What is som in electronics?

People invented technologies to make life easier. But who could think that they’ll go so far and place a whole smart house “controller” in a small chip? Well, that’s only the beginning. Today we are going to speak about Embedded systems and SoM.

SoM stands for System On Module, which is a small embedded computer system plugged onto a carrier board. The module houses all necessary functional parts, such as the CPU and graphics unit, a working and program memory, clock and energy management, and a number of connection ports, like WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, etc. An SoM’s modular design makes it excellent for integrating end systems, such as robotics and security cameras.

An embedded system is a hardware/software system based on a microprocessor or microcontroller that performs specific functions within a broader mechanical or electrical system. Digital watches and microwaves are examples of embedded system use, as are hybrid automobiles and avionics. Embedded systems account for up to 98 percent of all microprocessors produced.

The level of complexity varies from a single microcontroller to a suite of processors with associated peripherals and networks and from no user interface to extensive graphical user interfaces. An embedded system’s complexity varies greatly depending on the task for which it was created.

You may be familiar with microcontrollers or digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), GPU technology, and gate arrays. They are all used in embedded systems. These processing systems include components for dealing with electrical and mechanical interfaces.

Programming instructions for embedded systems, also known as firmware, are stored in read-only memory or flash memory chips and run on computers with limited hardware resources. Peripherals connect these systems to the outside world, linking input and output devices.

The following components make up the basic structure of an embedded system:

In a world where everything is being unceasingly digitized and the demands of users grow for even more powerful yet smaller embedded computers, the complexity of SoM systems is continuously expanding. To make this development more user-friendly, major semiconductor makers incorporate more functionality into the chips system (SoC).

The companies who make SoMs are to place the critical timing of the high-speed components and the very high number of connections in the smallest possible space.

SOMs enable developers to do the seemingly impossible, cutting time-to-market and lowering costs. Developing an embedded system is often a lengthy process that necessitates the design and fabrication of a bespoke board. An SoM simplifies the stages involved in bringing a design to life. Select an SoM that meets your requirements, integrates it with your end system, and you’re ready to go. In addition to allowing for high volume deployment, it also supports module-based designs that simplify product life cycle management and lower bill of materials (BoM) costs.

The term “time to market” refers to the time it takes from product development to launch. Only costs are incurred during this phase, and no sales are earned. As a result, it’s critical to keep the phase as brief as feasible.

This is the most notable benefit of a module-based architecture. The rapid availability of a computer module and accompanying software allows for a quicker development phase in hardware and software design.

It’s a pleasant, not insignificant side effect to be able to save time and money. In addition, an SoM typically reduces the complexity of the carrier board’s layer structure, resulting in additional development and cost savings.

Furthermore, the user has the freedom to choose from a variety of processors in the SoM series. This can be utilized to do processor upgrades or downgrades with suitable systems on module series.

SolidRun released their latest system module-based NXP’s i.MX8M Plus system on a chip. With i.MX8M plus, they expanded their system on a module concept to provide as much functionality on that same little board as possible. For instance, you have the cortex a 53, 1.8 gigahertz quad and quad variants up to eight gigabytes of Lpddr4, supporting optional ECC. Besides the features with the standard boards, SolidRun supports, this one also has 802.11 ac wireless and Bluetooth 5.0.

The i.MX8M Plus SOM is ideal for industrial IoT and HMI applications, with mega high-speed interfaces like 2 x Gigabit Ethernet, TSN, PCIe Gen 3, USB 3.0, and CAN-FD capabilities, as well as an industrial temperature grade and NXP’s durability program.

SoM is short for system on module. It’s an electronic circuit and integrates all required system functions into a module, including processor, storage (eMMC or Flash), memory (DDR) and I/O controller. However, unlike SoC that combines many of these functions onto a single chip, SoM typically requires only power to operate. In brief, SoM is an electronic motherboard that packages the core functions of MINI PC. Most SoMs integrate CPUs, storages, and pins. It’s connected to a matching carrier board through pins to implement a system-on-a-chip in a certain field.

SoC is short for system on chip, which is an integrated circuit (also known as a "chip") that integrates all or most components of a computer or other electronic system. These components typically (but not always) include a central processing unit (CPU), memory, input/output interfaces, and secondary storage interfaces-- all on a single substrate or microchip, size of a coin. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often RF signal processing functions, depending on the applications. As integrated on a single substrate, SoC consumes significantly less power and occupies much less area than an equivalent multi-chip design. It can perform a variety of functions, including signal processing, wireless communications, artificial intelligence. SOC is commonly used in embedded systems and IoT.

SOMs are easy-to-use embedded electronic hardware that can be integrated with substrates. When choosing a SoM, you should consider several factors, like specification, scalability, and flexibility, which are fundamental factors of any SoM that can impact your application. SoMs significantly reduce time-to-market and minimize costs, and make development much easier for engineers. With a SoM, all you need is a carrier board that fits your application to come into use.

