Thundercomm Announces Qualcomm based Modules for Smart Speakers, LTE IoT, Smart Retail, and 5G Applications

Based in California in the US, Thundercomm Technology Co., Ltd. (aka Thundercomm) is a provider of IoT products & technologies for OEM/ODMs, enterprises and developers. The company introduced several Qualcomm based “TurboX Systems-on-Module” for smart speakers, LPWAN IoT devices with NB-IoT and LTE Cat M1 connectivity, smart retail applications, and 5G powered devices.

TurboX C404 and C405 SOMs for Smart Speakers and Soundbars

Key features and specifications:

• SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon C404 / C405 with
  • CPU – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @, 1.4 GHz
  • GPU (C405 Only) – Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPU @ 600 MHz
  • DSP -2x Hexagon QDSP6 v66 – Low Power Audio Subsystem & Audio Compute DSP
• System Memory & Storage – 1GB LPDDR3 + 8GB eMMC flash in eMCP package; SD card signals
• Connectivity
  • 2×2 MIMO WiFI 5 802.11 a/b/g/ac + Bluetooth 5.0 + FM via WCN3999
  • Gigabit Ethernet (RGMII)
• Display Interfaces (C405 Only)
  • 4-lane MIPI DSI port up to 720p
  • HDMI up to 1080p30
• Audio – SLIMBus, 5x I2S (C404), 6x I2S (C405), 8x DMIC, Soundwire, 2x/3x SPDIF
• USB – 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
• Other Peripherals – 6x BLSP (BAM Low Speed Peripheral); 1x PCIe; GPIOs
• Dimensions – 33.8 x 33.8 x 2.5mm
• Temperature Range – -20°C to +70°C
• Humidity – 5%~95%, non-condensing

The company provides a Linux BSP and ADK (Audio development Kit) middleware for the module, as well as a hardware development kit.

TurboX C404/C405 SoM’s are sold for respectively $99 and $109 albeit shown as out of stock right now. You may find more details and purchase a sample on the product page. The development kit is sold for $400.

TurboX T95 SoM Comes with Qualcomm 9205 LTE-M/NB-IoT Modem

Specifications:

• Chipset – Qualcomm 9205 (MDM9205) with Cortex-A7 processor up to 800 MHz, PME9205 PMIC, SDR105 RF Transceiver
• System Memory – 32MB DRAM
• Storage – 64MB flash
• Connectivity
  • LTE Cat M1 (eMTC), Cat NB1/NB2 (NB-IoT), EGPRS
  • RF Bands
    • LTE low bands: B5, B8, B12, B13, B14, B18, B19, B20, B26, B27, B28, B71, B85
    • LTE mid bands: B1, B25, B2, B66, B3, B4
    • EGPRS bands: B3, B2, B8, B5
  • GNSS – GPS/Beidou/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS
  • Data Rate
    • Peak Download Speed – 588 kbps (Rel.14 Cat-M1), 127kbps (Rel.14 Cat-NB2)
    • Peak Upload Speed – 1119 kbps (Rel.14 Cat-M1), 158.5 kbps (Rel.14 Cat-NB2)
  • Antenna – Main and GNSS Antenna pins
• Peripherals
  • 4x BLSP with support for UART, SPI, and I2C
  • 8x GPIO, 2x PWM
  • 2x I2S
  • USB – 1 x USB 2.0 device mode only
• Supply Voltage – 3.8V o 4.2V
• Dimensions – 20 x 16 x 2.5mm, LGA Package
• Temperature Range – Operation: & storage: -40°C to + 85°C

The module runs ThreadX or Ali Things operating systems, and the company provides an LTE IoT SDK. There’s also a development kit with an E-Ink display and various sensors.

TurboX T95 SoM sells for $49 in single units. Visit the product page to find out more, and/or pre-order a sample. The development kit is sold for $399.

TurboX CM2150 and CM450 – Made for “Smart Retail”

Somehow the company does not have any product page for those modules, so we’ll have to rely on the information from the press release.

TurboX CM2150 and CM450 SoMs are meant to be cost-effective, power-efficient solutions for smart retail applications such as smart point-of-sale (POS), vending machines, digital signage, handhelds, and more.

