Taiwan based Technexion has introduced several new products at Embedded World 2019 including two new SoM families: AXON and FLEX. AXON is a product family of small form factor (58 x 37 mm) modules designed for specialized embedded applications requiring extra I/O flexibility, while FLEX series is a low-cost family making use of the standard LPDDR4 SO-DIMM connector.

Specifically, the company launched new AXON and FLEX modules powered by NXP i.MX 8M Mini processor with AXON-IMX8M-MINI featuring AXON Fabric programmable logic, a specialized IC that provides additional functions including nearly infinite pinmuxing, and FLEX-IMX8M-MINI that offers HD multimedia streaming and integrated 3D graphics for cost sensitive applications.

AXON-IMX8M-MINI SoM

AXON-IMX8M-MINI SoM specifications:

• SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Mini Solo, Dual or Quad Arm Cortex-A53+M4 processor
• FPGA – “Axon Fabric” making use of a Lattice MachXO3LF FPGA with 2100 LUTs (LookUp Tables)
• System Memory – Up to 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
• Storage – Up to 64GB eMMC flash
• Networking – Gigabit Ethernet transceiver, optional QCA9377 802.11 n/g/n/ac WiFi 5 & Bluetooth 4.1 module
• 3x board-to-board connectors with various I/Os including:
  • 4-lane MIPI DSI
  • 4-lane MIPI CSI-2
  • PCIe
  • 2x USB 2.0 OTG port
  • 2x I2S
  • 7-bit SDIO
  • 2x CAN through AXON Fabric
  • 3x UART, 2x SPI, 4x I2C, 90+ GPIO
• Dimensions – 58 x 37 mm

The company also showcased IMX6-AXON module as shown above, with the same form factor by powered by the time tested NXP i.MX6 Cortex-A9 processor together with the same AXON Fabric, and better support for displays with HDMI, LVDS and RGB TTL exposed through the connectors.

There’s no pricing information yet for this item, and the AXON page has yet be setup on TechNexion website, but a catalog with more details is available, where you’ll also find out AXON-PI, a baseboard following Raspberry Pi form factor and supporting AXON SoM’s.

FLEX-IMX8M-MINI SoM

FLEX-IMX8M-MINI module specifications:

• SoC – NXP i.MX8M Mini Quad with 4x Arm Cortex A53 processor @ 1.8GHz, an Arm Cortex-M4 real-time core, Vivante GC7000Lite 3D GPU, 1080p240 H.264 video decoder, 1080p120 H.264 video encoder
• System Memory – 1, 2, 3 or 4GB LPDDR4
• Storage – 16GB eMMC flash
• Built-in Networking
  • 1x Atheros AR8035 Gigabit transceiver
  • 1x optional Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) and  Bluetooth 4.1 (BR+EDR+BLE); MHF4 antenna connector
• LPDDR4 SO-DIMM connector exposing
  • 4-lane MIPI CSI, MIPI DSI
  • Ethernet
  • PCIe
  • USB, USB OTG
  • I²S
  • SDIO
  • CAN
  • UART, SPI, I²C,PWM, GPIO
• Debug Interface – JTAG Interface by through-hole
• Power Supply – 5V DC +/-5%; ROHM BD71847 PMIC
• Dimensions – 69.6 x 35 mm
• Temperature Range – Commercial: 0° to +60° C
• Relative Humidity – 10 to 90 %
• MTBF – >100 000 Hours
• Shock – 15G half-sine 11 ms duration
• Vibration – 1 Grms random 5-500Hz hr/axis

The company provide support for Linux, Yocto Project, Ubuntu, and Android , as well as extended support with “Commercial Linux”.

I could not see any baseboard / carrier board for the FLEX SoMs at the time of  writing, but the modules are available now with pricing starting at $77.50 and going up to $137.50 depending on RAM capacity and whether the Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless module is soldered on the module or not.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

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.

Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress