Sony dev kit combines MCUs, GPS and audio

        Sony SPresense is a multi-function development kit with a lot of processing power, GPS receivers and a camera interface, amongst other peripherals.

        The CXD5602 SoC on the 50 x 20.6mm main board contains six 156MHz ARM Cortex-M4F cores, and its periperals include an 8bit parallel camera interface, a multi-constellation GNSS receiver, and a sensor-fusion block to simplify movement or context sensing various external sensors, which can include: accelerometer, eCompass, gyroscope, or pressure sensor. The CXD5247 on the 68.6 x 53.3mm extension board (yes, it’s larger than the main board), adds a class-D bridge-tied load audio amplifier, 8-channel digital microphone and 4-channel analogue microphone inputs, as well as dc-dc converters and a low-dropout regulator to provide the system power rails. Battery-charging and fuel-gauge peripherals are also included for self-powered, connected, smart objects. “Expansion headers allow users to further extend the rich native features by adding Arduino shields or any of a selection of specially developed add-on boards,” said RS Components, which is stocking the development kit (see links above). The custom boards include Spresense-BLE-EVK-701 Bluetooth LE Spresense-SENSOR-EVK-701 MEMS accelerometer, barometer, and magnetometer Also the extension board handles interfacing and user access to signals, featuring level-shifting circuitry, headphone and microphone-input headers, and an SD Card slot. “Together, the audio, video, sensing, and positioning capabilities of Sprensense, made accessible by this two-board platform, enable users to create even more advanced IoT devices and smart objects,” according to RS. “With its multicore compute engine and built-in GPS, SPRESENSE is ideal for next-generation drones. Support for high-resolution audio recording and playback, and the full digital amplifier, create a platform for smart speakers. On the other hand, the built-in camera interface can support smart cameras and networked-vision applications such as security surveillance or remote time-lapse cameras.” Spresense is compatible with the Arduino development environment (IDE), and comes with a set of APIs that allow the use of the NuttX based software development kit (SDK).