Avalue RSC-IMX8M NXP i.MX 8M Quad 3.5" Embedded Boards with 12 to 24 V DC Input, Dual GbE and Wide Temperature

Connected HMIs and gateways increasingly need 4K video, a camera input and a cellular link on the same board, in cabinets that run warm. The Avalue RSC-IMX8M series is a family of NXP i.MX 8M Quad 3.5″ embedded boards that covers that list on a 146 x 102 mm board, rated from -20 to 85 °C, with dual GbE and a 12 to 24 V DC input. It is a good fit where an i.MX6 design needs more video and camera capability.

The NXP i.MX 8M Quad combines four Arm Cortex-A53 cores with a Cortex-M4 core for real-time tasks such as sensor sampling or control loops, while Linux runs the application on the A53 cores. Memory is 2 GB of LPDDR4 soldered to the board, with 16 GB of eMMC and a microSD socket for logs, media or updates. Avalue supplies the boards with Yocto 2.5 as the default image, and an RX8010SJ real-time clock with a battery connector keeps time through power loss.

Two GbE RJ45 ports, from an Intel I210 controller and a Realtek RTL8211F PHY, separate a device network from the uplink. HDMI 2.0 drives a 4K display at 60 Hz alongside 24-bit dual-channel LVDS, and two four-lane MIPI CSI-2 inputs take camera modules. An M.2 E-key 2230 slot with USB and PCIe takes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and an M.2 B-key 3042 slot with a SIM socket takes a 4G module. USB is USB 3.0 throughout: one Type-A port, a Type-C OTG port and two internal ports. A 40-pin extension header carries UART, I2C, SPI, GPIO and PWM for Avalue’s optional expansion I/O boards with RS-232/485, GPIO and CAN, and audio covers line-out and microphone. A touch panel connector, backlight header, front panel header and dial switches support panel builds.

The range is one build: RSC-IMX8M-3W-A300R, with 2 GB of memory, 16 GB of eMMC, dual GbE and the -20 to 85 °C rating, so one part number covers HMI, gateway and camera designs.

Power is 12 to 24 V DC on a barrel connector, with one caveat from Avalue: LVDS and MIPI displays are supported on a 12 V input only. With CE and FCC compliance and 0 to 90% non-condensing humidity, the RSC-IMX8M series suits industrial HMIs, connected gateways, camera-based inspection, transport displays and building controllers.