Under the microscope: the Sony Spresense development board

Gábor Herédi-Szabó Head of Single Board Computing category at Distrelec

Captivated by the wealth of applications and opportunities that arise with single board computing (SBC) technology, Gabor is passionate about connecting people of all skill-sets with the SBC products that will propel and expand their unique projects.

Under the microscope: the Sony Spresense development board

Prototyping for IoT applications can be a lengthy involved process. Developers are coming up with ever new ways to increase efficiency, and in the meantime, manufacturers are doing their part too.

The Spresense is a compact development board based on Sony’s power-efficient multicore microcontroller CXD5602. Featuring an integrated GPS, high-res audio output and multi mic inputs, the board is a low-power microprocessor solution for mobile applications, allowing developers to create IoT applications within a shorter timeframe.

The range gives developers the ability to build solutions using the Arduino IDE software or the NuttX operating systems. Depending on specific projects, the board can be equipped with optional add-ons and Arduino shields, making the Spresense versatile enough to be used in IoT applications including imaging, logistics, AI, robotics, audio, security, production and more areas where battery life and CPU power are key.

Sony’s Spresense range removes the effort of developing high quality IoT solutions. With such vast application capabilities, and the versatility to be used across a range of industries and professions, we have strategically partnered with Distrelec Group to ensure the range can be easily accessed by the broader customer network.

Adam Hurst, Director of Primo Components, Sony’s European distribution partner

What is particularly appealing about the Sony Spresense range is its versatility and application capabilities. The range is suitable for such a wide range of use cases ranging from robotics and tracking, through to AI and image recognition, allowing solutions for the wider Distrelec community.

Steve Herd, CEO at Distrelec

With the many features and advantages the Sony Spresense range provides, we’re taking a deep dive into the specifications of the main board, extension board and camera board and will provide some pointers on how to start developing with these latest innovations by Sony.

Hardware: main board

The Spresense main board has the following specifications:

Model nameCXD5602PWBMAIN1
Size50.0 mm x 20.6 mm
CPUARM® Cortex®-M4F x 6 cores
Maximum clock frequency156 MHz
SRAM1.5 MB
Flash memory8 MB
Digital input / outputGPIO, SPI, I2C, UART, I2S
Analog input2 ch (0.7 V range)
GNSSGPS(L1-C/A), QZSS(L1-C/A), GLONASS(L1), WAAS, QZSS(L1-S)
Camera inputDedicated parallel interface
Operating conditionsTemperature: 10 – 40℃, Humidity: 30% – 80% (no condensation)
Storage conditionsTemperature: -20 – 60℃, Humidity: 10% – 80%

The names and locations of connectors, LEDs and switches on the main board are shown below.

NameDescription
[PWR] Power LEDPower LED. Emits blue light when power is supplied.
[RST] Reset buttonReset button.
[LED0] to [LED3]Four user controllable green LEDs.
[CN2]Micro USB Type-B connector.
[CN4]B-2-B 100-pin connector to interface to additional boards. This connector is on the underside.
[CN5]Camera connector.
[BR] Boot recovery buttonThis is used when restoring to the factory reset state. Only for recovery, normally not needed.

The following schematic block diagram shows the main board design:

A PDF file of the main board circuit diagram can be obtained here.

Hardware: extension board

The Spresense extension board has the following specifications:

Model nameCXD5602PWBEXT1
Size68.6 mm x 53.3 mm
Audio input / output4 ch analog microphone input or 8 ch digital microphone input, headphone output
Digital input / output3.3 V or 5 V digital I/O
Analog input6 ch (5.0 V range)
External memory interfacemicroSD card slot
Operating conditionsTemperature: 10 – 40℃, Humidity: 30% – 80% (no condensation)
Storage conditionsTemperature: -20 – 60℃, Humidity: 10% – 80%

The names and locations of connectors, LEDs and switches on the main board are shown below.

NameDescription
CN3B-2-B connector 100 pins connector for the main board.
CN4Micro SD card.
CN6Micro USB Type-B connector. It can provide USB MSC (Mass Storage Class) function allowing access to the SD card on the extension board directly from the PC.
CN7Headphone 3-pole 3.5mm jack.
JP1GPIO voltage can be set to 5V or 3.3V by using a jumper on JP1. A standard 2.54mm pitch jumper should be used. This one will be supplied with the extension board.
JP10 – pins 3 to 16Microphone connector. These pins connect analog or digital microphones.
JP10 – pins 1 and 2You can disable UART2 on the extension board by closing pin 1 and 2 on JP10. This allows UART2 on the main board to be used at 1.8V I/O. No jumper is shipped with the extension board, a 2.54 mm pitch jumper should be used.
JP14Jumpers to support digital microphones on JP10.

