DEBIX Model A - A Raspberry Pi-inspired NXP i.MX 8M Plus SBC for AI applications

DEBIX Model A is a single board computer powered by an NXP i.MX 8M Plus quad-core Cortex-A53 processor with a 2.3 TOPS AI accelerator in a form factor that combines Raspberry Pi 4 and 3 Model B designs.

The SBC comes with up to 6GB RAM, a microSD card slot, an optional eMMC flash of up to 128GB capacity, HDMI 2.0a, LVDS, and MIPI DSI display interfaces, a MIPI CSI camera interface, Gigabit Ethernet and WiFi 5 connectivity, plus a 40-pin GPIO expansion header.

DEBIX Model A specifications:

SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Plus quad-core Cortex-A53 @ up to 1.6 GHz (industrial) or 1.8 GHz (commercial), with Arm Cortex-M7 @ up to 800 MHz, Vivante GC7000UL 3D GPU, Vivante GC520L 2D GPU, 2.3 TOPS NPU
System Memory – 2GB LPDDR4 (4GB/6GB optional)
Storage – Default: Micro SD card; optional 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash
Video Output
- HDMI 2.0a up to 4Kp60
- 1x LVDS header, single & dual channel 8-bit
- 1x 4-lane MIPI DSI FPC socket
Camera I/F – 1x 4-lane MIPI CSI FPC socket
Audio
- 3.5mm audio jack with headphones and microphone signals
- 1x SPDIF digital audio input/output
- digital audio via HDMI
Networking
- Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port with optional PoE
- Additional LAN port via 12-pin header
- Dual-band (2.4GHz & 5GHz) Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 via KEIIOT K019-CW43-DW module from KERTONG Polytron Technologies, cemaric antenna
USB – 4x USB 3.0 Host Type-A ports, 1x USB 2.0 OTG Type-C port
Expansion
- 40-pin headers with 3x UART, 2x SPI, 2x I2C, 2x CAN, 1x PWM, 2x GPIO 5V power supply, system reset, ON/OFF
- 1x PCIe x1 FPC socket
Power Supply – 5V DC/3A via USB Type-C PWR port
Dimensions – 85.0 x 56.0mm

The company (Polyhex) is said to provide Android 11, Yocto Linux, and Ubuntu images and BSPs, but when I check the software page, only Ubuntu 20.04 images are provided for the 2GB and 4GB RAM variants of the board. We’ll also find additional information on the documentation page, notably the optional add-ons board with an IO expansion board and a LoRa expansion board.

DEBIX Model A IO Expansion LoRa Expansion — I/O board (left), LoRa board (right)

The I/O board adds extra MIPI DSI and CSI connectors, an RTC battery socket, RS232/RS458/CAN terminal block, and an additional RJ45 Ethernet port, while the LoRa board adds LoRa and WiFi antenna connectors, but not LoRa radio since instead users would have to connect a mini PCIe LoRa module of their choice.

Finally, an aluminum alloy enclosure can also be provided with all screws and a conductive rubber pad to cool the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor. It’s not the first time, we write about Raspberry Pi-shaped SBC’s based on NXP i.MX 8M processor with products such as Avnet MaaxBoard or Geniatech XPI-iMX8MM board, but as far as I can remember, it’s the first time I see a Raspberry Pi-inspired board with the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor including a 2.3 TOPS NPU.

The DEBIX Model A SBC is sold on OKdo for about $109 excluding VAT, and the I/O board and LoRa board can be added as options for respectively $27.6 and $36.4, again excluding the 20% UK VAT. I was unable to find the metal enclosure for sale. More details may be available on the product page on the Polyhex website.

Via LinuxGizmos

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.