The modules are supposed to become available in Q1 2020, but the company did not say which Qualcomm technology those are based on.

TurboX T55 & TurboX C865 5G SoM

The company offers two 5G systems-on-module: TurboX T55 based on Snapdragon X55 5G modem, and TurboX C865 featuring the full Snapdragon 865 SoC. Let’s look at both.

TurboX T55 specifications:

• Modem – Snapdragon X55 (SDX55) with Arm Cortex-A7 up to 1.5 GHz,
  PMX55 PMU, SDR865 + SMR526 RF Transceiver
• System Memory – 4Gbit DDR4 RAM
• Storage –  4Gbit NAND Flash
• Cellular Connectivity
  • 5G NR – Sub-6 GHz: n1,n2,n3,n5,n7,n8,n20,n28,n41,n66,n71,n77,n78,n79
  • LTE
    • LTE-FDD: B1,B2,B3,B4,B5,B7,B8,B12,B13,B14,B17,B18,B19,B20, B25,B26,B27,B28,B29, B30,B32,B66,B71
    • LTE-TDD: B34,B38,B39,B40,B41,B42,B43,B48
  • WCDMA – B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B9/B19
  • CDMA – BC0,BC1,BC10
  • Peak Download Speed – 5G NR: 7 Gbps, DL 4×4 MIMO
  • Peak Upload Speed – 5G NR: 3 Gbps
• GNSS – GPS/Beidou/GLONASS/Galileo
• Peripherals
  • 4x BLSP with support for UART, SPI, and I2C
  • 2x UIM
  • 2x Gen 3 PCI express
  • 2x I2S/PCM
  • USB – 1x USB 3.1
• Supply Voltage – 3.8V to 4.2V
• Dimensions
  • T55-L – 42.5x42x2.6mm (LGA Package)
  • T55-M – M.2 Package: TBD
• Temperature Range – Operation & storage – -40°C to + 85°C

A Linux BSP is offered for the SoM, which you’d have to connect to a host processor and control over AT commands. A development kit will also be offered with 10Gbps Ethernet, SPI display, M.2 PCIe slot and more.

TurboX T55 5G SOM can be pre-ordered for $399. Again, you’ll find more details and a “buy” button on the product page.

TurboX C865 is quite different as the module is not offered in an LGA package and instead interfaces with the carrier board via a 4-row board-to-board connector.

Specifications:

• Platform – Snapdragon SM8250 with
  • 8x Qualcomm Kryo 585 cores
  • Adreno 650 GPU
  • Adreno 665 VPU capable of 8Kp30 encode (H.264/H.265/VP8) and 8Kp60 decode (H.264/H.265/ VP8/VP9)
  • Adreno 995 DPU
  • Qualcomm Hexagon DSP with quad HVX
  • Qualcomm SpectraM 480 image processing
• System Memory – 6GB LPDDR5 (POP)
• Storage – 128GB UFS flash
• Display Interfaces – 2x 4-lane MIPI-DSI  up to 5040×2160 @ 60fps
• Camera Interfaces – 6x 4-lane MIPI-CSI (2.5 Gbps per lane) up to 64MP CMOS and CCD sensors
• Connectivity – 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFI 6 2×2 MINO and Bluetooth 5.1 via QCA6391
• Other Interfaces via board-to-board connector
  • Audio – 1x  Sound Wire, 6x DMICs, 2x speakers
  • Antennas – 2x RF connector for WiFi/BT
  • USB – 2 x USB 3.1
  • 2 x SSC I/F for sensor
  • 2 x PCIe
  • 1 x UART
  • 1x SDC for SD card
  • GPIOs
• Supply Voltage – 3.8V ~ 4.2V
• Dimensions – 56 x 45 mm
• Temperature Range – -20°C ~ 70°C
• Humidity: 5%~95%, non-condensing

TurboX C865 supports Android 10 operating system and is designed for a wide range of demanding applications including medical imaging, smart cities, robotics, smart digital signage, and virtual and augmented reality. There’s a development kit with DisplayPort output and all connectors for extra displays and up to 6 cameras, but it does not seem available right now.

TurboX C865 module is up for pre-order for $499, but the company made it clear that both 5G modules will take longer to come to market. Further information may be found on the product page.

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