OpenRex is an open source hardware board powered by NXP i.MX6 designed by Fedevel, and the company has announced the release of Altium project design files including both schematics and PCB layout source files, as well as manufacturing documentation.
OpenRex board specifications:
- SoC – NXP i.MX6 processor @ up to 4 cores @ 1.2GHz with 2D and 3D GPU
- MCU – NXP LPC1345FHN33 ARM Cortex-M3 micro-controller
- System Memory – DDR3-1066 (533MHz) up to 4GB
- Storage – SATA, micro SD slot, 1x I2C EEPROM, 1x SPI FLASH
- Video Output / Display I/F – 1x HDMI up to 2048×1536 resolution, LVDS, parallel RGB display output, touchscreen connector (Optional 4x Analog input)
- Audio – HDMI output, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack,
- Camera – 1x Parallel CSI camera (shared with RGB output), 1x MIPI CSI connector compatible with Raspberry Pi (shared with LVDS)
- Connectivity – 1x 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
- USB – 2x USB 2.0 host port, 1x micro USB OTG port
- Debugging – 1x UART Debug console (FTDI compatible)
- Expansion
- 1x mini PCIe slot (PCIE & USB & SIM)
- 1x Arduino type header with CAN, 4x analog inputs, etc..
- 1x Raspberry PI type header
- Sensors – Compass + accelerometer, gyroscope, humidity sensor, temperature sensor
- Misc – IR receiver, 8+1 user LEDs, 1x power LED, 1x reset button, 3x user buttons
- Power Supply – 5V DC through power jack or micro USB port
- Dimensions – 95 x 70 mm
While hardware documentation is ready, and available for anybody to see and use, software documentation page is currently empty. However the company has already worked on NXP (previously Freescale) i.MX6 boards for several years, and provided Linux distributions built with the Yocto Project as well as Android image and source for their iMX6 Rex board.
OpenRex is developed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license and all materials can be used for personal and commercial use, as well as for education with one exception: commercial educational activities such as paid courses, trainings, or videos as this is how FEDEVEL gets its income: paid hardware design and PCB layout courses. This limitation does not apply to universities.
The board will be mass-produced in Q2 2016, but so far pricing has not been decided, and the company is still asking people how much they’d be willing to pay for the board on OpenRex product page. The price range is likely to determine which i.MX6 processor will be used, and how much RAM will be soldered to the board.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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