SCM318 Comms & Control Module

SCM318 is in final development with full production Q1'19.
SCM318 is an Extended Lifetime Product and recommended for new designs
Support is available through a technology onboarding program; Contact Us to learn more.

Overview

The Core of Next Generation Embedded Systems

Serious Communications/Control Modules (SCMs) are powerful and extensible HW+SW platform-level building blocks designed to be the core of next generation embedded systems designs.

The SCM318 family is a series of off-the-shelf comms/control modules delivering:

A multi-generational HW/SW architecture core for embedded designers, with highly migratable SW from the SCM208 designs and into the future
An extensible HW platform with numerous options for customization and expansion
A strong “app ready” commercially supported and pre-licensed software runtime environment, including Segger OS and software as well as the Serious SHIPWare drivers, infrastructure and frameworks.

Features & Variants

SCM318 Features

The SCM318 family has numerous members, or “variants” with combinations of the following features:

Powerful ARM Processor & Memory System

400MHz ARM Cortex-A9 Renesas RZ/A1LC or RZ/A1L MCU with up to 3MB on-chip RAM
8MB SPI Serial NOR Flash for build-in SHIPv5 Boot System code and user application storage
128MB QSPI NAND Flash for file and data non-volatile storage (Segger emFile File System stacks included)

WiFi & Bluetooth Wireless

802.11bgn 2.4GHz WiFi via a GT1216 (or similar) certified module with the Qualcomm QCA4004 “Kingfisher” chipset
Bluetooth 5 Thread-capable certified module (Rigado BMD340 or similar) with the Nordic nRF52840 chipset

Ethernet

Primary port on the Comms Header, normally delivered via the SPM052 Comms Riser Card as an RJ45 jack
Secondary switched Ethernet port on the Ethernet Expansion Header for off-board addition of magnetics & jack with optional PoE

Serial & Industrial Networking

2/4-wire half/full duplex RS485/RS422 with on-board termination option
2xCAN and LIN MCU ports exposed for off-board transceiver/network connectivity
Numerous UART, SPI, I2C MCU ports exposed for off-board connectivity options

USB

USB device port for programming, updates, and PC connectivity, with secondary override input on SIM Passthru Header
Up to 4 USB Host outputs, including two USB Host A connectors on the SPM052 Comms Riser Card

Extensible

40-pin board-to-board Serial Header (GPIO, ADC, I2C, SPI, UART, etc.) for custom daughtercard expansion
30-pin board-to-board Bluetooth Expansion Header exposing numerous BT chipset signals
30-pin board-to-board Comms Header, including Ethernet, dual USB Host, and UART+transceiver control signals normally populated with the SPM052 Comms Riser Card
10-pin board-to-board Ethernet Expansion Header, for 2nd switched Ethernet port expansion and PoE options
30-pin board-to-board HMI Header, including direct dock option to Gen5 SIMx52 and SIMx62 families

Robust Operating Environment

10.8-35VDC wide input power supply
-40 to +85C operation

The 30-pin Comms Header comes pre-populated on many variants with the SPM052 Comms Riser Card, which exposes:

Dual USB Host A jack with power control
10/100 Ethernet RJ45 jack
6-pin 3.5mm RS485/Power Connector for simple in-chassis and/or industrial network connectivity

Discover a complete list of available Serious communications/control modules (SCMs) and Serious Integrated HMI Modules (SIMs).

SCM318	A00	A01	A02	A03	A04	A13	A14
System Features
Operating Temperature	-40 to +85C					-40 to +85C
Power Good LED (Green)	●					●
Main Power Input	+10.8 to +35VDC					+10.8 to +35VDC
Processor/Memory Subsystem
Renesas 400MHzARM Cortex-A9 MCU	RZ/A1L					RZ/A1LC
MCU RAM	3MB					2MB
External SPI NOR Flash	16 MB					16 MB
External QSPI NAND Flash	128 MB
Communication Ports
10/100 2-port Ethernet Switch	●	●	●
10/100 Ethernet Ports	1^1,2+1²	1^1,2+1²	1^1,2+1²
Bluetooth Smart w/NFC™-A Tag	●				●		●
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n	●	●
RGB LED User Status Indicators	2					2
RS422/485 2-/4-wire w/Transceivers	1^1,2					1^1,2
LIN	1²
CAN	2²					2²
USB2.0 HS Host w/A Connector	2^1,2					2^1,2
HMI Connectivity
USB2.0 HS Host	●					●
3.3V UART	●					●
RESET#/SHDN# Control	●					●

¹On SPM052 standard riser card, check order codes for SCM318+SPM052 pre-assembled bundles
²Available via custom riser card and/or daughter card

Serious can support semi-custom or new variants the SCM318. Contact us for more details.

SW Development

SCM Development Engagement Model

There is no cost or royalty for the out-of-the-box software/firmware for Serious Comms/Control Modules (SCMs). However, getting access to this software and firmware for initial development with SCMs requires a one-time “kickstart” engagement with our Services team to ensure a smooth first project experience. First-time access to SCM dev kits and downloads is predicated on having this engagement in place. Once you’ve been through this initial process, ongoing support (including new revisions of firmware and access to new SCMs) is available at a nominal charge through an annual maintenance and support contract. Contact Serious for details.

A Complete No-Cost Commercial Development Environment

You can waste months porting an OS and developing the board support package, basic support utilities and communication protocol stacks — even before writing the first line of traditional C- code. Using “free” software stacks can lead you down of path with minimal support and a hodgepodge of building blocks constant requiring attention.

Serious gives you a complete, no-cost, commercially supported development environment, including tools and software, to enable you to focus on your communications and control software, not the infrastructure. We call it Leveraged Embedded.

Full Commercial Dev Tools
Every SCM Development Kit comes with an unlocked, single seat commercial license to Segger Embedded Studio, enabling powerful cross-platform C development and debugging for your SCM projects. All Serious ARM-based SCM example projects come pre-engineered out-of-the-box for Segger Embedded Studio.

SHIPWare – A Complete Firmware Platform for Comms/Control App Development
Every SCM also comes with Serious SHIPWare – a starting set of code and firmware on which you can build powerful control and communications applications, leveraging all the features of your module. SHIPWare complete, commercially supported software including:

Segger OS and Stacks
Serious frameworks and infrastructure, including the SHIPv5 Boot System with firmware update and version management
Drivers and high level abstractions for on-board peripherals, including UART, SPI, I2C, WiFi, Ethernet, FLASH storage, and more

From Segger, the following no-cost, pre-licensed, pre-ported and fully supported linkable object libraries are included:

Segger embOS RTOS kernel, pre-ported and optimized for the platform
Segger emFile file system, including FAT and embedded file system support with journaling, and all the necessary drivers pre-integrated for the platform
Segger emUSB-Device USB device/host stacks with various classes, and pre-integrated for the peripherals
Segger emTCP/IP and TLS/SSL security stacks (including DHCP, web server, ftp, and more), pre-integrated with the WiFi and Ethernet peripherals
Segger MQTT and CoAP stacks for IoT data connectivity
Segger emCrypt, the foundational NIST-validated security you need for IoT and device connectivity

This OS and stack implementation is fully supported by Serious and is production-licensed for one copy per Serious module purchased – there are no additional required fees or licensing to use the Segger object software with the SCM. Source code and Segger-direct support is available as an upgrade from Segger with a discount for Serious customers.

In addition to these ingredients, SHIPWare includes numerous application level frameworks, drivers, and example code for developing a communicating and controlling application, including heap and buffer management, the SHIPBridge device and host protocol stacks for communicating with the HMI. This software is provided in source code format and is fully supported by the Serious team.

Production Line and Application Installation Tools
Out of the box, the SCM also includes the SHIPv5 Boot System, including pre-installed boot-strap and boot-loader applications enabling you to install and commission your custom embedded application on the board on the production line using the no-cost SHIPCrane tools or even over-the-air/wire.

Dev Kits

The SCM318 Development Kit

The SCM318-A00-SJL-01 development kit contains everything you need to start working with the SCM318 family, including:

SCM318-A00 module, including standard SPM052 Ethernet/USBHx2/RS485 Comms Riser Card
Segger JLink LITE ARM Debugger/Programmer
110/220V AC to 12VDC power adapter with barrel jack adapter (for use with 6-pin plug)
6 pin 3.5mm industrial connector screw-terminal plug
Example prototyping daughter card
Example WiFi patch antenna
USB Micro B cable for SCM to PC connection
Segger Embedded Studio IDE & C Compiler (full license, one seat, fully unlocked; Segger registration required)
SCM318 Software Bundle, including Segger binary libraries & Serious SHIPWare frameworks (one-time onboarding program required)

Contact Serious to enroll in the SCM318 early adopter program Today!

Enroll in Early Adopter Program

Resources

The SCM318 is currently in development. Technical documentation is available to approved early adopters. Contact Serious for more informaton.

The Serious documentation zone has extensive documentation, downloads, resources, training, and more.

Quick Links:

Request SCM Platform Software
Download Embedded Studio: Select Embedded Studio v3.26a
Embedded Studio Activation Registration Page

SCM318 Quick Links