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 that’s designed for a wide range of medical, industrial, energy, and transportation applications. The device features up to two Arm Cortex-A55 cores, with a Cortex-M33 core, AI/ML Arm Ethos U65 NPU and NXP PMIC for power efficiency. The ConnectCore 93 is built for industrial reliability and 10+ year embedded device product lifecycles. Its SMTplus surface-mount form factor simplifies design integration. And it provides built-in security with Digi TrustFence.
- Industrial i.MX 93 single/dual-core embedded SOM platform
- AI/ML Arm Ethos U65 micro neural processing unit (NPU)
- Pre-certified dual-band 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3
- Digi SMTplus form factor (40 mm x 45 mm)
- Superior power management with hardware and software support
- 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
Low-Cost SoM For Entry-Level HMI and Embedded Video
MYiR Tech Limited’s MYC-YT113i CPU module is based on the Allwinner T113-i processor, which features up to 1.2GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 microprocessors (MPUs) with a RISC-V remote core and a single-core HiFi4 DSP. At only 37mm by 39mm, this tiny module has the same 140-pin castellated-hole expansion interface pinout signals as the MYC-YT113x CPU modules, but this device supports larger capacities of external DDR3 memory (512MB/1GB). Standard configurations have 4GB or 8GB eMMC options. The MYC-YT113i can run Linux, and it’s ready for applications like human-machine interface (HMI), industrial automation, and display and control terminals.
- Dimensions: 37mm x 39mm
- PCB Layers: 8-layer design
- Power supply: 5V/1A
- Working temperature: -40~85° Celsius (industrial grade)
- Allwinner T113-i processor: Up to 1.2GHz Dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 CPU; Single-core HiFi4 DSP; Supports H.265/H.264 4K video decoding
- 512MB/1GB DDR3
- 4GB/8GB eMMC
- 32KB EEPROM
A Flexible, Open-Source Board
The recently released Orange Pi 3B is powered by the Rockchip RK3566 quad-core 64-bit processor with an up to 1.8GHz integrated ARM Mali G52 2EE graphics processor, OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1 support, and an embedded high-performance 2D acceleration module. Orange Pi 3B references a wealth of interfaces, including an HDMI output, M.2 M-KEY (optional), a Micro SD slot, Gigabit LAN port, USB2.0, USB3.0, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a MIPI DSI port, an eDP port, a MIPI CSI camera port, and a multifunctional 40 Pin expansion port. Applications include TV boxes, high-end tablets, edge computing, face recognition, smart security and smart home solutions, and AI and IoT scenarios.
- Integrated RKNN NPU AI accelerator with 0.8Tops@INT8 performance; Support one-click conversion of Caffe, TensorFlow, TFLite, ONNX, PyTorch, Keras, and Darknet architecture models
- 4K@60fps H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoding; 1080P@100fps H.265 video encoding; 1080P@60fps H.264 video encoding
- RockChip RK809-5 PMU
- RAM: 2GB/4GB/8GB (LPDDR4/4x)
- Support eMMC module: 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB; SPI Flash: 16MB/32MB; Optional M.2 M-KEY slot: SATA3 or PCIe2.0 NVME SSDs; Micro SD slot
Robust and Versatile SBC in a Tiny Form Factor
The Radxa ZERO 3W is a compact SBC with a tiny form factor to simplify integration with other peripherals. It features a versatile platform tailored for a diverse user community, including manufacturers, IoT developers, hobbyists, and PC DIY enthusiasts. The ZERO 3W is optimized for development, prototyping, and deployment in various applications.
