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Forge1 Product Introduction

Let’s get to know Forge1 in 5 minutes.

Overview​

The RK3506J is a high-performance triple-core Cortex-A7 application processor designed for intelligent voice interaction, audio input/output processing, image output processing, and other digital multimedia applications.
It features an embedded 2D hardware engine and display output engine to minimize CPU overhead and meet image display requirements.
The processor integrates rich peripheral interfaces such as SAI, PDM, SPDIF, Audio DSM, Audio ADC, USB2 OTG, RMII, CAN, etc., enabling diverse application development while reducing hardware complexity and development costs.

Hardware Information​

Hardware Interfaces​

armsom-forge1-front-back

Hardware Specifications​

CategorySpecifications
SOC
  • RockChip RK3506J
    • CPU
  • RK3506 Triple-core Cortex-A7 Processor
    • GPU
  • 2D Graphic Engine
  • Embedded high-performance 2D acceleration hardware
    • Memory
  • 512MB DDR3L
    • Storage
  • 512MB NAND
  • Supports MicroSD card expansion
    • Networking
  • 2 × 100M Ethernet
    • Video Output
  • 1 x MIPI DSI (2Lane 1.5Gbps)
    • Audio
  • 1 × Speaker
  • 1 × MIC
    • USB Interfaces
  • 1 × Type C (PD & Programming only)
  • 1 × USB2.0 HOST
    • 40-PIN
  • Partially compatible with Raspberry Pi 40-pin for peripheral connectivity
  • Supports UART/SPI/I2C/I2S/PWM/5V Power/3.3V Power
    • Power Supply
  • 12V/2A
    • Buttons
  • 1x Maskrom Key (enters maskrom flashing mode)
    • OS
  • Officially supported by Rockchip: Buildroot
    • Dimensions
  • 92 mm x 62mm
    • Operating Temperature
  • -40℃ ~ 85℃

    • RK3506J Block Diagram​

    RK3506J Block Diagram
    rk3506j block diagram

    Pin Definitions​

    40-PIN Header​

    GPIO NumberFunctionPinPinFunctionGPIO Number
    +3.3V
    1
    2
    		+5.0V
    130I2C1_SDA_M0 / UART3_RTSN / I2S1_SDI3 / GPIO4_A2_d
    3
    4
    		+5.0V
    131I2C1_SCL_M0 / UART3_CTSN / I2S1_SDI2 / GPIO4_A3_d
    5
    6
    		GND
    1REF_CLK_OUT_M0 / GPIO0_A1
    7
    8
    UART0_TX_M0
    / JTAG_MCU_TCK_M1 / JTAG_CPU_TCK_M1 / GPIO4_D0_d    		152
    GND
    9
    10
    UART0_RX_M0
    / JTAG_MCU_TMS_M1 / JTAG_CPU_TMS_M1 / GPIO4_C7_u    		151
    0GPIO0_A0
    11
    12
    		I2S1_SCLK / UART1_RTSN / GPIO4_A5_d133
    13
    14
    		GND
    15
    16
    +3.3V
    17
    18
    138SPI0_MOSI / PDM_SDI0 / I2S1_SDO3 / GPIO4_B2_d
    19
    20
    		GND
    139SPI0_MISO / PDM_SDI2 / I2S1_SDI1 / GPIO4_B3_d
    21
    22
    140SPI0_CLK / I2S1_SDI0 / GPIO4_B4_d
    23
    24
    		SPI0_CSN0 / PWR_CTRL1 / GPIO4_B6_u142
    GND
    25
    26
    		PWM6_M0 / SPI0_CSN1 / PDM_SDI3 / GPIO4_C1_d145
    147I2C0_SDA_M0 / PWM0_M0 / GPU_AVS / GPIO4_C3_d
    27
    28
    		ARM_AVS / PWM1_M0 / I2C0_SCL_M0 / GPIO4_C4_d148
    29
    30
    		GND
    31
    32
    		GPIO4_C0 / PWM5_M0 / FEPHY_LED_LINK_M0 / UART3_TX_M1144
    143GPIO4_B7 / PWM4_M0 / FEPHY_LED_SPD_M0 / UART3_RX_M1
    33
    34
    		GND
    134UART1_TX_M0 / I2S1_LRCK / GPIO4_A6_d
    35
    36
    37
    38
    		GPIO3_B2 / SPI0_CLK / I2S1_SDI0106
    GND
    39
    40
    		GPIO4_A7_d / UART1_RX_M0 / I2S1_SDO0135

    Development Resources​

    SDK Source Code​

    📚

    Source Code

    For ARM development boards running Linux

    Official Image​

    ArmSoM team uses Debian bullseye as the official operating system.

    Download​

    The following systems have been tested and verified by ArmSoM official:

    Network disk address:

    Google Drive link

    Hardware Resources​

    📄

    Forge1 SCH

    📃

    Forge1 2D

    📜

    Forge1 SMD

    User Manual​

    Setup Guide​

    1. Tools Required:
      • 12V/2A power supply.
      • USB Type-C cable (for eMMC flashing) or MicroSD card (≥8GB, Class 10).
      • Optional: Debug serial port, Ethernet cable.

    2. Flashing Methods:
      • eMMC Boot: Use USB Type-C for direct flashing.
      • MicroSD Boot: Write OS image to SD card via reader.

