Vaaman is a reconfigurable single-board edge computer that integrates a Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core ARM processor with an Efinix Trion T120 FPGA, offering a reconfigurable platform for edge computing applications. The board combines the flexibility of an FPGA with the raw power of a hard processor to create a system capable of adapting to varying computational demands in real time.
The compact SBC features the Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processor with two Cortex-A72 cores and four Cortex-A53 cores, as well as an Efinix Trion T120 FPGA with 112,128 logic elements, interlinked with RK3399 via a high-speed 300Mbps bridge (but it’s unclear how this is implemented).
It is billed as a “Raspberry Pi-style board for the FPGA world” that can be used for cryptographic acceleration, software-defined radio (SDR), digital signal processing, real-time robotics, real-time video processing, edge AI deployments, industrial automation, and hardware prototyping.
It features a 40-pin Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header and supports a variety of HATs (Hardware Attached on Top) for extensibility. Alternatives to the Vaaman platform include the Innodisk EXMU-X261, Xilinx Kria KV260, Avnet ZUBoard 1CG, and the NRFICE board. However, Vaaman stands out with its high-speed CPU-FPGA link and 40-pin GPIO header.
Vaaman specifications:
- SoC – Rockchip RK3399
- CPU – dual-core Cortex-A72 @ 2.0GHz and quad-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.6GHz
- GPU – Mali-T864 GPU with OpenGL ES1.1/2.0/3.0/3.1, OpenCL, DX11 support
- FPGA – Efinix Trion T20 with 112K logic elements
- Embedded memory – 5407Kb, 1056 blocks (5Kb each)
- 320 embedded multipliers (18 x 18 bit)
- x32 PHY with memory controller hard IP and 25.6Gbps aggregate bandwidth
- 7x PLLs
- System Memory
- 2 GB or 4 GB LPDDR4 RAM for the Arm processor
- 512MB DDR3L dedicated RAM for the FPGA
- Storage
- 64 GB eMMC flash
- MicroSD card expansion slot
- PCIe 2.1 interface for extended storage (4 lanes at 20Gbps)
- Display/Video Output
- HDMI 2.0 (micro) up to 4K @ 60Hz
- DisplayPort 1.2 over USB Type-C
- MIPI DSI up to 2560 x 1600 @ 60fps (dual channel)
- LVDS up to 800 Mbps per lane (20 TX/RX pairs)
- Camera – 2-lane MIPI CSI up to 800 MB/s bandwidth via FPC connector
- Audio – 3.5mm audio jack with mic support
- Networking – Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek RTL8211E), WiFi 2.4GHz + 5GHz (2T2R), Bluetooth 5.0
- USB – 1x USB 3.0 Type-C (with Power Delivery), 1x USB 3.0 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A
- Peripherals
- 2x 40-pin GPIO headers including one with Pmod support
- UART, 2x SPI, 2x I2C
- PCM/I2S, SPDIF, PWM
- ADC and 6x GPIO
- Misc – Real-time clock (onboard backup battery interface
- Power – 18W via USB-C PD
- Dimensions – 85 x 85 mm
Vaaman bundles native software platforms for developers, including the Gati framework for edge AI deployment and Periplex for peripheral setup. It supports different open-source operating systems, including Android 12.1, Debian Bullseye 11, and Ubuntu 22.04. Vaaman also supports wireless FPGA configuration and over-the-air updates, eliminating the need for physical connections.
Before the boards are shipped to Mouser for fulfillment, the developers plan to release the schematics, open-hardware KiCAD design files for all HATs, enclosure design files for all boards, and a Verilog FPGA sample project.
The Vaaman reconfigurable edge computer is available for pre-order on CrowdSupply. The board costs $180 and comes with a 5-foot USB-C PD cable and a USB JTAG FPGA programmer. Add-ons include a M.2 NVMe PCI Gen 2×2 HAT for $18, an M.2 SATA SSD HAT for $22, a LVDS GPIO expander for $20, and a 2TX 2RX SDR HAT for $180. Shipping costs $8 within the US and $18 worldwide. Orders are expected to ship by July 25, 2025.
Tomisin is a writer specializing in hardware product reviews, comparisons, and explainers. He is very passionate about small form factor and single-board computers.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress
