IZITRON
Microcontroller Boards
KiCad

IZIRUN

Compact, modular, open-hardware STM32 dev boards with M.2 connectors

$394 raised

of $6,600 goal

6% Funded Time Expired
Jul 20 2021
ended

Recent Updates

You'll be notified about news and stock updates for this project.

Designed for electronic prototyping, IZIRUN modules are compact, open hardware STM32 boards with lots of built-in peripherals and 67-pin M.2 connectors for external communication via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART. We are offering three different ARM Cortex MCU boards—an M0 model, an M4 model, and an M7 model—which makes IZIRUN suitable for a large range of applications, including IoT and multimedia projects. And if those applications evolve on the road, the M.2 connectors present on all three variants makes it easy to adjust your design on the fly. You can host IZIRUN MCU modules on your own carrier board or slot them into IZIGOBOARD for convenient access to peripherals like Ethernet, GPIO, and USB communication.

Our goal is to produce a high-quality ecosystem of rapid-prototyping and development boards, and we believe the best way to do that is to embrace collaboration and transparency. To that end, we are publishing all of our design documents and software. The IZIRUN MCU boards and IZIGOBOARD are open-hardware products that run open-source software.

Powered by an Efficient, Intuitive Operating System

IZIRUN modules can run as bare metal or with any operating system suited for small embedded devices. We maintain a LittleKernel (LK) image for our demos, sample code, and test drivers. LK is a mature, lightweight, real-time operating system (RTOS) with a small memory footprint that supports primitives like mutexes, threads, and timers. With only a few KB, you can run an interactive console that includes build-in commands capable of displaying information about the system, showing free memory, enumerating running threads, etc. LK is used in Android bootloaders and in Fuchsia OS, which relies on the LK-based Zircon message-passing kernel.

{izirun-lk-os-help | fixed,link} The configuration and structure of LK projects is easy to understand, thanks to a mechanism that allows you to build outside of the LK tree. By overriding layers like targets, apps, or libs, you can keep user code separate, which makes it easier to build and maintain projects that are not part of the main LK tree.

Because all IZIRUN modules are built around STM32 MCUs, you can easily use them with the CubeMX software from ST Microelectronics. Moving forward, we plan to port other RTOS solutions as well. Examples might include FreeRTOS and NuttX, among others. Or you can port your own favorite RTOS!

M.2 for Maximum Versatility

The M.2 connector is also known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), and with good reason! While M.2 connectors are primarily used for SSDs, Wi-Fi adapters, and other such computer-oriented expansion cards, they have a number of qualities that make them perfect for embedded platforms like IZIRUN. At 22 x 8 mm, they are quite small, but they expose a lot of pins—67 in our case—which means they’re capable of providing connectivity for all of the key interfaces that an embedded system might require: UART, SPI, I²C, ADC, PWN, GPIO, etc. And let’s not forget that the M.2 form factor is also well suited for mounting components on the "reverse" side of a PCB.

At the end of the day, M.2 support allows IZIRUN users to switch up the architecture of their boards and add capabilities to their MCUs on the fly, quickly and efficiently, should their requirements change. And different IZIRUN modules can be evaluated in the same baseboard, while prototyping is under way, then integrated as appropriate into one or more final products. All of which reduces time to market by increasing the flexibility and extensibility of software and hardware alike.

The IZIRUN MCU Boards

All three IZIRUN modules are compact boards that speeds up development thanks to build-in peripherals like EEPROM flash, SRAM, NOR flash, LEDs, buttons, an external crystal, and a debug connector. They all feature an M.2 connector footprint, with up to 67 pins, that can be used to communicate with external peripherals via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART. | | IZIRUNF0 | IZIRUNF4 | IZIRUNF7 | | —————————————- | ——————————————- | —————————————————————————————————————————————————- | ——————————————————————————————————————- | | Applications ~success | Low-power, IoT ~success | Mid-level - motor control, display (matrix, OLED ,etc), CAN, Ethernet communications, etc. ~success | Mid- and high-level - graphic 2D accelerations, sound, Ethernet, etc. ~success | | MCU ~info | Cortex-M0 STM32F030CCT6 ~info | Cortex-M4 STM32F407VET6 ~info | Cortex-M7 STM32F769NIH6 ~info | | Max Frequency | 48 MHz | 168 MHz | 216 MHz | | Flash ~active | 256 kB ~active | 512 kB ~active | 2 MB ~active | | RAM | 32 kB | 192 kB | 532 kB | | Peripherals ~info | ~info | ~info | ~info | | EEPROM | 16 kB | 16 kB | 16 kB | | Flash ~active | 512 kB ~active | 512 kB ~active | 64 MB ~active | | CAN |   | ATA6561 | ATA6561 | | LAN ~active | ~active | 8742A ~active | 8742A ~active | | SDRAM |   |   | 8 MB | | Exposed Signals ~info | ~info | ~info | ~info | | UART | 2 | 4 | 2 | | I²C ~active | 1 ~active | 1 ~active | 2 ~active | | SPI | 1 | 1 | 1 | | ADC ~active | 4 ~active | 4 ~active | 2 ~active | | PWM | 6 | 21 | 8 | | GPIO ~active | 23 ~active | 43 ~active | 43 ~active | | BOOT PIN | 1 | 1 | 1 | | RESET PIN ~active | 1 ~active | 1 ~active | 1 ~active | | RMII ETH |   | 1 | 1 | | CAN ~active | ~active | 1 ~active | 1 ~active | | USB DEVICE |   | 1 |   | | USB OTG ~active | ~active | ~active | 1 ~active | | DSI |   |   | 1 | | DFSDM ~active | ~active | ~active | 2 ~active | | Dimensions ~info | 35 × 35 mm ~info | 35 × 35 mm ~info | 35 × 35 mm ~info | | Temperature Range ~info | -20°C to +80°C ~info | -20°C to +80°C ~info | -20°C to +80°C ~info |

