ArmSoM Targets Budget-Conscious Industrial, Smart, HMI Builds with the $15 ArmSoM-CM1

Shenzhen-based ArmSoM has announced a low-cost computer-on-module, built around Rockchip's RK3506J system-on-chip — and available direct from the company for just $15 in single-unit quantities: the ArmSoM-CM1.

"ArmSoM-CM1 is a computer-on-module (COM) based on the Rockchip RK3506J (tri-core [Arm] Cortex-A7 + single-core Cortex-M0)," the company explains of tis compact board. "It features a rich set of peripheral interfaces such as SAI, USB 2.0 OTG [On-The-Go], RMII, and CAN. This module meets minimum system requirements and includes an onboard [USB] Type-C power & programming port, MIPI DSI display interface, and an SD Card expansion slot."

Designed, the company says, with the needs of industrial control, smart appliances, and human-machine interfaces in mind, the ArmSoM-CM1, brought to our attention by CNX Software, is relatively sedate in its specifications: the Rockchip RK3506J at its heart has three somewhat dated Arm Cortex-A7 cores running at up to 1.5GHz, a single Cortex-M0 core for real-time tasks, and a 2D graphics accelerator. This is paired to 512MB of DDR3L RAM and 512MB of on-board SPI flash, the latter expandable through an on-board microSD Card slot though the company has hinted at the potential for a cost-reduced version with 256MB of each in the pipeline.

To go along with the module itself, ArmSoM has also announced a carrier board that breaks out its features into two Fast Ethernet ports, two USB 2.0 Host ports, analog audio in and out, a Wi-Fi module, CAN bus and RS485 connectivity, and a Raspberry Pi-style 40-pin header that provides access to a subset of the module's impressive 72 general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins for interfacing with external hardware. The two-lane MIPI Display Serial Interface port, meanwhile, is found on the COM itself rather than the breakout board — and there's no support for an HDMI display.

More information on the ArmSoM-CM1 is available on the official website, where it can be ordered for $15 module-only or $28.50 in a bundle with the carrier board.