第2章 Product Overview

2.1. Product Features

2.1.1. What is Armadillo

"Armadillo" is an embedded system platform brand with ARM core processors and Linux support. Armadillo brand products have the following features.

• ARM processors with power-saving design

ARM based processor boards with power saving designs that operate between one to several watts, they generate little heat and don't require a fan.

• Small Size

The CPU boards are mostly the size of a business card. A lineup of ultra-small modules including a CPU module about one third the size of a business card and also a wireless LAN module are also available.

• Linux Preinstalled as the Standard Operating System

Linux as the default operating system provides access to rich software resources and proven stability. Source code is provided as open source.

• Development Environment

"Atmark Techno Development Environment" (ATDE) is provided free of charge as the development environment for Armadillo. ATDE is a virtual machine image for VMware. The image is based on a Linux desktop environment and has GNU cross development tools and other necessary tools preinstalled. Using ATDE reduces the work involved with setting up a development environment like preparing a development PC and installing required tools.

2.1.2. What is Armadillo-IoT Gateway

The Armadillo-IoT Gateway is a platform for easily and quickly developing gateways for IoT / M2M and is based on the proven Armadillo embedded platform. It combines a high degree of flexibility, ease of development and robustness as an embedded device in a well-balanced manner, and is suitable for those who want to develop original commercial IoT gateways in a timely manner according to market needs.

Expansion with Add-on Modules

Two expansion interfaces are available allowing optional add-on modules to be connected. Add-on modules for wired connections such as RS232C / RS422 / RS485, digital input/output and analog input, and also those supporting energy-saving wireless communication standards such as EnOcean and Wi-SUN are available.

Also, as the interface standards for add-on modules are published, original modules can be developed. As various requirements can be met by developing just an add-on module, it is possible to reduce the overall development time and cost compared to when developing a full CPU board from scratch.

Mobile Communication (3G) Support

3G communication modules can be equipped for mobile communication. Various mobile carriers offer dedicated line plans for Armadillo-IoT, so 3G support capability can be introduced immediately.

Linux Based Software Stack

As Linux is preinstalled as the standard operating system, various software resources, starting with open source software, can be utilized. Also, as languages like Ruby and Oracle Java are supported, it is possible to develop software without using the C/C++.

Cloud Support

A software stack which includes components like a MQTT client and is highly suited to use with cloud systems is preinstalled. In addition, as the edge agents from various cloud services have already been ported to Armadillo-IoT it is simple to develop a system that works with the cloud.

2.2. Product Lineup

The lineup of add-on modules is as follows.

表2.1 Add-on Module Lineup

NameProduct Number
Armadillo-IoT RS232C Add-on Module RS00OP-AGA-RS00-00
Armadillo-IoT Isolated RS232C/422/485 Add-on Module RS01OP-AGA-RS01-00
Armadillo-IoT Isolated RS485 Add-on Module RS02OP-AGA-RS02-00
Armadillo-IoT RN4020 Add-on Module BT00OP-AGA-BT00-00
Armadillo-IoT EnOcean Add-on Module EN00[a]OP-AGA-EN00-00
Armadillo-IoT Wi-SUN Add-on Module WS00OP-AGA-WS00-00
Armadillo-IoT Isolated Digital I/O / Analog Input Add-on Module DA00OP-AGA-DA00-00

[a] Scheduled to be released


2.3. Specifications

The main specifications of Armadillo-IoT Gateway G3 are as follows.

表2.2 Specifications

Product NumberAGX3150

Processor

NXP Semiconductors i.MX 7 Dual

ARM Cortex-A7 x 2

- Instruction / data cache 32KByte/32KByte

- L2 Cache 512KByte

- Internal SRAM 256KByte

- Media processing engine (NEON)

- Thumb code (16 bit instruction set) support

ARM Cortex-M4

- Instruction / data cache 16KByte/16KByte

System Clock

CPU Core Clock (ARM Cortex-A7): 996MHz

CPU Core Clock(ARM Cortex-M4): 200MHz

DDR Clock: 533MHz

Oscillation Clock: 32.768kHz, 24MHz

RAM

DDR3L: 1GByte

32bit bus

ROM

QSPI NOR Flash Memory: 8MByte

eMMC: about 3.8GB (about 3.6GiB))[a]

LAN (Ethernet)

RJ-45 x 1

1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T, AUTO-MDIX

Wireless LAN

WLAN + BT Combo Module: AEH-AR9462

IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n

ellular Module

3G module: Gemalto PDS6[b]

MicroSIM slot x 1

Serial (UART)

3.3V CMOS x 1

SD/MMC

SD slot x 1

USB

USB 2.0 Host x 1 (High Speed)

Calendar Clock

Real-time Clock

Power Supply Connector For External Backup[c]

Add-on Module[d]

None

SwitchUser switch x 3, reset switch x 1

LED

User LED x 4, 3G LED x 1
Power Supply VoltageDC 8V to 26.4V
Power Consumption (reference)[e]3.6W approx. (standby), 4.5W approx. (during communication)[f]
Operating Temperature[g][h]-10 to 50℃[i]
Dimensions155.8 x 125.8 x 47.0mm (including flange)

[a] Size for SLC use. SLC is set at the factory.

[b] 3G mobile communication MicroSIM card sold separately.

[c] Batteries are not included.

[d] Two add-on modules can be equipped.

[e] Power consumption is measured when LAN, USB and serial connectors are connected to external equipment. Consumption of externally connected equipment is not included.

[f] Power consumption varies depending on the radio wave environment during communication.

[g] This temperature is when power consumption is limited, such as by stopping communication of the 3G module at high temperature.

[h] With no condensation.

[i] The operating temperature the board by itself (without a case) is -20°C to 70°C.


2.4. Armadillo-IoT Gateway Exterior

Armadillo-IoT Gateway Exterior

図2.1 Armadillo-IoT Gateway Exterior


表2.3 Part Names and Functions

NumberNameDescription
1LAN ConnectorUsed to connect a LAN cable.
2USB ConnectorUsed to connect devices USB memory.
3Power Connector 1Used to connect the included AD adapter.
4Power Connector 2Used to connect power cables other than the included AD adapter.
5SD slotUsed to connect SD cards.
6Debug Serial ConnectorUsed to connect the included USB serial converter.
7MicroSIM SlotUsed to connect a MicroSIM card.
8User LED1A green LED which users can freely assign functions to.
9User LED2
10User LED3
11User LED4
12WWAN LEDGreen LED that indicates the communication status of the 3G module.
13User Switch 1A tact switch which users can freely assign functions to.
14User Switch 2
15User Switch 3
16Reset SwitchTact switch for resets.
17Serial ConnectorUsed to connect the serial cross cable.
18Antenna ConnectorUsed to connect the supplied antenna.

2.5. Block Diagram

The block diagram of the Armadillo-IoT gateway is as follows.

Armadillo-IoT Gateway Block DiagramFor the dotted line blocks, whether they are mounted or not depends on the product model. For the model with the 3G module, the 3G module, CON11 and CON17 are equipped and CON10 is not equipped. For the model without the 3G module, CON10 is equipped and the 3G module, CON11 and CON17 are not equipped.

図2.2 Armadillo-IoT Gateway Block Diagram[3]


2.6. Software Make-up

The following explains about the makeup of the software that runs on Armadillo-IoT.

The software available for Armadillo-IoT is shown in 表2.4「Software Available for Armadillo-IoT」.

表2.4 Software Available for Armadillo-IoT

SoftwareDescription
U-BootThe bootloader. In the factory default state the bootloader image is located in the QSPI Flash memory, but it can also be placed on the SD card.
Linux KernelA Linux kernel in the uImage format can be used. In the factory default state the Linux kernel image is located in the eMMC, but it can also be placed on the SD card by using bootloader functionality.
Debian GNU/LinuxA Linux distribution created by the Debian Project. With its package management system, it is easy to add a wealth of software packages provided by the Debian Project. In the factory default state, the Debian GNU/Linux root file system is located in eMMC, but it can also be placed in a storage device supported by Linux kernel such as an SD card.

The memory map of the Armadillo-IoT QSPI Flash memory is shown in 表2.5「QSPI Flash Memory Memory Map」.

表2.5 QSPI Flash Memory Memory Map

Physical AddressSizeDescription

0x00000000

0x001003FF

Approx. 1MByte

U-Boot bootloader image

0x00100400

0x001403FF

256 KBytes

License information

0x00140400

0x007FFFFF

Approx. 6.7 MBytes

Reserved area


The memory map of Armadillo-IoT's eMMC is shown below.

表2.6 eMMC Memory Map - When Using Installation Disk v20160928 or Later

PartitionSizeDescription

1

32 MBytes

Linux kernel image / Device tree blob

2

Approx 3.4 GBytes

Debian GNU/Linux

3

128 MBytes

Recovery image


表2.7 eMMC Memory Map - When Using Installation Disk v20160705 or Earlier

PartitionSizeDescription

1

32 MBytes

Linux kernel image / Device tree blob

2

Approx. 3.5 GBytes

Debian GNU/Linux

3

32 MBytes

Recovery image




[3] For the dotted line blocks, whether they are mounted or not depends on the product model. For the model with the 3G module, the 3G module, CON11 and CON17 are equipped and CON10 is not equipped. For the model without the 3G module, CON10 is equipped and the 3G module, CON11 and CON17 are not equipped.