AstrOptix AI Carrier Board
Overview
The AstrOptix AI carrier board is a compact, high-performance carrier board designed for NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano and Orin NX System-on-Modules. It supports real-time AI inference, embedded vision, and autonomous applications in a small form factor.
Camera integration is handled natively — an onboard LVDS-to-MIPI CSI-2 bridge supports Sony FCB-EV series, Tamron, and KT&C block cameras with no external adapter. A secondary MIPI CSI-2 interface adds Sony MIPI camera support, and Sony HDMI block cameras are accommodated via an optional bridge module.
Connectivity includes Gigabit Ethernet, M.2 Key E (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth), M.2 Key M (NVMe SSD), USB Type-C, and Micro HDMI output. Control interfaces — UART with VISCA camera protocol, SPI, UART/RS422, I²C, GPIO, and CAN — make it deployable across UAVs, robotics, industrial vision, defence imaging, and AI edge systems.
Key Features
- Supports Super mode
- Supports Sony, Tamron, and KT&C LVDS cameras
- Supports Sony MIPI CSI-2 camera
- Supports Sony HDMI cameras via optional bridge module
- Supports 1 Gbps Ethernet via 1 mm Molex Pico clasp connector
- M.2 Key E expansion for Wi-Fi/Bluetooth modules
- M.2 Key M expansion for NVMe SSD storage
- Micro HDMI output for local video monitoring
- USB Type-C for flashing, debugging and data transfer
- SPI interface via 1 mm Molex Pico clasp connector
- I²C, UART/RS422 and GPIO interface via 1 mm Molex Pico clasp connector
- CAN interface via 1 mm Molex Pico clasp connector
- Dedicated UART channel for each block camera interfaces (VISCA protocol, 3.3 V CMOS)
- Onboard RTC battery and PWM fan connector
- Power input via Molex Micro-Fit Plus connector
- Power LED
- Compact 90 × 60 mm PCB
- Weight: 38.3 g approx.
- RoHS compliant
- Operating temperature: –40 °C to +85 °C
Product Description
The AstrOptix AI Carrier Board is a high-performance embedded vision and compute platform engineered around NVIDIA's Jetson Orin Nano and Orin NX modules. The platform fully unlocks the capabilities of both modules — including Super Mode — to deliver maximum AI throughput for demanding real-time applications.
Camera integration is native. An onboard LVDS-to-MIPI CSI-2 bridge supports the Sony FCB-EV9520L, FCB-EV9500L, Tamron MP3010M-EV, and KT&C ATC-HZ5540T-LP block cameras directly, without any external adapter. The Sony FCB-EV9500M connects via a dedicated 4-lane MIPI CSI-2 interface over a 30-pin Kel connector. For 4K HDMI block cameras — Sony FCB-ER8530, FCB-EW9500H, and FCB-ER9500 — support is available through optional bridge modules.
Gigabit Ethernet via a Molex Pico Clasp 1.0 mm connector enables network-based video streaming and remote AI analytics. A Micro HDMI output serves local monitoring. The M.2 Key E slot (2230) accepts Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules; the M.2 Key M slot (2242) supports NVMe SSDs for high-speed onboard storage. USB Type-C provides flashing, debug, and data transfer access.
Two independent UART channels at 3.3 V CMOS support simultaneous VISCA protocol control of multiple Sony FCB cameras. SPI, I²C, CAN, UART/RS422 and GPIO interfaces are accessible via Molex Pico Clasp connectors for system-level integration. An onboard CR1216 RTC battery holder maintains accurate timestamping in GPS-denied or remote deployments. Power is supplied at 12–19 V DC through a Molex Micro-fit Plus connector, with a PWM-controlled fan header and LED power-status indicators.
The board measures 90 × 60 mm, weighs 38.3 g, and operates from −40 °C to +85 °C — purpose-built for UAVs, defence imaging systems, robotics platforms, industrial machine vision, and AI edge deployments where size, weight, and thermal headroom are hard constraints.
In This Guide
| Sections | Description |
|---|---|
| Hardware | Block diagram and board layout for the AstrOptix AI Carrier Board |
| Software | Flashing and Image bringup of AstrOptix AI Carrier Board |
| Support | Troubleshooting and support for the AstrOptix AI Carrier Board |