    Interface Usage​

    If this is your first time using the ArmSoM-Forge1 product, please familiarize yourself with its hardware interfaces to better understand subsequent content.

    Hardware InterfaceForge1

    Debug Serial Port​

    Connect the USB-to-TTL serial cable as shown below:

    armsom-sige7-debug

    Forge1 PinConnectionSerial Module
    GND (Pin 6)→GND
    TX (Pin 8)→RX
    RX (Pin 10)→TX

    Ethernet Port​

    1. Connect one end of an Ethernet cable to the Forge1's Ethernet port and the other end to a router. Ensure the network is available.
    2. The system will automatically assign an IP address to the Ethernet interface via DHCP on startup.
    3. To view the IP address in Forge1’s Linux system: 
    root@armsom:/# ip a  
    1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000  
        link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00  
        inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo  
           valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever  
    2: can0: <NOARP,ECHO> mtu 16 qdisc noop state DOWN group default qlen 10  
        link/can  
    3: eth0: <NO-CARRIER,BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state DOWN group default qlen 1000  
        link/ether 9e:06:ad:d5:e3:91 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff  
    4: eth1: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc mq state UP group default qlen 1000  
        link/ether 7e:09:de:1d:0c:46 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff  
        inet 192.168.1.150/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global dynamic noprefixroute eth1  
           valid_lft 43173sec preferred_lft 37773sec
    1. Use the ping command to verify network connectivity (press Ctrl+C to exit): 
    root@armsom:/# ping www.baidu.com  
    PING www.baidu.com (183.2.172.17): 56 data bytes  
    64 bytes from 183.2.172.17: seq=0 ttl=52 time=10.838 ms  
    ...  
    ^C  
    --- www.baidu.com ping statistics ---  
    6 packets transmitted, 6 received, 0% packet loss

    USB Interface​

    ModelForge1
    USB1× Type-C (PD & Programming), 1× USB 2.0 HOST

    Testing USB Storage Devices

    1. Insert a USB flash drive or external HDD into the Forge1’s USB port.
    2. Verify detection with: 
    root@armsom:/# cat /proc/partitions | grep "sd*"  
    major minor  #blocks  name  
       8        0  122880000 sda
    1. Mount the USB drive: 
    root@armsom:/# sudo mount /dev/sda1 /test/
    1. Check usage and mount point: 
    root@armsom:/test# df -h | grep "sd"  
    /dev/sda        4.7G  4.7G     0  100% /test

    Audio​

    List Audio Devices 

    root@armsom:/# aplay -l  
    **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****  
    card 0: rockchiprk730 [rockchip-rk730], device 0: dailink-multicodecs HiFi-0

    Recording 

    arecord -D hw:0,0 -f S16_LE -t wav -c2 -r 16000 -d 3 t.wav

    Playback 

    aplay t.wav

    RTC​

    • Forge1 includes an LK8563S RTC IC.
    • Insert a 2-pin RTC battery to power the RTC.

    Verify RTC Device 

    root@armsom:/# dmesg | grep rtc  
    [    6.407133] rtc-hym8563 6-0051: registered as rtc0

    Sync System Time to RTC 

    root@armsom:/# hwclock -r                # Read RTC time  
    root@armsom:/# hwclock -w                # Write system time to RTC  
    root@armsom:/# poweroff

    Post-Reconnection Check
    After reconnecting the RTC battery: 

    root@armsom:/# hwclock -r  
    2023-11-03 10:35:40.461910+00:00  
    root@armsom:/# date  
    Fri Nov 3 10:36:01 UTC 2023

    MIPI DSI​

    • Maximum Resolution: 1280x1280@60fps.

    CAN FD​

    List Network Interfaces 

    root@armsom:/# ifconfig -a  
    can0: <NOARP,MTU=16> ...

    CAN Configuration 

    ip link set can0 down  
    ip link set can0 type can bitrate 1000000 dbitrate 3000000 fd on  
    ip -details link show can0  
    ip link set can0 up

    CAN FD Testing
    • Send Standard Frame: 

    cansend can0 123##1DEADBEEF

    • Send Extended Frame: 

    cansend can0 00000123##1DEADBEEF

    • Monitor CAN Messages: 

    candump can0 &

    Availability​

    The Forge1 will remain in production until at least May 2035.

    Purchase Samples​

    ArmSoM Official Website: https://www.armsom.org/product-page/forge1

    ArmSoM Official AliExpress Store: https://aliexpress.com/item/3256807356692995.html

    ArmSoM Official Taobao Store: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=895906881225

    For OEM & ODM, please contact: sales@armsom.org

    Notes​

    [Electrostatic Protection]
    1. Before handling the device, please ensure you wear an anti-static wrist strap or take electrostatic discharge measures to prevent damage to the development board.
    2. Assembly should be performed in an electrostatic-safe environment, avoiding operations in dry and low-humidity conditions.
    3. When not in use, store the device in an anti-static bag and keep it in a suitably temperature-controlled, low-humidity environment to prevent static electricity buildup.
    4. When handling the device, avoid friction or collisions to prevent the generation of static electricity that could cause damage.
    5. When holding the device, try to avoid direct contact with the chips on the mainboard to prevent static damage.
    6. Do not plug or unplug wires or other devices while the device is operating to avoid damage from electrical surges.
    7. When connecting or disconnecting the GPIO/MIPI expansion interfaces, make sure to turn off the power and disconnect the power cable to prevent damage from electrical current.