In November 2024, we covered Qualcomm’s QCC730M and QCC74xM modules for low-power IoT devices, though no evaluation board was available then. Now, official development boards for the QCC74x series have launched at a budget-friendly price.
The Qualcomm QCC74xM EVK is a tri-radio evaluation board featuring Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread/Zigbee), priced at just over $13. While it bears the Qualcomm name, documents from the Zephyr Project indicate that the QCC74x series is based on the Bouffalo Lab BL61x series, particularly the BL618.
The Qualcomm QCC74xM EVK includes:
– Wireless Module: Qualcomm QCC74xM LGA Module (QCC743M, QCC744M, or QCC748M variant)
– CPU: 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 325 MHz with FPU and DSP
– Memory and Storage:
– 484 KB SRAM (with 48 KB Cache) and 128 KB ROM on-chip
– 8 MB stacked pSRAM (QCC748M only)
– 16 MB stacked NOR flash
– VPU: Motion JPEG video encoding up to 720p (QCC748M only)
– Display: DBI via GPIO (QCC748M only)
– Camera: DVP via GPIO (QCC748M only)
– Audio: I2S interface; 1x DAC for speaker output and 1x ADC for MIC input via GPIO (QCC748M only)
– Networking and wireless:
– 10/100Mbps Ethernet via GPIO (QCC744M & QCC748M only)
– 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n/ax Wi-Fi 6 1×1 SISO
– Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4 with coded PHY
– 802.15.4 Thread and Zigbee
– Support for Matter over Wi-Fi and Thread
– PCB Antenna or RF connector options
– USB:
– USB Type-C port (J1) for UART/serial console and programming
– USB Type-C port (J9) for Direct USB/Power (QCC748M only)
– Other I/O:
– Dual-row pin headers for GPIOs (Up to 32 GPIOs on QCC748M; up to 19 on QCC743M)
– 2x UART, 2x I2C, SPI (Master/Slave), XIP QSPI
– 1x ISO 11898 CAN Bus (Automotive/Industrial)
– General Purpose 12/14/16-bit ADC and 12-bit DAC
– 1x PWM (4 channels), IR Controller, Timers, and JTAG (via GPIO)
– Security:
– Integrated crypto acceleration with public key acceleration, TRNG, and QSPI (XIP) on-the-fly AES decryption
– PSA Certified Level One featuring secure boot and secure debug
– Misc:
– BOOT button (S1)
– RESET button (S2)
– Power LED and VDD33 LED
– 2x 2-pin header jumpers (J3, J4)
– Power:
– EVK Input Power – USB or 5V
– Module Input Voltage – 2.97-3.63V
– I/O Voltage – 1.8V/3.3V
– 1.8V power measurement pad (J5)
– 3.3V power measurement pad (J6)
– Dimension -TBD
– Operating Temperature: -40 to +85°C
The specifications reveal that these development boards aim to compete directly with Espressif modules like the ESP32-S3 or ESP32-C6, boasting a 325 MHz RISC-V core with an FPU and DSP and support for various short-range wireless standards. The QCC748M EVK, available now, is the most feature-rich, with up to 8MB of integrated PSRAM and 16MB of Flash.
The QCC74x series operates in a hostless mode, handling protocols and applications without an external MCU. The software SDK, hosted on CodeLinaro, is based on FreeRTOS and open-source, with a Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension for development. Thanks to its roots in Bouffalo Lab, the hardware is already supported by the Zephyr RTOS ecosystem. More details are available in Qualcomm’s quick start guide.
The QCC74xM EVKs can be purchased on DigiKey for $13.12, including QCC748