Milk-V Meles SBC has Power for Video Processing

The current popularity of SBCs for complex applications in medical imaging, drones, and home robotics urges a discussion of MilkV’s Meles. Based on the TH1520A, Meles is equipped with a Quad Core RISC-V 64GCV C910 channeling video processing prowess.

Despite being the size of a credit card, Meles is equipped with a range of high-performance interfaces, which makes it particularly well-suited for advanced video processing and diverse applications. The inclusion of an HDMI 2.0 port capable of up to 4K resolution at 60 FPS ensures high-quality video output, quite handy for applications requiring clear, detailed visuals. The dual MIPI DSI interface, with support for a touchscreen, facilitates interactive display solutions, while the comprehensive audio support, including an HDMI port with audio output, I2S for audio input and output, and a 3.5mm audio jack, provides robust multimedia capabilities.

Some Interfaces to note in Meles

Additionally, the SBC features dual MIPI CSI inputs (one with four lanes and another with two lanes) for high-speed camera integration- crucial for video capture and processing tasks. With four USB 3.0 host ports and a USB 2.0 Type-C device port, it supports fast data transfer and peripheral connectivity, enhancing its ability to handle multiple devices and complex applications efficiently. There’s also a 40-pin GPIO header for versatile connections to the board.

Regarding connections, the SBC is ethernet-enabled via an RJ45 Port with transmission speeds up to 1000 Mbps, along with WiFi-5 and BTS 5.2. Specs as below give a much better about the SBC. More importantly, the SBC includes robust general-purpose Neural Network Accelerator (NNA) computing power, supporting 4 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) at INT8 precision. This high-performance NNA operates at a frequency of 1GHz, ensuring efficient processing for a variety of machine learning and AI applications. This computational capability is crucial for tasks that require intensive data processing and rapid inference times, such as image recognition, natural language processing, and other AI-driven functionalities.

Milk-V Meles SBC Specifications

• Form Factor: Credit card-sized
• Base: TH1520 SoC
• Processor: Quad Core RISC-V 64GCV C910, up to 1.85GHz
• SoC: TH1520
• Cores: Quad Core RISC-V 64GCV C910
• Clock Speed: Up to 1.85GHz
• RAM: 8GB / 16GB LPDDR4X
• Speed: 4266 MT/s
• eMMC Slot: 1x
• MicroSD Slot: 1x
• HDMI: 1x HDMI 2.0, up to 4K @ 60FPS
• MIPI DSI: 1x 4-lane, supports touchscreen
• HDMI: 1x HDMI 2.0 with audio output
• I2S: 1x, supports audio input and output
• Audio Jack: 1x 3.5mm jack for audio output
• MIPI CSI: 1x 4-lane MIPI CSI input
• MIPI CSI: 1x 2-lane MIPI CSI input
• USB 3.0 HOST: 4x
• USB 2.0 Device (Type-C): 1x
• Ethernet: 1x 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 port
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 5 / Bluetooth 5.2
• Header: 40-pin GPIO
  • Up to 3x UART
  • 2x I2C
  • 1x SPI
  • 1x I2S
  • 1x ADC
  • 8x GPIO
  • 1x C910 debug port

Architecture of the board

• Reset: 1x key
• Recovery: 1x key
• Boot Mode Switch: 1x key for eMMC / SPI flash boot mode
• Power LED: 1x
• User LED: 1x
• Fan: 2-pin for fan
• Size: 85×56 mm
• Power Supply: 5V / 4A DC in (Type-C); PoE with add-on board connected through 4-pin header

Support Available

Note that the Meles SBC runs on Meles RevyOS, a Debian-based operating system with a lightweight LXDE desktop environment. So, this setup ensures efficient performance and a user-friendly interface. For ease of use, the company provides a precompiled binary file, allowing users to get started quickly. Additionally, for those who prefer a more hands-on approach or need customization, the company has made detailed instructions available on GitHub to build the operating system image from the source. MilkV’s RISC-V-based SBC is available in Mainland China via TaoBao and at the rest of the world through the Arace store. (currently out of stock)

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