DENX MCV Systems-on-Module Feature Altera Cyclone V SX FPGA + ARM SoC

DENX Computer has announced a new systems-on-module (SoM) powered by Altera Cyclone V dual ARM Cortex A9 + FPGA SoCs. DENX MCV SoMs also feature 1GB DDR3, 256 NAND Flash, and various memory interfaces and peripherals including PCI Express Gen2 and high-speed serial 3.125Gb transceivers.

DENX MCV SoM specifications:

SoC – Altera Cyclone V SoC with FPGA and two ARM Cortex A9 core @ 800 MHz. Four SoC are available:
- A2 – 5CSXFC2C6U23C7N – 25KLE, 36 DSP blocks, 6 transceivers 3.125Gbit/s
- A4 – 5CSXFC4C6U23C7N – 40KLE, 58 DSP blocks, 6 transceivers 3.125Gbit/s
- A5 – 5CSXFC5C6U23C7N – 85KLE, 87 DSP blocks, 6 transceivers 3.125Gbit/s
- A6 : 5CSXFC6C6U23C7N – 110KLE, 112 DSP blocks, 6 transceivers 3.125Gbit/s
System memory – 1 GB DDR3
Storage – 256 MB NAND Flash, 256 Mbit Configuration Device
HPS (Hard processor system) peripherals
Clock distribution
Default configuration:
- Gigabit Ethernet
- UART, SPI, I²C
- CAN
- USB
Additional optional interfaces:
- One or more display controller
- Second Gigabit Ethernet
- CAN, SPI, I²C
- Camera port
- DSP blocks
- Microcontroller
Power supply – Single 3.3V supply
Dimensions – 74mmx42mm
Connectors – 2x Samtec QSH-090-01-F-D-A board-to-board interconnect

In case you wonder how Altera could come up with complicated SoC names as shown above, here’s how to decode Cyclone V SX nomenclature.

For other types of Cyclone V SoCs, you can refer to the source “Cyclone V Device Overview“.

The company will provide support for U-boot (obviously) and Linux via the Embedded Linux Development Kit version 5.5 (ELDK). Documentation specific to MCV SoM is likely to eventually show up on the company’s Wiki. I could not find a carrier board for the SoM, nor an “MVCEVK” for development.

Pricing and availability have not been disclosed, but you may be able to get further information on DENX MCV page. The SoM will also be showcased at Hall 1, Stand 560 at Embedded World 2014, in Nuremberg, Germany on February 26-28, 2014.

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.