IZIRUNF0

IZIRUNF0 is based on ARM Cortex-M0 and is designed for low-power applications and IoT projects.

Feature Diagrams
M.2 Pinout Diagrams

IZIRUNF4

IZIRUNF4 is based on ARM Cortex-M4 and is designed for mid-range applications like motor control, display, CAN control, Ethernet connectivity, etc.

Feature Diagrams
M.2 Pinout Diagrams

IZIRUNF7

IZIRUNF7 is based on ARM Cortex-M7 and is designed for multimedia applications that require resources such as 2D graphics acceleration, sound, Ethernet connectivity, etc.

Feature Diagrams
M.2 Pinout Diagrams

IZIGOBOARD

IZIGOBOARD is a baseboard that can be used with the IZIRUNF0, IZIRUNF4, and IZIRUNF7 MCU modules. It includes a microUSB connector for power and communication, thanks to a USB/UART converter chip. It also provides RJ45 Ethernet and USB OTG connectors.

Comparisons

Lower-End Comparisons

IZIRUNF0MicroMod RP2040
Manufacturer IZITRON SparkFun
Power Supply 5 V 3.3 V
Dimensions 35 x 35 mm 22 x 22 mm
MCU Cortex-M0 STM32F030CCT6 Dual Cortex M0
Frequency48 MHz 133 MHz
Flash256 kB 1 MB
RAM32 kB 256 kB
Peripherals
EEPROMYES NO
Flash (SPI/QSPI)YES YES
Power LEDYES NO
User LEDYES YES
Reset ButtonYES NO
User ButtonYES NO
LDOYES NO
JTAG ConnectorYES NO
Exposed Signals
UART2 2
I²C1 2
SPI1 2
ADC4 2
PWM6 16
GPIO23 29
USB- 1

Mid-Range Comparisons

IZIRUNF4MicroMod SAMD51MicroMod STM32
Manufacturer IZITRON SparkFun SparkFun
Power Supply 5 V 3.3 V 3.3 V
Dimension 35 x 35 mm 22 x 22 mm 22 x 22 mm
MCU Cortex M4 STM32F407VT6 Cortex-M4F ATSAMD51J20 Cortex M4 STM32F405
Frequency168 MHz 120 MHz 168 MHz
Flash512 kB 1 MB 1 MB
RAM192 kB 256 kB 192 kB
Peripherals
EEPROMYES NO NO
Flash (SPI/QSPI)YES YES YES
CAN PHIYES NO NO
Ethernet PHIYES NO NO
Power LEDYES NO NO
User LEDYES YES YES
Reset ButtonYES NO NO
User ButtonYES NO NO
LDOYES NO NO
JTAG ConnectorYES NO NO
Exposed Signals
UART4 1 1
I²C1 2 2
SPI1 1 1
ADC4 2 2
PWM21 2 2
GPIO33 11 24
ETH1 1 1
USB1 1 1
CAN1 1 1

High-End Comparisons

IZIRUNF7MicroMod ESP32
Manufacturer IZITRON SparkFun
Power Supply 5 V 3.3 V
Dimension 35 x 35 mm 22 x 22 mm
MCU Cortex M7 STM32F769NIH6 Espressif ESP32
Frequency216 MHz 240 MHz
Flash2 MB 16 MB
RAM532 kB 520 kB
EEPROMYES NO
Peripherals
Flash (SPI/QSPI)YES YES
CAN PHIYES NO
Ethernet PHIYES NO
MicroSD ConnectorYES NO
Power LEDYES NO
User LEDYES YES
Reset ButtonYES NO
User ButtonYES NO
LDOYES NO
JTAG connectorYES NO
Exposed Signals
UART2 1
I²C2 2
SPI1 1
ADC2 2
PWM8 2
GPIO43 7
ETH1 -
USB1 1
CAN1 -
DSI1 -
DFSDM1 -

Support & Documentation

Our KiCad project files, schematics, firmware, and software are all available in our team repository on Bitbucket, and you can find the IZIRUN datasheet on our website. If you have any questions for us, please feel free to reach out using the Ask a technical question link on our campaign page. If you have a logistical question for Crowd Supply, you can contact them here.

