PHOENIX – Avnet is enhancing the launch of NXP Semiconductor’s i.MX RT1170 crossover MCU family with the MaaXBoard RT, a low-cost single-board computer that can be used as a development board or as a versatile building block for integration into original equipment manufacturer (OEM) custom systems.
Advanced security features of the NXP i.MX RT1176 MCU, plus additional security capabilities of an onboard secure element device ensure the safety of critical applications. These include crypto engine, key protection, random number generation, secure storage bus encryption, tamper protection, secure boot and more. These features enable the security required for many mission critical applications, such as electrical grid control and medical applications.
“As we continue to expand the popular i.MX RT series with our new dual-core i.MX RT1170 MCU family, we are especially pleased that design-in development platforms are readily available like Avnet’s MaaXBoard RT single board computer,” said Mario Centeno, Global IoT Marketing Director at NXP. “Platforms like the MaaXBoard RT allow design engineers and makers to take full advantage of the large internal SRAM of 2MB, the multimedia capabilities with MIPI-DSI and 2D graphics engine and 1GHz performance to not only evaluate the i.MX RT1170 but to help accelerate time to market.”
The MaaxBoard RT has a versatile set of peripheral interfaces enabling the rapid development of custom applications. This includes software enablement via drivers, and middleware with bare metal and/or FreeRTOS options, with Azure RTOS options coming soon. The platform offers several on-board peripherals including 256 MB of SDRAM and HyperFlash, two onboard Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 port, MIPI-DSI, MIPI-CSI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, four on-board microphones and an audio jack. A Raspberry Pi HAT compatible expansion connector also provides interfaces for UART, SPI, l2C and GPIO.
“By offering a low cost i.MX RT1176-based single board computer, Avnet is making the latest, most innovative technology more accessible through the MaaXBoard RT turnkey solution and services for the design and development community,” said Jim Beneke, vice president of products and emerging technologies, Avnet. “Designers can use the board to prototype their ideas and then can quickly move to production with the compact, cost effective MaaXBoard architecture. Avnet also offers hardware customization and software development services for OEMs needing additional help.”
This product is ideal for machine learning, IoT, industrial automation, multi-media, security and audio applications. In addition, to simplify the design of IoT applications even more, the capabilities of the MaaXBoard RT can be extended further when combined with Avnet’s IoTConnect® Partner Program and Platform. Avnet’s IoTConnect Partner Program enables system integrators (SIs) and OEMs to build new solutions and service models for their devices on Avnet’s IoTConnect Platform and helps them leverage Avnet’s experts to accelerate and scale their IoT solution development. The platform is Microsoft Azure cloud based and highly scalable to address common industry needs and challenges. With a standardized way to harness IoT, designers can quickly build smart apps and solutions on the platform.
NXP’s i.MX RT1170 MCU family is based on the Arm Cortex-M7 and Cortex-M4 cores, which provide industry real-time functionality and microcontroller (MCU) usability at a cost-effective price.
The MaaxBoard RT is production ready and FCC, CE and RoHS certified. It will be available in the Americas, Europe and China for USD $99. Developers can pre-order their MaaXBoard RT now, with shipments expected to start in Q2 2021. It is available in quantities from one to thousands. For more information on this product, please visit: www.avnet.me/maaxboard-rt-npi
