congatec – a leading vendor of standardized and customized embedded computer boards and modules – introduces a new SMARC 2.0 Computer-on-Module with Arm® Cortex®-A53 based NXP Semiconductors i.MX 8M Nano processor. The conga-SMX8-Nano defines a new low-end performance class for SMARC. With its stunning ultra-low power graphics capabilities as well as its limited number of carefully selected I/Os, the new NXP i.MX 8M Mini compatible NXP i.MX 8M Nano processor targets low cost application areas not previously reached by – but perfectly suited for – vendor independent, standardized Computer-on-Modules. Only up to 2 watt are needed for the logic of a mobile handheld device. Engineers can also turn a complex medical user interface with various mechanical buttons into an intuitive touch based and easy to use GUI or give industrial devices an interactive screen for which this was previously simply too expensive. All this, and even headless systems with IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol support for tactile IIoT, is now possible at the lowest power envelope and budget ever.
With the extensive ecosystem of SMARC Computer-on-Modules, engineers benefit from far more advanced and immediately ready to use components, standardized APIs and comprehensive BSPs. Another major plus point is the tremendous scalability, reaching way beyond the pin compatibility of NXP i.MX 8M Nano and Mini variants. Typical application areas are GUIs for edge devices which, if required, can also include voice assistance and voice controls. Vertical markets include wireless and networked medical and industrial equipment as well as home appliances and electronics, digital signage systems and mobile or outdoor devices, including smart city infrastructures such as small form factor digital bus time tables or headless platforms for edge gateways in smart cities as well as e-charging and free floating mobility devices.
“Application readiness and scalability aretwo major decisive factors for engineers to move to Arm based Computer-on-Modules. They want to come to market quickly, save NRE costs, and optimally balance the price and performance ratio for their low-cost high volume product families. With SMARC we offer them all these benefits off-the-shelf. They can scale application ready platforms within the entire i.MX 8 portfolio as well as beyond towards manifold different low-power application processors. This hardware agnostic benefit, with its inherent long-term availability, is another major reason why Arm application processor engineers increasingly rely on the proven design principles of standardized Computer-on-Modules,” explains Martin Danzer, Director Product Management at congatec.