Manufacturing Plan

We have a manufacturing partner in China with whom we have collaborated many times on previous projects. We plan to use them for PCB fabrication and have already tested a small prototype batch of their boards. Should any issues arise, we have identified alternative fabrication partners in Europe as well. Once we receive our production batch of PCBs, we will carry out assembly at NEXTUSLAB, which is our company’s workshop in France. This will help reduce production costs while improving quality control.

Fulfillment & Logistics

When the production run of IZIRUN boards is completed, we will test them and package them up our workshop before sending them on to Crowd Supply’s fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics, and who will handle the final shipments to backers. You can learn more about Crowd Supply’s fulfillment service under Ordering, Paying, and Shipping in their guide.

Risks & Challenges

At this stage of the project, our hardware design is finalized and prototypes have been verified and tested in our workshop. Right from the conception of these boards, we have tried to mitigate manufacturing risks by selecting components that are readily available from different suppliers, including Mouser, Farnell, and RadioSpares. While we have secured some stock—including PCBs—for our first production batch, we could still face some unexpected delays due to the current supply-chain situation. And, if we do, it could affect our delivery estimates. If we encounter any such issues, we will let you know through a campaign update.

In the Press

Hackster News

"Open hardware modules offer Arm Cortex-M0, Cortex-M4, or Cortex-M7 cores, plus a range of peripherals — including Ethernet and USB OTG."

Electronics-Lab.com

"IZIRUN modules are compact STM32 boards with lots of built-in peripherals that use the M.2 67-pin connection for external communication via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART protocols."

Geeky Gadgets

"MCU boards...can connect to your own board or to the IZIGOBOARD SHIELD for easy access to MCU board peripherals like Ethernet and GPIO, and additional functionality like USB communication."

CNX Software

"IZITRON has expanded the concept with three slightly larger (IZIRUN) STM32 boards routing more IOs to the M.2 connector, and additional features such as built-in EEPROM and buttons. "

diarioelectronicohoy

"Equipadas con conectores M.2, las placas de desarrollo STM32 IZIRUN admiten su uso con una amplia variedad de sistemas operativos ligeros."


Ask a Question

Produced by IZITRON in Carros, France.

Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.

IZIRUNF0

IZIRUNF0 is based on ARM Cortex-M0 (STM32F030CCT6) and is designed for low-power applications and IoT projects. It's a compact board that speeds up development thanks to build-in peripherals like EEPROM flash, SRAM, NOR flash, LEDs, buttons, an external crystal, and a debug connector. IZIRUNF0 has an M.2 connector footprint, with up to 67 pins, that can be used to communicate with external peripherals via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART.

$30 Free Worldwide Shipping

IZIRUNF4

IZIRUNF4 is based on ARM Cortex-M4 (STM32F407VET6) and is designed for mid-range applications like motor control, displays, CAN control, Ethernet connectivity, etc. It's a compact board that speeds up development thanks to build-in peripherals like EEPROM flash, SRAM, NOR flash, LEDs, buttons, an external crystal, and a debug connector. IZIRUNF4 has an M.2 connector footprint, with up to 67 pins, that can be used to communicate with external peripherals via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART.

$45 Free Worldwide Shipping

IZIRUNF7

IZIRUNF7 is based on ARM Cortex-M7 (STM32F769NIH6) and is designed for multimedia applications that require resources such as 2D graphics acceleration, sound, Ethernet connectivity, etc. It's a compact board that speeds up development thanks to build-in peripherals like EEPROM flash, SRAM, NOR flash, LEDs, buttons, an external crystal, and a debug connector. IZIRUNF4 has an M.2 connector footprint, with up to 67 pins, that can be used to communicate with external peripherals via I²C, SPI, CAN, and UART.

$60 Free Worldwide Shipping

IZIGOBOARD

IZIGOBOARD is a baseboard that can be used with the IZIRUNF0, IZIRUNF4, and IZIRUNF7 MCU modules. It includes a microUSB connector for power and communication, thanks to a USB/UART convertor chip. It also provides RJ45 Ethernet and USB OTG connectors.

$50 Free Worldwide Shipping

About the Team

IZITRON

Carros, France  ·   izitron.com

We provide full-stack firmware and hardware development services, covering the entire process of a product development from initial analysis to industrialization.

Mihail CHERCIU
 izi_mihail

See Also

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