Beacon AM62L – A compact (38x28mm), low-power dual-core Cortex-A53 System-on-Module (SoM)

Beacon EmbeddedWorks has announced a compact (38x28mm) System-on-Module (SoM) based on the recently introduced low-power Texas Instruments Sitara AM62L dual-core Cortex-A53 SoC designed for IoT, HMI, and general-purpose applications requiring a display.

The AML62L SoM features LPDDR4 or DDR4 memory, an 8-bit eMMC flash, and an optional WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE module. All I/Os are exposed through two board-to-board connectors, including RGB LCD or MIPI DSI display interface, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces with TSN support,  USB 2.0, CAN FD, analog inputs, and more.

Beacon AM62L specifications:

• SoC – Texas Instruments AM62L dual-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor up to 1.25GHz; 5600 DMIPS
• System Memory – LPDDR4, DDR4
• Storage – 8-bit eMMC flash
• Wireless – 802.11ax WiFi 6 1×1 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE; cnxsoft: 802.11ax is WiFi 6, but the company only mentions support for WiFi 5 in other parts of the description.
• 2x board-to-board connector
  • Storage – 2x 4-bit SD/SDIO
  • Display – Up to 4-lane MIPI DSI or 24-bit RGB DPI up to 1080p60
  • Audio
    • 3x multichannel audio serial ports
    • Support I2S and SPDIF
  • Networking – 2x Gigabit Ethernet with TSN support
  • USB – 2x USB 2.0
  • Serial I/O
    • Up to 8x UART interfaces
    • Up to 5x I2C interfaces
    • Up to 4x SPI interfaces
    • 3x CAN with optional CAN-FD
  • Analog
    • 12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)
    • 10 bits of effective resolution up to 2MSPS
    • 4x analog inputs (tie-multiplexed)
  • Debug – JTAG & ETM support
• Dimensions – 38 x 28mm
• Weight – 7 grams
• Compliance – RoHS, Reach

Beacon mentions BSPs for Linux, Android, and RTOS environments, and highlights low-power consumption through advanced sleep and standby modes to extend battery life in portable or continuously operating devices. The system-on-module is also compatible with the company’s proprietary Wattson Power Management plug-and-play solution for real-time power monitoring and optimization.

We had covered Texas Instruments AM62x (AM623/AM625) and AM62A processors in previous years, but TI seems to have discreetly unveiled the low-cost, low-power AM62L earlier this year, and most of the documentation, such as the datasheet and technical reference manual, was only made available in the last few months/weeks. The new AM62L3 SoC can be tested with the $189 TMDS62LEVM evaluation module (EVM) using Linux, Linux RT, and FreeRTOS SDKs.

I mentioned development tools from TI because Beacon has yet to provide detailed documentation about the module and information about a devkit for their AM62L SoC.  Target applications include industrial control panels, portable medical diagnostics, and mission-critical defense systems.

I could not find any pricing or availability information, but I would assume mass production has not started yet based on the details available at this time. Beacon EmbeddedWorks manufactures and supports the AM62L entirely in the US. A few more details may be found on the product page.

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