SoM benefits a lot for development engineers and product manufacturers:

A System-on-Module, or SoM for short, is an electronic circuit that integrates all needed system functions into a single module including a processor, memory, and I/O controllers. However, unlike an SoC which combines many of these functions onto a single chip, an SoM typically only requires a source of power to operate.

SoMs are often built on top of a PCB and can either be enclosed in a metal housing (for EMC compliance), or left exposed with all components showing. Furthermore, SoMs always have a method for connecting to external boards in the form of pins, edge connectors, or solder tabs.

While the Raspberry Pi and Arduino range of boards could be considered SoMs, they fall into different categories. A Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer that has no specific purpose, and the Arduino range of boards are prototyping environments that break out the pins to a microcontroller.

SoMs are not as common as SoCs, but as semiconductors approach their physical limits, the role of SoMs will become increasingly important. SoCs are chips that integrate multiple system components into a single device such as a CPU, GPU, and MMU. However, an SoC still requires external circuitry to enable the device to operate, and this can include memory, I/O controllers, and various other supporting components.

As such, using SoCs in designs can make the design process complex and tedious. A designer needs to fully understand how to properly use an SoC, including each pin's function, thermal properties of the SoC, and pad design. An SoM, however, creates a module that handles these complexities to produce a device that a designer can essentially drop into a circuit.

Like the Arduino, the pins of an SoM can be directly connected to whatever hardware the designer wants to use (assuming they are not drawing too much current or using incompatible voltage levels). However, where an Arduino is a prototyping platform, an SoM can be used in the final product with a high degree of reliability (enough for commercial products).

Another major advantage of using an SoM is interchangeability. Assuming that a manufacturer of an SoM keeps the form factor of the module, improvements in technology can be incorporated into updated SoMs which can easily be interchanged with older units. As such, expensive complex systems (such as data centres and cellular networks) can be upgraded without completely changing the underlying hardware. Furthermore, the older SoMs can be recycled by using them in older designs at a discount price (assuming that the SoM itself is generic enough to allow for use in another application).

If we go with the definition of an SoM as being a device that allows for use in an end-product and combines multiple system functionality into a single PCB, the answer is that System-on-Modules are very common in the industry.

One area of electronics that sees heavy use of SoMs is radio communication, specifically the 2.4GHz band. The ESP32-WROOM-32 is an example of an SoM that integrates a microcontroller, TCP/IP stack, radio circuitry, radio antenna, and memory all onto a single PCB with a metal enclosure. While there are versions of this module attached to a board with pins for prototyping, the module itself is available for purchase and can be soldered directly onto PCBs in a final product to either act as a Wi-Fi adaptor or to operate as the sole controller.

Another example of an SoM is the SAMA5D27 by Microchip. This SoM integrates an Arm Cortext A5 processor with 1Gb DDR2 DRAM, integrates an onboard power management unit, and requires a single 3.3V input. A variation of this SoM is the SAMA5D27 Wireless SOM that integrates Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity while also offering a larger memory size of 2Gb (256MB). These SoMs are designed to provide designers with an entire ARM platform that can be directly added to a final product and removes the need for the designer to search for appropriate components, correctly route PCBs, and debug hardware.

SoM is short for system on module. It’s an electronic circuit and integrates all required system functions into a module, including processor, storage (eMMC or Flash), memory (DDR) and I/O controller. However, unlike SoC that combines many of these functions onto a single chip, SoM typically requires only power to operate. In brief, SoM is an electronic motherboard that packages the core functions of MINI PC. Most SoMs integrate CPUs, storages, and pins. It’s connected to a matching carrier board through pins to implement a system-on-a-chip in a certain field.

SoC is short for system on chip, which is an integrated circuit (also known as a "chip") that integrates all or most components of a computer or other electronic system. These components typically (but not always) include a central processing unit (CPU), memory, input/output interfaces, and secondary storage interfaces-- all on a single substrate or microchip, size of a coin. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often RF signal processing functions, depending on the applications. As integrated on a single substrate, SoC consumes significantly less power and occupies much less area than an equivalent multi-chip design. It can perform a variety of functions, including signal processing, wireless communications, artificial intelligence. SOC is commonly used in embedded systems and IoT.

SOMs are easy-to-use embedded electronic hardware that can be integrated with substrates. When choosing a SoM, you should consider several factors, like specification, scalability, and flexibility, which are fundamental factors of any SoM that can impact your application. SoMs significantly reduce time-to-market and minimize costs, and make development much easier for engineers. With a SoM, all you need is a carrier board that fits your application to come into use.

SoM benefits a lot for development engineers and product manufacturers:

A System-on-Module (SOM) provides the core components of an embedded processing system — including processor cores, communication interfaces, and memory blocks — on a single production-ready printed circuit board (PCB).