Rockchip RK3588 embedded computer features 3x M.2 sockets, 4x RS232, 2x RS485, 2x DI, 2x DO, and more

Forlinx FCU3501 is a fanless embedded computer powered by the Rockchip RK3588 SoC, or the RK3588J industrial-grade variant, and offered with up to 16GB LPDDR4x, 128GB eMMC flash, and plenty of features.

Those include HDMI output and input ports, three M.2 sockets for NVMe SSD, Hailo-8 AI accelerator for a combined 26+6 TOPS of AI performance, and 4G/5G cellular module, two gigabit Ethernet ports, a built-in WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 module, four RS232 and two RS485 isolated serial interfaces, two digital inputs (DI), two digital outputs (DO), and more.

Forlinx FCU3501 specifications:

• SoC – Rockchip RK3588(J) octa-core processor with
  • CPU – 4x Cortex-A76 cores @ up to 2.4GHz (RK3588) / 1.6 GHz (RK3588J), 4x Cortex-A55 core @ 1.8GHz (RK3588) / 1.3 GHz (RK3588J)
  • CPU Arm Mali-G610 MP4 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.2, OpenCL 2.2, Vulkan 1.2
  • VPU
    • Video decoder – 8Kp60 H.265, VP9, AVS2, 8Kp30 H.264 AVC/MVC, 4Kp60 AV1, 1080p60 MPEG-2/-1, VC-1, VP8
    • Video encoder – 8Kp30 H.265/H.264
  • 6 TOPS NPU supporting INT4, INT8, INT16, and FP16 mixed operation
• System Memory – 8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x SDRAM
• Storage
  • 64GB or 128GB eMMC flash memory
  • Optional NVMe SSD via M.2 PCIe socket
  • MicroSD card slot
• Video Output – HDMI 2.1 up to 8Kp60
• Video Input – HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60
• Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack
• Networking
  • 2x Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports
  • Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 module
  • Optional 4G/5G cellular connectivity via EM05 or RM500U module
• USB
  • 2x USB 3.0 Type-A ports
  • 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
• Serial
  • 2x isolated RS485 via 3-pin terminal blocks
  • 4x isolated RS232 via 3-pin terminal blocks
• Debugging – RJ45 connector for serial console
• Expansion
  • 1x M.2 socket for SSD
  • 1x M.2 socket for 26 TOPS Hailo-8 AI accelerator
  • 1x M.2 socket for 4G LTE or 5G
  • 2x isolated DIs, 2x isolated DOs (relay outputs, dry contact outputs)
• Misc
  • Power, Reset, MaskRom, and Recovery buttons
  • Power and Run LEDs
  • Ground connector
• Power Supply – 9V to 36V DC input via 3-pin terminal block with reverse connection protection and overcurrent protection
• Power Consumption
  • Idle – 8.3 Watts
  • Stress test headless – 12.3 to 12.5 Watts
  • Stress test with HDMI and 5G – 14.2 Watts
  • Stress test adding Hailo-8 – 15.5 Watts
• Dimensions – 196.5 x 140.5 x 56.5mm (or 232.5 x 140.5 x 56.5mm with mounting ears)
• Weight – 2.04kg with 5G module and Hailo-8 AI accelerator
• Temperature Range – -40°C to +85°C (RK3588J)

Forlinx provides an Ubuntu 22.04 image for the Rockchip RK3588 embedded computer with support for FTP server, OpenSSH, Docker, MySQL, OpenVPN, ModBus-TCP, and ModBus-RTU. Customers will also have access to a datasheet, a user guide, carrier board schematics, the carrier board PCB, the SoM pinmux, a testing demo, source code, and a software user manual.

The main competitors for the Forlinx FCU3501 will be other Rockchip RK3588/RK3588J embedded PCs from Firefly and Mekotronics (and others), with products like Mekotronics R58X-Pro/R58X-HDD and the Firefly EC-A3588Q. There will be many others as the RK3588 is now a mature SoC used in plenty of industrial-grade platforms.

Specific target applications mentioned by the company include Smart Transportation, Industry 4.0, Smart Buildings, unnamed vehicles and ships, AMR (autonomous mobile robots), and Smart Retail. There’s no publicly available pricing information, but Forlinx currently offers the FCU3501+3588J-C188GSE64GI standard model with RJ3588J SoC, industrial temperature range, 8GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and optional Hailo-8 AI accelerator (which they call the “power extended version”). Visit the product page for more information.

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