$23 ArmSoM Forge1 industrial SBC is powered by Rockchip RK3506J SoC

ArmSoM Forge1 is an industrial SBC (single board computer) powered by the Rockchip RK3506J triple-core Cortex-A7 processor designed for Smart Audio, HMI, and factory automation applications.

The Forge1 is equipped with 512MB RAM, 512MB NAND flash, two Fast Ethernet ports, a MIPI DSI display connector, USB Type-A and Type-C ports, an audio jack, a 40-pin GPIO header partially compatible with Raspberry Pi HATs, and a 16-pin header with speaker output, microphone input, RS-485, and CAN Bus.

ArmSoM Forge1 specifications:

SoC – Rockchip RK3506J
- CPU
  - 3x Arm Cortex-A7 core up to 1.5 GHz
  - Arm Cortex-M0 real-time core
- GPU – 2D GPU only
- No VPU, no NPU
System Memory – 512MB DDR3L
Storage
- 512MB SPI NAND flash
- MicroSD card
Video Output – 2-lane MIPI DSI connector up to 1280 x 1280@ 60FPS
Audio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Speaker and Mic via expansion header
Networking – 2x 100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 ports
USB
- 1x USB Type-C port for power (PD) and programming
- 1x USB 2.0 host port
Expansion
- 40-pin GPIO header with UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, PWM, 5V, 3.3V, and GND (mostly) compatible with the one on Raspberry Pi SBCs
- 12-pin header with Speaker, Mic, RS485, and CAN Bus
Misc
- MaskROM key
- LK8563S RTC
Power Supply – 12V/2A
Dimensions – 92 x 62 mm
Temperature Range – -40°C to 85°C

The company provides a Linux SDK for the Rockchip RK3506J SBC based on Buildroot and Linux 6.1.99 running on the Cortex-A7 cores, plus RT-Thread RTOS running on the Cortex-M0 core.

The documentation provides more information about the hardware, for example, the pinout of the 40-pin GPIO header (but not for the 16-pin header), and instructions to get started with the serial console, the RTC, audio recording and playback, and the CAN Bus. It’s still a work in progress as the specs are incomplete, instructions for MIPI DSI and RS-485 are missing, etc… It’s still better than what we have with the Forlinx FET3506J-S RK3560J system-on-module, which lacks any public documentation.

ArmSom Forge1 is at the sampling stage now, and is available in limited quantities for $23 with mass production scheduled for the end of April. The Rockchip RK3506J and the Forge1 SBC will remain in production until at least May 2035, or in other words, that’s a 10-year life cycle commitment.

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.