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Variscite, the popular SOM manufacturer recently announced the launch of their new, NXP’s i.MX 8M Mini processor-powered SOM called; the VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI System on Module. The new SOM which was designed to suit a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics to industrial automation, offers a low-power and cost-optimized SOM solution with ultimate scalability options that make it suitable for the technical and cost requirements of diverse applications.
The new SOM was designed as an upgrade to the DART-MX8M-MINI which was released last year and even though it is based on the same processor, the VAR-SOM Mini comes with some level of difference including a VAR-SOM Pin2Pin Product family compatible form factor to serve customers with flexible size/shape requirements for their final Product.
Thanks to the to 1.8GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 plus a 400MHz Cortex-M4 real-time processor, the VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI provides developers with a variety of communication interfaces including; a certified single band 802.11 b/g/n or dual-band 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, 4.2 Bluetooth/BLE, Gigabit Ethernet, dual USB2.0, CAN bus and LVDS. In addition, the SoM supports a temperature range of -40 to 85°C (which makes it suitable for use in certain industrial settings) and integrates hardware engines to support high level 1080p video encoding and decoding, HQ audio, 2D and 3D graphics, and an integrated resistive touch panel.
A highlight of some of the features of the SOM is provided below:
- NXP i.MX 8M Mini, up to 1.8GHz Quad-Core Cortex-A53
- Real-time 400MHz Cortex-M4 co-processor
- 24-bit LVDS/DSI display
- 2D/3D graphics acceleration
- Up to 4GB DDR4, 64GB eMMC, 512 MB NAND
- 1080p60 H.265/H.264/VP9 Decode, 1080p60 H.264/VP8 Encode
- HQ audio in/out
- Gigabit Ethernet, 2x USB 2.0, PCI-E
- Camera in: 1x MIPI-CSI2
- Certified single band 802.11 b/g/n or dual-band 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n
- Digital/Analog Input, CAN Bus, UART, SPI, I2C, SD/MMC, integrated resistive/capacitive touch
- Temperature range -40 to 85° C
- OS: Linux, Android
The VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI comes at a cost lower than the DART-MX8M-MINI, mostly due to the use of DDR4 RAM instead of LP-DDR4 version and the availability of a single band Wi-Fi option in addition to dual-band Wi-Fi. Variscite also added the option for an integrated on-SoM CAN-bus bridge as opposed to a bridge on a carrier board provided in the DART-MX8M-MINI.
The new VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI is pin-compatible with the VAR-SOM Pin2Pin product family, providing existing Variscite customers with ultimate flexibility, extended lifetime, as well as reduced development time, cost, and risk.
The new System on Module and associated development kits are available for orders in production quantities, starting from $53 per unit for orders of up to 1000 units.
VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI Evaluation Kits
The VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI Development Kit and Starter Kit can serve as a complete development platform for both evaluation and application development purposes. The kits provide a great showcase of the VAR-SOM-MX8M-MINI connectivity features and performance.
More information about the SOM can be found on the product page on Variscite’s website.
