Lantronix has an “Open-Q 5165RB” module that runs Linux on Qualcomm’s robotics-focused QRB5165 SoC. A companion “Open-Q 865 SOM development kit” also works with other Open-Q 865 family SOMs.

Lantronix has announced its Open-Q 5165RB, a tiny (50 x 29mm) production-ready compute module based on Qualcomm’s QRB5165 SoC. The QRB5165 is a robotics-oriented variant of the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865. Along with the module, Lantronix has rolled out the Open-Q 865 SOM development kit as a companion to the Open-Q 5165RB SOM. The dev kit consists of an open-frame carrier board compatible with the 5165RB SOM, exposing all of its available I/O. The products support Ubuntu 18.04 Linux..

Open-Q 5165RB SOM (left) and Open-Q 865 dev kit
(click on images to enlarge)

This announcement follows Qualcomm’s Flight RB5 5G Platform, likewise based on the QRB5165, that was unveiled last week. In fact, the 5165RB is very likely the “unnamed module” used in the RB5 5G. We’ve covered a couple development kits and dev kit/module combos from Lantronix over the past 12 months, including its Open-Q 610 μSOM with companion Open-Q 610 μSOM development kit, and its Snapdragon 888 Mobile HDK. But the 5165RB appears to be the company’s first solution aimed specifically at robotics.

According to Lantronix, the 5165RB is designed for use in advanced robotics for consumer, industrial and defense applications. The SOM is also useful for the development of AI-enabled drones, UAVs, machine vision platforms, AI processing gateways, face detection and recognition systems, deep learning and neural networks processing and autonomous systems, says the company.

Open-Q 5165RB SOM

The 5I65RB’s SoC, the QRB5165, is built around the 7nm-fabricated, octa-core, Snapdragon 865. It packs in 4x Cortex-A77 based Kryo 585 cores, 4x Cortex-A55-like Kyro cores, along with GPU, DSP, ISP and NPU cores. More details on the QRB5165 are described in last week’s Qualcomm’s Flight RB5 5G Platform story.

Open-Q 5165RB SOM front (left) and back
(click on images to enlarge)

Aside from the 5I65RB SoC, the 5165RB module offers 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB UFS flash. Wireless connectivity is enabled by 802.11ax 2×2 MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.1. It is Bluetooth v5.2 (Milan) ready. High-speed interconnects include 1x PCIe Gen3 2-lane, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C with support for DisplayPort v1.4 (with USB SS data concurrency) and 1x USB 3.1 Type-A. Other I/O links are 4-bit SD 3.0, UART, I2C, I3C, SPI, configurable GPIOs and sensor I/O to dedicated to the Hexagon DSP core.

For display interfacing, the module provides up to three 4K displays — 1x internal display through DSI and 2x external displays through DisplayPort. There are also 2x 4-lane MIPI-DSI D-PHY 1.2 links. Displays are supported up to 5040 x 2160 resolution at 60fps with touchscreen support. Camera support includes 3x 4-lane MIPI-CSI camera ports plus CCI I2C control. The SoC’s Spectra 480 ISP core supports multiple concurrent cameras at 64MP, 30fps ZSL.

Aside from Ubuntu 18.04, the module’s Linux support includes kernel v4.19. There is also support for Wayland/Xorg display manager, apt pkg manager, ALSA sound, GStreamer, Video4Linux (V4L2), USB UVC camera support, and Docker support. A number of AI platforms are compatible as well, such as TensorFlow Lite, Qualcomm Neural Processing SDK, Computer Vision SDK and Neural Networks API. The SOM also supports Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2).

Open-Q 865 SOM Development Kit

While the Open-Q 865 development kit can be used with the 5165RB module, it is actually compatible with any of Lantronix’s production-ready Open-Q 865 family of SOMs. SOMs are sold separately from the dev kit, and touchscreen display and camera add-ons are available.

Open-Q 865 SOM development kit front (left) and rear
(click on images to enlarge)

The Open-Q 865 Development Kit consists of an open-frame Mini-ITX Form-factor (170 x 170mm) carrier board with dual WiFi/Bluetooth PCB antennas, a SOM heatsink and an STMicroelectronics sensor board. The kit is powered by a 12V/3A adapter (included) or a single cell Li-ion battery (not included). All of the SOM’s available I/O is exposed and accessible through the carrier board. The operating system support and other software compatibly depends on the specific SOM purchased and installed. So, for example, all of the I/O and software support described for the 5165RB module, discussed further above, applies to an Open-Q 865 dev kit used with the 5165RB SOM.

Further information

Aside from the announcement, more information can be found on Lantronix’s Open-Q 5165RB SOM and Open-Q 865 Development Kit product pages. The 5165RB SOM is available from its shopping page at $580 plus shipping, while the Open-Q 865 dev kit can be purchased (SOM not included) from its shopping page for $399 plus shipping.