The following block diagram shows the extension board design.

A PDF file of the extension board circuit diagram can be obtained here.

Hardware: camera board

The Spresense camera board has the following specifications:

Model nameCXD5602PWBCAM1
Size24.0 mm x 25.0 mm
Number of effective pixels2608 (H) x 1960 (V) = approx. 5.11 M pixels
Operation voltageDC 3.7 V
I/O voltageDC 1.8 V
Camera interfaceCMOS 8 bit parallel
Output formatY/C, RGB, RAW and JPEG
Control interfaceI2C
Built-in filterIR cut filter
FOV78° ± 3°
Depth of field77.5 cm~ ∞
F value2.0 ± 5%
FocusFixed focus
Operating conditionsTemperature: 10 – 40℃, Humidity: 30% – 80% (no condensation)
Storage conditionsTemperature: -20 – 60℃, Humidity: 10% – 80%

On top of that, you can also find the board’s image sensor specifications below:

Sensor type1/4 type CMOS image sensor
Effective pixel5.11M pixels
Recording pixel5.04M pixels
Camera control
ISO sensitivityISO 40~800
Scene selection12 preset
Exposure control modeAuto, Shutter priority, ISO sensitivity priority, Long time AE
PhotometryMulti pattern, Center weight, Average, Spot
Exposure compensation±2EV, 1/3 EV steps
Shutter speed range1/8 s (long AE mode) to 1/42000 s
White balanceAuto, Daylight, Cloud, Fluorescent, Lamp
Focus controlAuto, Single AF, Continuous AF, Manual control
Picture format
Output still picture formatJPEG(4:2:2), Y/Cb/Cr, YUV, RGB, RAW, JPEG+YUV(thumbnail)

In addition, the following table covers the specifications of the lens:

FunctionSpec
Lens type1/4 inch 4 pieces
Effective Focal Length2.74mm
F-number2.0±5%
Field of view78°±3°
Chief ray angle<33.5°
Distortion<1.5%
Image qualityCenter 1100 lines, Near the corners 900 lines
Focus distance1.5m
Focusing range77.5 to 237.06cm

A PDF file of the camera board circuit diagram can be obtained here.

How to start developing

Off the basis of these technical specs, you can determine the best way to use the Spresense boards for your purposes. They open up a wide variety of applications and are, as mentioned, particularly suitable for IoT uses. When it comes to getting going with the Spresense range, there are a huge range of resources available to guide you.

As a flexible solution, the boards offer the possibility to develop using Arduino IDE, a programming environment most developers will be familiar with, or Sony’s own Spresense SDK, which offers extended possibilities for pros.

Going beyond even this, you can find guidance on the specifics of working with the Spresense in the many tutorials provided by Sony. We recommend the “learning by doing” approach, so once you’ve got your hands on the Spresense range, following along one of these tutorials is the perfect way to get started.

After that, the sky’s the limit – many developers have already shared exciting projects using the Sony Spresense, and you can find inspiration by browsing through them below.

Now all that’s left to do is start developing your very own project to be added to the hub – we can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with!

Spresense Main Board 1.1V

Spresense is a compact development board based on Sony’s power-efficient multicore microcontroller CXD5602. It allows developers to create IoT applications in a very short time and is supported by the Arduino IDE as well as the more advanced NuttX based SDK.

Spresense Extension Board 5V

The Spresense extension board allows you to go beyond the applications of the main board and adds a 3.5 mm headphone jack, micro SD card, an extra USB port as well as multiple microphone pins.

Spresense Camera Module 3.7V

The Spresense camera board has the Sony ISX012 image sensor mounted together with a lens. The Sony ISX012 has an effective pixel count of 5.11M pixels and an onboard encoder that can aquire pictures in JPEG, RAW, Y/C or RGB format.

Sony Spresense Complete Pro Kit 5V

Including the complete Spresense range of boards as well as protective cases and a ‘How to’ manual, the Spresense Complete Pro Kit is great value for money for dedicated developers.

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