Overview
This is a technical column by the development team at NEXTY Electronics.
We will share information about hardware development using the products we handle.
This time, we will introduce an original reference board from NEXTY Electronics that is equipped with an MCU made by STMicroelectronics (hereafter STM) and can be used for audio and wireless (Wi-Fi) systems. It was developed with the aim of creating a multi-functional and compact board design.
Basic configuration of STM reference board
Development Background
As an electronics trading company, NEXTY Electronics handles a wide variety of products, and we leverage this strength to develop original reference boards.
This reference board is
- Voice system (voice recognition and voice synthesis)
- Contactless UI (gesture sensor)
- Wireless system (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, LTE-M), camera
We have developed a reference board that can be used in a variety of fields and industries by connecting the above.
Image of areas where the STM reference board can be used
Reference Board Concept
The STM reference board is designed based on the following concepts:
1. Microphone, headphones or LOUDSPEAKERS can be connected
It is equipped with an audio JACKS, so you can connect existing products.
2. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module can be connected
Compatible with some wireless interfaces (such as Wi-Fi).
3. USB cameras and USB devices can be connected
Supports USB device and host functions.
4. Equipped with I2C, SPI, and UART interface CONNECTORS
Sensors and other devices compatible with each interface can be connected.
5.Compact board size
The board size is 70mm x 70mm, making it palm-sized.
Overall block diagram and components of the reference board
Overall block diagram
POWER SUPPLIES is supplied via a USB Type-C CONNECTORS (not compatible with PD), and 3.3V (for digital and analog) and 1.8V are generated internally on the board.
The STM MCU (STM32H753) in the center of the image below is connected to various ICs. The reference board also has the following functions, allowing it to be connected to a wide variety of devices.
- USB miro-AB CONNECTORS x2
- One microSD card slot
- Audio JACKS x1
- M.2 CONNECTORS (E-key) x1
- A total of 70 general-purpose pin headers capable of outputting a variety of interfaces
What is MCU (STM32H753)?
STM32H753xI devices are based on the high-performance Arm® Cortex®-M7 32-bit RISC core, operating at up to 480 MHz.
The core features a floating-point unit (FPU) that supports double-precision (IEEE 754 compliant) and single-precision data processing instructions, a full set of DSP instructions, and a memory protection unit (MPU) for enhanced application security.
The STM32H753xI devices include:
- 2MB dual-bank FLASH MEMORIES
- Up to 1 MBytes of RAM (including 192 Kbytes of TCM RAM, up to 864 Kbytes of user STATIC RAMS, and 4 Kbytes of backup STATIC RAMS)
It incorporates a wide range of I/O and peripherals connected to an APB bus, an AHB bus, a 2x32-bit multi-AHB bus matrix, and a multi-layer AXI interconnect supporting internal and external memory Access.
This MCU is
- 3x ADC
- 2x DAC
- 2x Ultra-low power COMPARATORS
- Low power RTC
- High Resolution Timer
- 12x general purpose 16-bit timers
- 2x PWM timers for motor control
- 5x Low Power Timers
- It provides random number generators (RNGs), and cryptographic acceleration cells.
It also supports four digital FILTERS for external sigma-delta modulators (DFSDM) and includes standard and advanced communication interfaces.
Core
- 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M7 core
- Double-precision FPU (Floating-Point Unit)
- L1 cache: - Data cache: 16 Kbytes
- Maximum operating frequency: 480 MHz
- Equipped with Memory Protection Unit (MPU)
- Performance: 1027 DMIPS / 2.14 DMIPS/MHz (Dhrystone 2.1)
- DSP instruction support
- Instruction cache: 16 Kbytes
Memory
- FLASH MEMORIES: 2 Mbytes (supports simultaneous read and write)
- RAM: 1 Mbyte - TCM RAM: 192 Kbytes
- Dual-mode Quad-SPI memory interface: operates at up to 133 MHz
- Flexible External Memory Controller: - Up to 32-bit data bus
- CRC Calculation Unit
・ITCM RAM: 64 Kbytes
DTCM RAM: 128 Kbytes (for time-critical routines)
- User STATIC RAMS: 864 Kbytes
-STATIC RAMS in the backup domain: 4 Kbytes
- Supported memory: STATIC RAMS, P-STATIC RAMS, S-DYNAMIC RAMS /LPSDR-S DYNAMIC RAMS, NOR/NAND FLASH MEMORIES (up to 100 MHz in synchronous mode)
Communication Peripherals
- 4x I2C FM+ interface (SMBus/PMBus)
- 4× USARTs / 4× UARTs (ISO7816 interface, LIN, IrDA up to 12.5 Mbit/s), 1× LPUART
- 6x SPI (3x duplex I2S via internal audio PLL or external clock) 1x audio-class precision I2S (in LP domain, up to 150 MHz)
- 4x SAI (Serial Audio Interface)
- SPDIFRX interface
- SWPMI Single Wire Protocol Master Interface
- MDIO slave interface
- 2× SD/SDIO/MMC interface (up to 125 MHz)
- 2 x CAN controllers (2 x CAN FD, 1 x TT-CAN)
- 2 x USB OTG interface (1 FS, 1 HS/FS)
- Ethernet MAC interface (with DMA controller)
- HDMI-CEC
- 8-bit to 14-bit camera interface (up to 80 MHz)
Analog Peripherals
- 3 x ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) - Maximum resolution: 16-bit
- 1 x TEMPERATURE SENSORS
- 2 x 12-bit D/A converters (1 MHz)
- 2× Ultra-low power COMPARATORS
- 2x OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS (Bandwidth: 7.3 MHz)
- 1x Digital FILTERS (DFSDM for Sigma-Delta Modulator) - Number of channels: 8
- Up to 36 channels
- Maximum sampling rate: 3.6 MSPS
- Number of FILTERS: 4
External Interface 1
Reference Board CONNECTORS
The reference board is equipped with two USB micro-AB CONNECTORS, one microSD card slot, one audio JACKS, one M.2 CONNECTORS, and a total of 70 general-purpose interfaces (see next section), allowing it to connect to a variety of devices such as external sensors and USB cameras.