- SoC: Rockchip RK3566
- CPU: Quad‑core Arm Cortex‑A55 (ARMv8) 64‑bit @ 1.6GHz
- GPU: Arm Mali‑G52‑2EE, supports Arm Mali‑G52‑2EE, OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.2, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0
- RAM: 1/2 GB LPDDR4
- Storage: Optional onboard eMMC module, 0/8/16 GB
- 1x microSD card slot
- Display: Micro HDMI: Supports 1080p60 display output
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n)
- BT 5.0 with BLE
- On‑board or external antenna configured by software
- USB: 1x USB 2.0 Type-C OTG port for power and data
- 1x USB 3.0 Type-C HOST port
- Camera: Equipped with 1×4 lane MIPI CSI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface)
- 40x GPIO expansion interfaces
- Dimension: 65mm x 30mm
The Latest Raspberry Is Here
The latest generation of Raspberry Pi features a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor running at 2.4GHz, and delivers a 2-3x increase in CPU performance relative to the Pi 4. Its graphics performance is boosted by an 800MHz VideoCore VII GPU, dual 4Kp60 display output over HDMI, and camera support fromk a rearchitected Raspberry Pi Image Signal Processor. Interestingly, this is the first full-size Raspberry Pi computer using silicon built in-house at Raspberry Pi. The RP1 provides most of the I/O capabilities for Pi 5.
- Broadcom BCM2712 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU,
- with Cryptographic Extension, 512KB per-core L2 caches, and a
- 2MB shared L3 cache
- Dual 4Kp60 HDMI display output with HDR support
- 4Kp60 HEVC decoder
- LPDDR4X-4267 SDRAM
- (4GB and 8GB SKUs available at launch)
- Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0 / Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
- microSD card slot, with support for high-speed SDR104 mode
- 2 × USB 3.0 ports, supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation
- 2 × USB 2.0 ports
- Gigabit Ethernet, with PoE+ support
An Affordable High-Performance Board
Seeed Studio’s XIAO ESP32S3 leverages a 240MHz Xtensa 32-bit LX7 dual-core processor. It supports WiFi and BLE 5.0, a 2.4GHz Rod antenna, and allows for deep sleep mode with power consumption as low as 14μA while supporting lithium battery charging management. The XIAO ESP32S2 is ideal for IoT, smart homes, wireless wearable devices, robotics, and so forth. For these options plus an integrated camera sensor and digital microphone, see the XIAO ESP32 Sense.
- Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n-compliant; Supports 20MHz, 40MHz bandwidth in 2.4GHz band; 1T1R mode with data rate up to 150 Mbps
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth LE (Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh); High power mode (20dBm); Speed of 125Kbps, 500Kbps, 1Mbps, 2Mbps; Advertising extensions and multiple advertisement sets; Internal co-existence mechanism between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to share the same antenna
- CPU and Memory: Xtensa dual-core 32-bit LX7 microprocessor, up to 240MHz; CoreMark score: 1 core at 240MHz (613.86 CoreMark), 2.56 CoreMark/MHz; 2 cores at 240MHz (1181.60 CoreMark), 4.92 CoreMark/MHz
- 128-bit data bus and SIMD commands
- 384KB ROM
- 512KB SRAM; 16KB SRAM in RTC
High Performance, Low Power
The VAR-SOM-MX93 from Variscite offers high-performance processing for a low-power SoM. Also based on the i.MX 93 family, which includes powerful dual Arm Cortex-A55 processors with speeds up to 1.7GHz integrated with an NPU that accelerates machine learning inference. A general-purpose Arm Cortex-M33 running up to 250MHz is for real-time and low-power processing. Robust control networks are possible via CAN-FD interface. The VAR-SOM-MX93 provides an ideal building block for simple integration with a wide range of products in target markets requiring high-performance processing with low power consumption, compact size, and a cost-effective solution.
- Cortex-A55 MPCore platform and Cortex-M33 core platforms
- NPU with Neural Network performance (256 MACs operating up to 1.0GHz and 2OPS/MAC)
- Image Sensor Interface (ISI)
- On-chip memory: Boot ROM (256 KB) for Cortex-A55; Boot ROM (256 KB) for Cortex-M33; On-chip RAM (640 KB)
- RAM memory: Up to 2GB of LPDDR4/LPDDR4X RAM
- Storage: Up to 128GBytes of eMMC5.1 (8bit) interface supporting up to 400MB/sec
PUBLISHED IN CIRCUIT CELLAR MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2023 #401 – 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.
