4 TI Arm® Cortex®-A General Purpose Processor Development/Evaluation Boards

This article introduces the development/evaluation board of the general-purpose processor "Sitara" series equipped with Arm® Cortex®-A series from Texas Instruments (hereafter TI).

The Sitara series products have a lineup with operating frequencies ranging from 300MHz to 1.5GHz. In addition, since peripherals are also abundantly provided from high-performance ones to optimized low-cost ones, it is possible for customers to select the most suitable device according to the specifications they are considering.

In addition, the built-in coprocessor PRU-ICSS supports multiple industrial protocols such as EtherCAT and Profinet. Therefore, the Sitara series products can be used to develop a wide range of applications from consumer to industrial use.

If you are considering developing Arm® Cortex®-A series processors, please refer to it.

Arm® Cortex®-A8 Processor AM335x Series

The AM335x series is a processor with Arm® Cortex® -A8. In addition to the 3D graphics option, it is equipped with a maximum dual-core PRU-ICSS, making it a highly integrated and low-cost series.

TMDSSK3358: Recommended for first-time processor users!

TMDSSK3358

The AM335x series is a processor with ARM® Cortex®-A8. In addition to the 3D graphics option, it is a highly integrated and low-cost series equipped with up to dual-core PRU-ICSS.

The TMDSSK3358 is recommended for those who want to start developing with the AM335x series.

Features of TMDSSK3358

・AM3358 processor
・256MB DDR3
・4.3 inch LCD touch screen
・On-board emulator

 

Arm® Cortex®-A9 Processor AM437x Series

The AM437x series is a processor with Arm® Cortex® -A9. In addition to a camera interface that enables barcode scanning, etc., it also has a secure boot option, making it ideal for barcode scanners and navigation systems.

TMDXSK437X: Ideal for evaluating applications using cameras

TMDXSK437X

If you want to start developing with the AM437x series, we recommend the TMDXSK437X.

Features of TMDXSK437X

・AM4378 processor
・1GB DDR3L
・4.3 inch capacitive touch screen LCD
・64MB QSPI-NOR Flash
・On-board emulator

Arm® Cortex®-A15 + DSP Processor AM57x Series

The AM57x series is a processor with Arm® Cortex® -A15 and DSP core. Equipped with a DSP core and various hardware accelerators for multimedia, it can handle a wide range of applications from simple displays to high-performance HMIs with 3D graphics and HD video.

TMDSEVM572X: Recommended for evaluation using images such as video analysis and image processing!

TMDSEVM572X

If you want to start developing with the AM57x series, we recommend the TMDSEVM572X.

Features of TMDSEVM572X

・AM5728 processor
・2GB DDR3L
・7 inch WVGA capacitive touch screen LCD
・3M pixel camera module (optional) can be installed
・4GB eMMC

*A separate JTAG emulator is required.

Industrial communication processor AMIC series

The AMIC series is equipped with Arm® Cortex® -A8 and is a processor specialized for industrial communication.
Equipped with PRU-ICSS that supports multi-protocols for industrial communication, it is possible to flexibly support EtherCAT, EthernetIP, Profibus, etc.

TMDXICE110: Recommended for those who want to easily evaluate industrial communication!

TMDXICE110

If you want to start developing with the AM335x series, we recommend the TMDXICE110.

Features of TMDXICE110

・AMIC110 processor
512MB DDR3 and 8MB SPI Flash
・2 ports of 10/100 industrial Ethernet

*A separate JTAG emulator is required.

TMDSEMU110-U is recommended for products that require a JTAG emulator

A JTAG emulator is required to debug the created software.

Among the evaluation boards introduced, there are products with a JTAG emulator mounted on the board, but for products without a JTAG emulator, the TI JTAG emulator listed in the table below is required. The lineup is divided by communication speed (maximum TCK), so please select according to your application.
If it is only for simple debugging, TMDSEMU110-U is fine.

Click here to purchase TMDSEMU110-U

TI's JTAG emulator lineup list
model number Compatible series function Supported JTAG header

Supported CCS

MSP430

MSP432

C2000

Tiva

Sitara

Da Vinci

OMAPL1x

C6000

Keystone

C5000

Simple Link
(Arm® core®)

Maximum TCK [MHz]

PC Interface

Powered by

14pin for MSP430

14pin TI

20pin TI

60pin TI

10pin arm

20pin arm

60pin MIPI

Arm® Cortex® 20pin

TMDSEMU110-U   2.5 USB USB         V6.1
from
TMDSEMU200-U   20 USB USB         V5.2
from
TMDSEMU560V2STM-U     50 USB external
power supply
        V4.2
from
TMDSEMU560V2STM-UE     64 USB
Ether
external
power supply
      V4.2
from

You can do this! Sitara Series Reference Design

TI has published reference designs using TI devices. The design files, source code, and test data are also open to the public, so you can refer to them for various developments.

This time, we have picked up a distinctive reference design among them.

IoT gateway with AM335x series

This is a reference design using AM335x processor and sub-1GHz wireless microcomputer CC1350 evaluation board. Data from sensors with a line-of-sight distance of up to 1km can be sent to the cloud.

[List of evaluation boards used]

  • Beagle Bone Black with AM335x processor
  • LAUNCHXL-CC1350
  • LAUNCHXL-CC1310
  • CC1350STK


Learn More About Reference Designs

IoT gateway with AM335x series
Configuration image diagram

3D machine vision with AM57x series

This reference design uses the AM5728 processor and DLP4500 evaluation board to achieve 3D machine vision. 3D scanning is possible by analyzing the light projected by the DLP4500 from the camera image.

This reference design can be used for factory inspection of parts and medical applications.

[List of evaluation boards used]

  • TMDSEVM572X
  • DLPLCR4500EVM


Learn More About Reference Designs

3D machine vision with AM57x series
Source: TI “3D Machine Vision Reference Design Based on AM572x With DLP Structured Light”

Contact Us

If you would like more information on any of the TI development kits mentioned in this article, or other products, please contact us here.

Related information

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AM437x series
Realize a smart factory with an industrial processor! Sitara™ AM437x
Trying to operate a brushless DC motor and encoder with Sitara™ AM437x

AM57xx series
Human detection with OpenCV compatible Arm® processor

Click here to purchase products

TMDSSK3358
TMDXSK437X
TMDSEVM572X
TMDXICE110
TMDSEMU110-U