USB
- FS: USB 2.0 full speed (max. 12 Mbps) compatible
- HS: USB 2.0 High Speed (max. 480 Mbps) compatible
- Switchable between host and device functions
microSD
- SD2.0 compatible (signal voltage 3.3V, max. 12.5MB/s)
Audio
- Earphone output/microphone input possible (CTIA standard only)
- Supports I2S/LJ/RJ/TDM digital audio interfaces
- Stereo output, supports sampling frequencies up to 96kHz
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth
- The M.2 CONNECTORS on the back can be used to install a Wi-Fi module and an LTE-M board developed by Nexty Electronics. Compatible Embedded Artist Wi-Fi modules are listed in the table below. *Please Inquiry regarding technical conformity/non-conformity.
| Module Name | 1ZM M.2 Module | 1LV M.2 Module | 1MW M.2 Module | 1DX M.2 Module |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wifi | Wi-Fi 5 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 4 802.11 a/b/g/n/ ac-friendly™ | Wi-Fi 5 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 4 802.11 a/b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.1 BR/EDR/LE | Bluetooth 5.0 BR/EDR/LE | Bluetooth 5.0 BR/EDR/LE | Bluetooth 4.2 BR/EDR/LE |
External Interface 2
General-purpose interface
The following interfaces can be used through general-purpose pin headers.
- SPI: max. 2 channels
- I2C: max. 1 channel
- UART: max. 4 channels
- USART: max. 1 channel *All signal voltages are 3.3V
SPI
- Master and slave mode communication up to 150 Mbit/s
- Supports Half-Duplex mode, Full-Duplex mode, and Simplex mode
- FRAMES can be set from 4 bits to 16 bits
- Supports NSS pulse mode and TI mode
I2C
- Slave and master modes, multi-master capability
- Standard mode (Sm), bit rate up to 100 kbit/s
- Fast mode (Fm), bit rate up to 400 kbit/s
- Fast Mode Plus (Fm+), supports bit rates up to 1 Mbit/s
- 7-bit and 10-bit addressing modes, multiple 7-bit slave addresses supported
UART
- Supports continuous communication using DMA
- Data length supports 7, 8, and 9 bits
UART
- Hardware flow control support
- Supports continuous communication using DMA
- Synchronous communication support
- Data length supports 7, 8, and 9 bits
Summary
This time, we introduced a reference board equipped with an STM MCU, developed by the development team at Nexty Electronics.
In the future, we plan to introduce software development using this reference board (implementation example using FreeRTOS) and other boards we have developed.
If you found this article interesting or would like more information, please feel free to inquire. We look forward to hearing your questions and comments.
Demo Introduction
Below is an example of a demo using the reference board introduced here.
- Connect the S gesture sensor to perform swipe/shape recognition
- Connect a motion sensor to count people
NEXTY Electronics Initiatives
NEXTY Electronics Corporation is a core company in the Toyota Tsusho Group's electronics business and boasts one of the largest scales in the field of car electronics.
With technology and products at our core, we will meet the needs of our customers and society in a wide range of fields, provide solutions to social issues, and contribute to the realization of a better society.
Additionally, NEXTY Electronics' development team utilizes the products it handles to carry out in-house development and contract development (hardware and software development).
We will be happy to assist you with any problems you may have, so please feel free to contact us.
Inquiry
Link to Related Technical Columns
Related Product Information
ToF Sensor Realizes High-Precision Distance Measurement in a Small Device | STMicroelectronics
Laser-based time-of-flight (ToF) ranging sensors measure distance from the time of flight of emitted photons.
- STMicroelectronics
- NEXT Mobility
- ICT and Industrial
- Smart Factories and Robotics
Reduced power consumption through edge processing 3rd generation MEMS sensor
Introducing the iNEMO™ inertial module, a monolithic integrated accelerometer and gyroscope sensor. It allows for some data processing within the sensor, and makes it easy to implement other functions.
- STMicroelectronics
- NEXT Mobility
- ICT and Industrial
- Smart Factories and Robotics
