Summary of FORLINX OK1052-C BOARD PROVIDES SAME REAL-TIME CAPABILITY AS FOUND IN MICROCONTROLLERS
The article introduces the Forlinx Embedded OK1052-C board, a commercial solution utilizing the NXP i.MX RT1052 crossover processor. This device bridges the gap between high-performance application processors and real-time microcontrollers by combining Arm Cortex-M7 performance with low-latency capabilities (20ns). Designed for industrial use, it operates in extreme temperatures (-40°C to +85°C) and offers extensive I/O options including Ethernet, SD cards, cameras, and audio interfaces.
Parts used in the Forlinx OK1052-C Project:
- NXP i.MX RT1052 single core Arm Cortex-M7 crossover processor
- 16MB or 32MB SDRAM
- 4MB to 16MB QSPI Nor Flash
- 2x 80-pin connectors with 0.8mm pitch
- RGB888 LCD interface
- 8-bit DVB camera interface
- SD or SDIO card slots
- I2C and S/PDIF audio interfaces
- 10/100Mbps Ethernet controller
- UART, SPI, and I2C interfaces
- PWM channels
- CAN 2.0B buses
- 12-bit ADCs
- Keypad interface
- ISO7816-3 smart card interfaces
- Smart External Memory Controller (SEMC) bus
- FET1052-C System-on-Module
- Carrier board
One thing about microcontrollers that will always be respected, is their ability to consistently provide real-time processing, low power, low cost, and most importantly a lot of I/Os. They excel quite well in those aspects, and in some cases they are indisputable, but when we deal with security and user interface comes into play, this is usually out of the question and designers usually result to an application processor which provides extreme performance but might also have some drawbacks.
How do we bring the best of both worlds together? Bridge the gap between performance and usability? Well, NXP launched the i.MX RT Series Crossover Processor family. The i.MX RT Series is the industry’s first crossover processor, offering the highest performance Arm®Cortex®-M core, real-time functionality, and MCU usability at an affordable price. A real-time response with latency as low as 20ns is what you get with these crossover processors.
The Forlinx Embedded OK1052-C board is a production-ready commercial solution that leverages the NXP i.MX RTseries crossover processors. At the core of the Forlinx OK1052 is the NXP Cortex-M7 crossover processor i.MX RT1052 belonging to i.MX RT1050 series MCU. The i.MX RT1050 runs on the Arm®Cortex®-M7 core at 600 MHz with insane real-time response. The i.MX RT1052 processor has 512 KB on-chip RAM, which can be flexibly configured as TCM or general-purpose on-chip RAM. 16MB/ 32MB SDRAM, 4MB/ 16MB QSPI-NorFlash are optional.
Forlinx Embedded OK1052-C comes available as system-on-module and carrier board. They are both ready to be deployed in any terrain, capable of working in temperature ranges from -40℃ to +85℃ making in usable in the industry.
Below are the SOM (FET1052-C SoM) specifications:
- SoC – NXP i.MX RT1052 single core Arm Cortex-M7 crossover processor @ up to 528 MHz with 512KB SRAM/TCM
- System Memory – 16MB or 32MB SDRAM
- Storage – 4MB to 16MB QSPI Nor Flash
- Board to board connectors – 2x 80-pin connectors with 0.8mm pitch:
- Display – 1x RGB888 LCD interface up to 1366×768 resolution
- Camera – 8-bit DVB interface for a 5MP camera
- Storage – Up to 2x SD or SDIO card with 1-bit or 4-bit mode
- Audio – Up to 3x I2C, 1x S/PDIF
- Networking – 1x 10/100Mbps Ethernet
- Up to 8x UART, up to 4x host/device SPI interfaces, up to 4x I2C
- Up to 32x PWM, up to 2x CAN 2.0B buses
- 2x 12-bit ADC up to 20 channels
- 8×8 keypad
- Up to 2x ISO7816-3 interfaces for smart cards
- 1x 16-bit parallel SEMC (Smart External Memory Controller) bus
- Supply Voltage – 5V
- Dimensions – 43 x 31 x 1.6 mm (4-layer PCB)
- Temperature Range – -40 to +85°C
Read More: FORLINX OK1052-C BOARD PROVIDES SAME REAL-TIME CAPABILITY AS FOUND IN MICROCONTROLLERS
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What is the primary advantage of the NXP i.MX RT Series crossover processor?
It offers the highest performance Arm Cortex-M core, real-time functionality, and MCU usability at an affordable price. -
How fast is the real-time response latency of these crossover processors?
The latency can be as low as 20ns. -
What are the operating temperature ranges for the Forlinx OK1052-C board?
The board works in temperature ranges from -40℃ to +85℃. -
What is the maximum clock speed of the i.MX RT1052 processor on this board?
The processor runs up to 528 MHz. -
Does the system support external memory expansion?
Yes, it includes a 16-bit parallel SEMC bus and supports up to 2x SD or SDIO cards. -
Can the onboard RAM be configured differently?
The 512 KB on-chip RAM can be flexibly configured as TCM or general-purpose on-chip RAM. -
What display resolution does the RGB888 LCD interface support?
It supports resolutions up to 1366×768. -
Is there support for smart card interfaces on the module?
Yes, it provides up to 2x ISO7816-3 interfaces for smart cards.
