From Beginner to Advanced: How to Choose the Rockchip RK Series SoM?
In the fields of intelligent terminals, consumer electronics, industrial automation, edge AI, and the Internet of Things (IoT), Rockchip's RK series processors have won wide market recognition thanks to their adaptability to multiple scenarios, powerful multimedia processing capabilities, and mature ecological resources. As an important partner of Rockchip, Forlinx Embedded has launched multiple SoM products based on the RK series processors, which can meet the all-around needs from basic applications to complex AI scenarios.
Facing the three popular products, the FET3506J-S SoM, the FET3562J-C SoM, and the FET3576-C SoM, which cover different levels, how should engineers make a choice?
This article will analyze them from three dimensions: core configuration, functional features, and industry adaptability, to help you precisely identify the RK SoM solution that better suits your project requirements.
FET3506J-S SoM
The Forlinx Embedded FET3506J-S SoM is an option with significant price advantages. This industrial-grade SoM is built on the Rockchip RK3506J industrial-grade processor. With a tax-included price starting at just $14, it has become a star product in the entry-level market thanks to its high cost-effectiveness and stable industrial-grade quality.
1. Multi-core heterogeneous, flexible configuration
The design utilizes a 3×Cortex-A7 and 1×Cortex-M0 architecture, incorporating industrial-grade components throughout the entire board. This setup enables a single chip to manage complex tasks effectively: the Cortex-A7 handles the main control operations, while the Cortex-M0 is responsible for real-time I/O control. This dual architecture meets the requirements for both primary control and real-time performance in industrial control applications.
2. Ultra-low power consumption and rich interfaces
The measured power consumption of the FET3506J-S System on Module (SoM) at full load is only 0.7W, eliminating the need for any heat dissipation treatment. It can withstand high-temperature environment testing at +85°C while operating at full load. Additionally, it features a high-speed parallel bus interface known as DSMC. This low-cost, easy-to-develop communication bus supports high-speed connections between the FPGA and ARM, as well as master/slave configurations. Furthermore, it includes a configurable parallel data interface, FlexBUS, which can be used to connect ADC and DAC chips, DVP cameras, and QSPI LCD displays.
3. Applicable fields
FET3506J-S SoM is widely used in industrial automation, consumer electronics, intelligent medical treatment, power, new energy, communications and other industries and related applications. In addition, the competitive price advantage and complete after-sales technical support of Forlinx Embedded help your products come into the market quickly and walk in the forefront of the industry.
FET3562J-C SoM (A Lightweight yet All-Round AI Powerhouse)
When a project requires enhanced processing capabilities, improved multimedia performance, and moderate AI computing power, the Forlinx Embedded FET3562J-C SoM offers an exceptional balance. When a project requires enhanced processing capabilities, better multimedia performance, and moderate AI computing power, the Forlinx Embedded FET3562J-C SoM provides an excellent balance.
1. Powerful Quad-core + NPU
The FET3562J-C SoM is a high-performance, low-power consumption application processor specially designed for industrial automation and consumer electronic devices. It integrates 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 high-performance cores; an embedded 3D GPU to ensure full compatibility with OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan 1.1; and a built-in NPU with a computing power of 1 TOPS, supporting mixed operations of INT4/INT8/INT16/FP16 data types, which can provide more options for your AI applications.
2. Powerful Multimedia and Expansion Capabilities
It supports H.264 encoding and decoding, H.265 and VP9 high-definition hardware decoding, and includes a high-quality JPEG encoder and decoder. It supports three display interfaces: LVDS, MIPI DSI, and RGB, meeting your diverse display needs in multiple scenarios. It is equipped with interfaces such as Ethernet, USB 3.0/2.0, PCIe 2.1, UART, CAN, PWM, and ADC, with strong expansion capabilities, enabling easy connection to a variety of peripherals and modules.
3. Applicable fields
The FET3562J-C SoM is also suitable for industries and related application fields such as industrial automation, consumer electronics, smart healthcare, power, new energy, and communication. However, due to its higher performance and configuration, it can meet more complex functional requirements compared to the FET3506J-S SoM board.
FET3576-C SoM (High-performance Core for AIoT)
The FET3576-C SoM is developed and designed based on the Rockchip RK3576 processor. This processor is a high-performance, low-power consumption, and feature-rich application processor that Rockchip has carefully crafted for the AIoT and industrial markets, empowering your AI applications.
1. Octa-core high-computing-power and ultra-clear decoding intelligent chip
The FET3576-C SoM integrates four ARM Cortex-A72 and four ARM Cortex-A53 high-performance cores; a built-in NPU with a super-strong computing power of 6 TOPS; an embedded 3D GPU and a dedicated 2D hardware engine with MMU to maximize display performance; and H.265 ultra-clear hardware decoding, supporting a maximum resolution of 8K.
2. Super-strong multimedia capabilities and Firewall
The FET3576-C SoM supports H.264 and H.265 high-definition encoding and decoding, and five display interfaces: HDMI/eDP, MIPI DSI, Parallel, EBC, and DP. It supports triple-screen different display, 4K@120Hz ultra-clear display, and super-resolution function, which can intelligently repair blurred images and increase video frame rates, meeting your diverse display needs in multiple scenarios.
It supports the Firewall function, which is used to manage access permissions from the master device to the slave device and memory areas, achieving true hardware resource isolation. This function not only enhances the stability and security of the system but also provides strong support for various application scenarios.
3. Empowering applications in various industries
The FET3576-C SoM is widely applicable to industries such as industry, AIoT, edge computing, intelligent mobile terminals, and other digital multimedia-related application fields.
Summary
Through in-depth analysis of the features of the three Rockchip RK series SoMs, we can clearly outline the selection ideas:
- FET3506J-S SoM: It is an ideal choice for entry-level cost-sensitive projects, meeting basic control, display, and connection needs, and winning with ultra-high cost-effectiveness.
- FET3562J-C SoM: As a mid-end all-rounder, it strikes a balance between performance, multimedia, lightweight AI, and expandability, making it a reliable choice for mainstream intelligent applications.
- FET3576-C SoM: It represents flagship-level high-end performance. With a top-notch octa-core CPU, a 6 TOPS NPU, super-strong multimedia, and multi-screen capabilities, it is specifically designed for high-performance AI, complex visual processing, and high-end intelligent devices.
