Domestic Application Platform Efforts! FPGA + DSP + ARM High-End Heterogeneous Platform!

SOM-XQ138S core board

▪︎ Based on TI OMAP-L138 (fixed-point/floating-point DSP C674x + ARM9) + FPGA processor development board;

▪︎ OMAP-L138 is TI’s TMS320C6748 + ARM926EJ-S heterogeneous dual-core processor, with a main frequency of 456MHz, capable of up to 3648MIPS and 2746MFLOPS of computing power;

▪︎ The FPGA uses the eHiChip6 family EQ6HL45 series chip from Zhongke Yihai Micro, or Xilinx Spartan-6 series chip XC6SL16, upgradeable to XC6SL45. (Yihai chip EQ6HL45CSG324 pin-to-pin compatible with Xilinx Spartan-6 series XC6SLX9, XC6SLX16, XC6SLX25, XC6SLX45);

▪︎ TI OMAP-L138 serves as the main processor, enabling operating system operation, algorithm processing, instruction control, and other functions;

▪︎ FPGA acts as a coprocessor, enabling parallel collection, external signal processing, interface conversion, and other functions;

▪︎ OMAP-L138 and FPGA communicate via EMIF, SPI, or UPP interfaces;

Physical Detail Display

By chance, I got the opportunity for this evaluation, which is the first evaluation at the beginning of 2024. The board is very high-end, being an ARM + FPGA + DSP tri-core heterogeneous platform. This configuration can meet the majority of demands for image processing devices, industrial control, intelligent power systems, handheld detection instruments, audio and video data processing, high-precision instruments, and medical instruments. Let’s take a look at what this high-end development board looks like!

First, let’s look at the board itself, front and back; the layout is clear with components on the front, and the back shows dense wiring, neat and meticulous, undoubtedly industrial-grade. The external interfaces are distributed around the board, making it convenient for users. In the middle is a 7-inch screen.

Specifications

Here, I want to mention that the SOM-XQ138S core board’s FPGA can have two choices: one is the Xilinx Spartan-6 series, and the other is the domestic FPGA EQ6HL45. The board I received is equipped with the domestic EQ6HL45 series.

Application Scenarios Introduction

Unboxing Test

As we can see, the resources are very rich; the core board itself is industrial-grade, and the bottom board has all peripherals and IO connected externally. It can serve as a product-level development research and also has entry-level teaching functions, reflecting the designer’s attention to detail. As a core board targeted for industrial applications, it is equipped with commonly used industrial communication interfaces such as 485, CAN, 232, and Ethernet, and can also expand ADC applications. The core board itself also has watchdog functionality.

Now let’s look at the packaging; of course, many people think that one only needs to look at the board itself, but I believe that the packaging reflects a design company’s attitude. Many manufacturers only require packaging to meet transportation needs and protect the board from damage, but the packaging from Star Embedded is one of the more meticulous manufacturers I have seen. First of all, the packaging is very sturdy, and the design is quite elegant. It is also quite large, about the size of two books. Inside, there are pearl cotton dividers, and the accessories are neatly stored in a separate box, making it clean and tidy. Additionally, a product manual is included to assist users in selecting models.

Finally, regarding the accessories, Star Embedded’s official website provides all the accessories that developers need, including USB conversion cables, serial port to USB converters, DSP programmers, FPGA programmers, and even a TF card programmer. Of course, the main one is the board power adapter of 12V 1A. Additionally, the board development materials are directly provided on a USB drive by the official team, eliminating the need to download from cloud storage, which is great, as downloading materials can be time-consuming without a membership. OK, let’s take a look at the actual items: