Introduction to QuecPi Alpha Single-board Computer
Introduction
This document defines Quectel QuecPi Alpha single-board computer and details about its hardware interface characteristics, electrical characteristics, mechanical specifications and other relevant information, which can help you quickly understand the product.
Special Mark
Mark | Definition |
---|---|
* | Unless otherwise specified, an asterisk () after a function, feature, interface, pin name, command, argument, and so on indicates that it is under development and currently not supported; and the asterisk () after a model indicates that the model sample is currently unavailable. |
Product Overview
QuecPi Alpha is an intelligent ecological single-board computer developed by Quectel based on the high-performance 8-core 64-bit processor from Qualcomm QCS6490 (with computing power of up to 12.15 TOPS) and the Qualcomm AdrenoTM 642L/643 GPU. It has 8 GB LPDDR4X memory, adopts USB Type-C power supply interface, and can be externally connected to eMMC and SSD. It also supports Wi-Fi 2.4 & 5 G, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0, as well as dual displays (DP and LCM or DP and HDMI). With strong performance and rich multimedia functions, it can meet your requirements for high data rate, multimedia functions and computing power in industrial and consumer applications.
QuecPi Alpha integrates abundant interfaces, which significantly expands its application in M2M field. It can also be widely used in industries and devices such as edge computing, robotics, industrial control, multimedia terminals, digital billboards, intelligent security systems and industrial-grade PDA, covering various sectors across the entire AIoT field.
QuecPi Alpha supports Linux/Ubuntu* operating systems, which can meet the requirements of algorithm prototype verification and inference application development.
QuecPi Alpha | Description |
---|---|
Packaging Type | PCBA |
Dimensions (mm) | (108.94 ±0.2) × (68.70 ±0.2) × (23.00 ±0.2) |
Weight (g) | 71.6 ±0.5 |
Key Features
Category | Description |
---|---|
Application Processor | 8-core 64-bit high-performance processor (up to 12.15 TOPS computing power) QCS6490 1 × Gold Plus @ 2.7 GHz 3 × Gold @ 2.4 GHz 4 × Silver @ 1.9 GHz The main frequency is up to 2.7 GHz 32 KB L1I cache, 32KB L1D cache and 512 KB L2 cache |
GPU | Adreno™ 642L/ 643 |
Memory | 8 GB LPDDR4X + 128 GB UFS |
Operating System | Linux/Ubuntu* |
USB Interfaces | 1 × USB 3.1 Type-C interface, which is compatible with USB 2.0. The maximum data transmission rate is 5 Gbps 2 × standard USB 2.0 Type-A interfaces, supporting master mode only. The maximum data transmission rate is 480 Mbps 1 × USB Type-C interface, serving as main power supply interface |
Video Interface | 1 × USB Type-C interface (DP over USB Type-C), supporting DisplayPort 1.4. It supports up to 4K (3840 × 2160) @ 60 fps 1 × HDMI interface, DMI 2.0. Encoding: 4K (H.264/ H.265) @ 30 fps. Decoding 4K (H.264/H.265/VP9) @ 60 fps 1 × FPC connector, supporting FHD+ (1200 × 2520) @ 144 fps based on MIPI standard |
Audio Interface | 1 × 3.5 mm headphone port, an output interface conforming to Chinese and American standards 1 × HDMI interface, supporting audio output 1 × on-board DMIC |
Camera Interfaces | 2 × FPC connectors, 4-lane MIPI CSI, with the maximum rate of 2.5 Gbps/ lane |
Ethernet Interface | 1 × standard RJ45 interface, supporting 10/100/1000 Mbps rate of Ethernet |
PCIe Connector | 1 × FPC connector, 1-lane PCIe 3.0, with the maximum data rate of 8 Gbps |
SD Card Connector | 1 × SD 3.0, 4-bit SDIO |
UART | 1 × SH1.0 connector, used for debugging only |
40-pin Expansion Ports | I2C interface (can be multiplexed with other interfaces) SPI (can be multiplexed with other interfaces) UART (can be multiplexed with other interfaces) PWM interface GPIO ( can be multiplexed with other interfaces) |
Keypad | 1 × PWRKEY, internal pull-up is supported 1 × KEY1, user-definable functional keypad 1 × KEY2, user-definable functional keypad |
LED Indicators | Red, blue and green lights |
Antenna Interface | SG565D-WF: 1 × Wi-Fi & Bluetooth antenna interface |
Temperature Ranges | Normal operating temperature: -35 to +75 °C Storage temperature: -40 to +90 °C |
Power Supply Requirements | Powered by USB Type-C. It is recommended to use 27 W power adapter, which supports PD protocol |
Shielding Cover | None |
Firmware Upgrade | USB interface & DP OTA |
RoHS | All hardware components fully comply with EU RoHS directive |
- `HDMI interface and MIPI display cannot be used at the same time.
Functional Diagram
The product functional diagram is as follows:
Interface Description
Detailed Interface Diagram
Interface Definitions
No. | Interface | Description |
---|---|---|
1 | Pin Header with 2 × 20 Pins | GPIO with multiplexing functions can be multiplexed into I2C, SPI, PWM, etc. |
2 | PCIe Interface | PCIe 3.0 interface used for high-speed peripherals, with the maximum data rate of 8 Gbps |
3 | Keypad 2 | Functions can be customized |
4 | Keypad 1 | Functions can be customized |
5 | PWRKEY Keypad | Turn-on/off keypad. When the power-up auto-start function is not enabled, long press this keypad to turn on the module |
6 | USB Type-C Power Supply | Provides DC power supply through USB Type-C, supporting PD |
7 | USB Type-C | Displays: USB Type-C interface (DP over USB Type-C), supporting DisplayPort 1.4 and supporting up to 4K (3840 × 2160) @ 60 fps USB expansion ports: USB 3.1 Type-C interface, compatible with USB 2.0 |
8 | Headphone Interface | 3.5 mm audio interface, supporting audio output |
9 | Display Interface | 1 group of 4-lane MIPI DSI with the maximum data rate of 2.5 Gbps/ lane, supporting FHD+ (1200 × 2520) @ 144 fps based on MIPI standard |
10, 11 | Camera Interfaces | 4 groups of 4-lane MIPI CSI with the maximum data rate of 2.5 Gbps/ lane |
12 | UART | Debug UART |
13 | DMIC | Digital microphone |
14 | Auto-start Switch | Power-up auto-start switch |
15 | HDMI Interface | HDMI interface is used for video output, supporting 4K @ 60 Hz |
16 | Ethernet Interface | Supports 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
17 | Fan Connector | Supports 5 V power-supplied fan |
18 | USB Type-A | 2 standard USB 2.0 Type-A interfaces |
19 | SD Card Interface | Push-type SD card connector, supporting SD 3.0 protocol |
20 | Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Antenna Interface | I-PEX test connector |
Power Supply Input
The product provides 1 USB Type-C connector, which serves as an input interface for supplying power to QuecPi Alpha. The data transmission function is not supported. To ensure the reliability of QuecPi Alpha, confirm that the power adapter or external power supply should have an output capacity of at least 25 W.
HDMI Interface
The product provides 1 HDMI interface with the maximum data output rate of 6 Gbps, which can provide enough wideband for 4K @ 60 Hz video.
Ethernet Interface
The product provides 1 standard RJ45 interface, supporting 10/100/1000 Mbps rate of Ethernet.
USB 2.0 & USB 3.1 Interfaces
The product provides 2 standard USB 2.0 Type-A interfaces and 1 USB 3.1 Type-C interface, which are compatible with USB 2.0. The maximum data rate of USB 2.0 interface is 480 Mbps, and the maximum data rate of USB 3.1 interface is 5 Gbps.
Pin Header with 2 × 20 Pins
The product provides 1 pin header with 2 × 20 pins and a spacing of 2.54 mm, which can lead out 28 GPIOs of the product. You can control these GPIOs through software, or multiplex some GPIOs into other functions, such as I2C, UART or SPI.
The following table shows the pin funcions of the pin header with 2 × 20 pins:
Pin No. | Function | Pin No. | Function |
---|---|---|---|
1 | VCC_3V3 | 2 | VCC_5V2 |
3 | GPIO_36 | 4 | VCC_5V2 |
5 | GPIO_37 | 6 | GND |
7 | GPIO_77 | 8 | GPIO_50 |
9 | GND | 10 | GPIO_51 |
11 | GPIO_16 | 12 | GPIO_101 |
13 | GPIO_17 | 14 | GND |
15 | GPIO_18 | 16 | GPIO_32 |
17 | VCC_3V3 | 18 | GPIO_33 |
19 | GPIO_164 | 20 | GND |
21 | GPIO_163 | 22 | GPIO_19 |
23 | GPIO_165 | 24 | GPIO_166 |
25 | GND | 26 | GPIO_161 |
27 | GPIO_52 | 28 | GPIO_53 |
29 | GPIO_49 | 30 | GND |
31 | GPIO_48 | 32 | GPIO_76 |
33 | GPIO_78 | 34 | GND |
35 | GPIO_47 | 36 | GPIO_34 |
37 | GPIO_35 | 38 | GPIO_57 |
39 | GND | 40 | GPIO_102 |
DSI Display Interface
The product provides 1 group of 4-lane MlPl DSl display interface with 22 pins and a spacing of 0.5 mm. The maximum data rate is 2.5 Gbps/ lane. It supports FHD+ (1200 × 2520) @ 144 fps based on MIPI standard.
CSI Camera Interfaces
The product provides 2 groups of 4-lane MlPl CSl camera interfaces with 22 pins and a spacing of 0.5 mm. The maximum data rate is 2.5 Gbps/ lane.
PCIe Interface
The product provides 1 PCIe 3.0 interface with 16 pins and a spacing of 0.5 mm, which is used for high-speed peripherals. The maximum data rate is 8 Gbps.
SD Card Interface
The product provides 1 push-type SD card connector, which supports SD 3.0 protocol.
Electrical Characteristics and Reliability
Absolute Maximum Ratings
Parameter | Min. | Max. | Unit |
---|---|---|---|
Power supply voltage at USB Type-C | -0.3 | 20.0 | V |
Voltage at digital pins of expansion ports | -0.3 | 3.6 | V |
NOTE
Exceeding the conditions of use as shown above may cause permanent damage to the product.
Power Supply Ratings
The product can be powered by POWER IN Type-C interface and supports USB PD 3.0 fast-charging protocol. The power adapter used for the product should be able to provide at least 5 V/ 5 A power.
Digital I/O Characteristics
2 × 20 Pin I/O Requirements (Unit: V)
Parameter | Description | Min. | Max. |
---|---|---|---|
VIH | High-level input voltage | 2.81 | 3.30 |
VIL | Low-level input voltage | 0 | 0.66 |
VOH | High-level output voltage | 3.00 | 3.30 |
VOL | Low-level output voltage | 0 | 0.30 |
ESD Protection
Static electricity occurs naturally and it may damage the module. Therefore, applying proper ESD countermeasures and handling methods is imperative. For example, wear anti-static gloves during the development, production, assembly and testing of the module; add ESD protection components to the ESD sensitive interfaces and points in the product design. ESD Characteristics (Temperature: 25–30 ℃, Humidity: 40 ±5 %; Unit: kV).
Tested Interfaces | Contact Discharge | Air Discharge |
---|---|---|
VBAT & GND | TBD | TBD |
Other interfaces | TBD | TBD |
Operating and Storage Temperatures
Operating and Storage Temperatures (Unit: ℃)
Parameter | Min. | Typ. | Max. |
---|---|---|---|
Normal Operating Temperature | -35 | +25 | +75 |
Storage Temperature | -40 | - | +90 |
Mechanical Information
This chapter describes the mechanical dimensions of the module. All dimensions are measured in millimeter mm, and the dimensional tolerances are ±0.2 mm unless otherwise specified.
Mechanical Dimensions
Top and Bottom Views
NOTE
Images above are for illustration purpose only and may differ from the actual module. For authentic appearance and label, please refer to the module received from Quectel.
Appendix Terms and Abbreviations
Abbreviation | Description |
---|---|
AIoT | Artificial Intelligence of Things |
CSI | Camera Serial Interface |
DDR | Double Data Rate |
DMIC | Digital Microphone |
DP | DisplayPort |
eMMC | Embedded Multimedia Card |
ESD | Electrostatic Discharge |
FHD+ | Full High Definition |
FPC | Flexible Printed Circuit |
fps | Frames Per Second |
Gbps | Gigabits per second |
GND | Ground |
GPIO | General-Purpose Input/Output |
GPU | Graphics Processing Unit |
HDMI | High Definition Multimedia Interface |
I2C | Inter-Integrated Circuit |
I2S | Inter-IC Sound |
I/O | Input/Output |
LCM | Liquid Crystal Module |
LPDDR4X | Low Power Double Data Rate 4 Extended |
Mbps | Megabits per second |
M2M | Machine to Machine |
MIPI | Mobile Industry Processor Interface |
MOB | Module-on-Board |
OTA | Over-the-Air Programming |
PCBA | Printed Circuit Board Assembly |
PCIe | Peripheral Component Interconnect Express |
PD | Power Delivery |
PDA | Personal Digital Assistant |
PHY | Physical |
PWM | Pulse Width Modulation |
RJ45 | Registered Jack 45 |
RoHS | Restriction of Hazardous Substances |
RXD | Receive Data (Pin) |
SD | Secure Digital |
SDIO | Secure Digital Input and Output |
SPI | Serial Peripheral Interface |
SSD | Solid State Disk/Drive |
TXD | Transmit Data (Pin) |
UART | Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter |
UFS | Universal Flash Storage |
USB | Universal Serial Bus |
VBAT | Voltage at Battery (Pin) |