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Ralph Yamamoto's Blog M5Stack UnitV2 - Standalone AI Camera for Edge Computing
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  • Author Author: ralphjy
  • Date Created: 3 Jun 2021 3:37 PM Date Created
  • Views 1425 views
  • Likes 2 likes
  • Comments 0 comments
  • m5stack
  • m5stack unitv2
  • sigmastar ssd202
  • arm cortex-a7 dual core
  • gc2145 camera
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M5Stack UnitV2 - Standalone AI Camera for Edge Computing

ralphjy
ralphjy
3 Jun 2021

M5Stack recently released the UnitV2 which is totally different from the earlier UnitV (and quite a bit more expensive!).  I have found the StickC devices to be very handy and have used them in a few projects.  I have been interested in the StickV and UnitV products since they came out a couple of years ago because they integrated an AI camera in the very small StickC form factor.  They both use the Kendryte K210, an edge computing system-on-chip(SoC) with dual-core 64bit RISC-V CPU and state-of-art neural network processor..  I decided to wait for the WiFi version of the StickV, but it appears that M5Stack must have abandoned that product.

 

Anyway, Hackster just had a webinar on the new UnitV2: M5Stack UnitV2 Webinar .  M5Stack has taken a different approach with the UnitV2 design.  Rather than a dedicated device with an integrated Neural processor, they elected to build a more general purpose unit that runs Linux on a Sigmastar SSD202D (integrated dual-core Cortex-A7 1.2Ghz application processor).  This arguably makes it easier to program AI applications at the cost of speed and power efficiency.

 

image

 

I've used "stick PCs" in the past and while I've liked their small form factor, the performance was always disappointing and every unit that I tried had thermal issues.  But I'm constantly looking for a compact AI camera and even though I think that the correct approach is a dedicated SoC, the UnitV2 looks like it could be a lot of fun to use.

 

I am worried about 2.5W in the small from factor, but they did think about the thermal issue and included a heatsink and fan for the processor.  We'll have to see how well that works and how long the fan lasts image.

image

 

Here's the basic specs:

image

 

One really nice feature is that it has a Full HD (1080p) camera where most small units only do VGA at best.  And it has a microphone, WiFi, and an SD card - makes for a very capable remote camera, just need to figure out the power (and it's not suitable for outdoors).  I wish that it had a small display for positioning.  I guess I would do this over WiFi with a smartphone or tablet.  The only physical interface breakout besides the USB-C is a UART port.

 

Looking forward to playing with it...

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