Aachen, Germany 26 February 2019 – Ka-Ro, a leading global provider of System-on-Modules (SOM) has introduced the TX8M, the latest addition to the TX Family Concept. The TX8M is based on the new NXP® Semiconductor i.MX 8M Mini processor, and provides Ka-Ro with a new high-performance, power-efficient SOM to enable their customers’ successful product designs.

With four Arm® Cortex® A53 cores operating at 1.6 GHz, the Ka-Ro TX8M is an outstanding solution for industrial products which require high-performance audio, video and graphics. The advanced processing capabilities also enables edge computing solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and on-device processing applications, such as image processing and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“The NXP i.MX 8M Mini is the ideal processor to extend the TX Family Concept into high-end computing” said Ekkehard Meurers, Ka-Ro’s CFO and Manager of Business Development and Sales. “Because it is produced on an advanced 14nm process, we can provide greatly increased processing power with a power-efficient design in our proven TX form factor – a compact and rugged industrial solution, deployed in over a million products shipped by Ka-Ro TX customers.”

All TX SOMs, including the new TX8M, have the same 200-pin SO-DIMM form factor, and are always pin-compatible. Ka-Ro customers have the luxury of upgrading their products to next-generation processors by simply dropping in the latest Ka-Ro TX SOM. Ka-Ro customers also create their own “product family” around the TX family, making both cost-effective and high-performance products by simply using different TX SOMs.

“Ka-Ro, a long time NXP partner, have shown the knowledge and experience to consistently create outstanding SOM solutions around NXP i.MX processors,” said Robert Thompson, Director i.MX Ecosystem and Partnerships. “As we launch the i.MX 8M Mini, we expect many of our mutual customers to utilize the TX8M to create differentiated products and shorten time to market.”

The TX8M offers a complete set of peripherals including 10/100 Ethernet, USB, UARTs, I2C, SPI, SDIO, PCIe 2.0 and GPIO. Additional features include MIPI Display and Camera interfaces and a Cortex M4 Microcontroller for real-time processing. The TX8M is suitable for industrial applications with a -25 to 85C operating temperature range. Target applications include Industrial Displays, Intelligent IoT Gateways, Image processing and Embedded Vision, Digital Signage, Transportation and Medical Devices.

The TX8M is a powerful addition to Ka-Ro TX6 SOMs, which extend from the TXUL, based on the NXP i.MX 6UltraLite and ULL to the i.MX 6 Solo, DualLite and Quad versions. The TX8M is an ideal upgrade, with more processing capability, a power-efficient design, and an attractive price point. Ka-Ro can also provide TX modules based on the NXP i.MX 8X for specialized applications.

All SOMs in the TX Family are guaranteed to be available for 12 years from processor availability, and customers are assured of continued availability and easy upgrades to pin-compatible TX modules, future-proofing their product designs..

Ka-Ro provides a complete TX8M Development Kit, which includes a TX8M Module, Development Baseboard with schematics and BOM, a 10.1” Display with capacitive touch support and a pre-installed Linux 4.13 Board Support Package (BSP) for the TX8M. Complete source code for the BSP and adapted bootloader are available on Ka-Ro’s GitHub site. Also included with the Development Kit is expert Technical Support directly from Ka-Ro’s design engineers.

This new development kit and sample modules will be available in April, with TX8M production modules shipping in June. The kit and modules can be ordered from all of Ka-Ro’s authorized distributors:

www.karo-electronics.com/disti

For more information on the TX8M, visit Ka-Ro’s Booth at Embedded World, February 26-28 in Hall 3A-Booth 133 for live demos of the TX8M. Information is also available on Ka-Ro’s website at:

www.karo-electronics.com/TX8M.

About Ka-Ro electronics

Ka-Ro has grown from a pioneer to a global leader in the System-on-Modules (SOM) market. Ka-Ro’s ARM-based SOMs are used worldwide in demanding industrial and transportation applications and medical devices. Based on NXP® processors, development kits include custom and continuing support for Embedded Linux and Microsoft® Windows Embedded BSPs. Customers can depend on Ka-Ro for the proven quality, expert support and guaranteed long-term availability they need to succeed.

From the heart of Europe, Ka-Ro creates modules with the highest quality German-made precision. Design and production are NEVER outsourced. Ka-Ro continues to provide electronics manufacturing services, with the latest SMT equipment supporting customers from prototyping to large-volume production.

Ka-Ro was founded in 1988 as an Electronics Manufacturing Service in Aachen. Ka-Ro’s continuing commitment to high-quality production at their state-of the-art facility has grown the company from an industry pioneer to a global leader. Over thirty years later, Ka-Ro continues to provide modern manufacturing services, and builds every TX Module in Aachen. Design and production are never outsourced, and the commitment to quality endures.

Complete information can be found at www.karo-electronics.com

Contact for Europe

Ka-Ro electronics GmbH | Pascalstraße 22 | 52076 Aachen | Phone: +49 (0)2408-1402-0

Email: [email protected]

Contact for North America

Bob Blumenscheid | Ka-Ro Electronics | Columbus, Ohio | Phone: 1.614.230.1987

E-Mail: [email protected]