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ARM9 Based Linux SOM (System On Module)

Part Number: CFA-10036

Small, highly functional ARM9 based Linux SOM (System On Module). Our goals when we designed the CFA-10036 were low cost, rugged, easy to embed, ease of use, and lots of GPIO.

The CFA10036 can easily monitor several environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, etc), log the data, and make that data available over the Internet. This is the core concept behind IoT (Internet of Things). Starting with a CFA10036 makes it very easy to make your thing part of the IoT.

To reduce overall cost, we found it made sense to move the fine-pitch high-density (BGA) parts onto a small, relatively costly PCB (CFA-10036) and move the rest of the parts onto a larger, lower cost PCB (CFA-10037).

Every tech geek who saw a prototype of the CFA-10036 quickly had an idea for a project that could use it. They wanted to use it in a test fixture, in another display design, in a motion control project, or in an automotive control project.

Our unofficial motto is “If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.” We ended up spending hundreds of hours updating our knowledge of high-speed PCB design, and designing and laying out the CFA-10036 to maximize the performance and minimize the cost. We think the result is beautiful.

  • 454MHz Freescale i.MX283 (optionally i.MX287) processor
    • 289-ball BGA 17x17 grid on 0.8mm pitch
    • 16-Kbyte instruction cache, 32-Kbyte data cache
    • 2x CAN interfaces (i.MX287 only)
    • Four synchronous serial ports
    • 10/100-Mbps 802.3 Ethernet MAC (1x on i.MX283, 2x on i.MX287)
    • USB 2.0 OTG (connected to microUSB AB on CFA-10036)
    • USB 2.0 host controller and PHY
    • 5x UART plus one dedicated debug UART
    • 2x I2C (OLED shares one of these)
    • LCD, touch screen, keypad, and rotary encoder support
    • RTC with 32KHz crystal (requires continuous power)
    • 4x 32-bit timers
    • 8x PWM
    • 5x 12-bit 428KS/s ADC channels
    • 1x 12 bit 2MS/s ADC channel
    • In short, all peripherals available on the i.MX28 are available on the CFA-10036 expansion connector except the OTG USB, which is brought out to its own dedicated connector. For details, refer to the Freescale i.MX28 data sheet.
  • 128MB (optionally 256MB) DDR2
  • MicroSD/microSDHC/microSDXC socket: up to 64GB of nonvolatile storage
  • 91 GPIO (i.MX283) or 126 GPIO (i.MX287)
  • 6-layer impedance-controlled PCB, gold SODIMM contacts
  • On-board micro USB AB connector
  • Only a single 5v supply needed (3.3v/1.8v/1.5v supplies internally generated)

Part Change Notice

Subscribe to Part Change Notices by email Email subscription for changes to CFA-10036 or RSS RSS feed for changes to CFA-10036
  • text_snippet
    Product Update #10584: The Linux SOM family has had a kernel and a build update.
    Products Affected: CFA-10036, CFA10037, CFA10055-8, CFA10056-4, CFA921-TS, CFA920-TS
    Date Issued: April 28, 2014
    Summary: The Linux SOM family has had a kernel and a build update.

    Description: Linux kernel update and build update.
    Recommendation: To access the new build please visit: http://images.crystalfontz.com/releases/
  • text_snippet
    Product Update #10571: The CFA-10036 modules have been updated to include a heat shield to provide better thermal cooling for the i.MX28 processor.
    Products Affected: CFA-10036, CFA10037, CFA921-TS, CFA920-TS
    Date Issued: October 30, 2013
    Summary: The CFA-10036 modules have been updated to include a heat shield to provide better thermal cooling for the i.MX28 processor.
    Reason: To provide more efficient thermal cooling for the i.MX28 processor.
  • text_snippet
    Product Update #10557: (New Product) CFA-10036
    New Product: CFA-10036
    Date Issued: October 25, 2013
    Summary: (New Product) CFA-10036
    Description: Linux SOM: Open, Hackable, Linux + ARM Embedded GPIO Module
  • text_snippet
    Product Update #10467: (New Product) CFA-10036
    New Product: CFA-10036
    Date Issued: April 15, 2013
    Summary: (New Product) CFA-10036
    Description: Development Kit / Demonstration Board: A small, highly functional ARM9 based Linux SOM