SparkFun Thing Plus - QuickLogic EOS S3 is a collaboration between SparkFun and QuickLogic. We took QuickLogic’s QuickFeather, updated the onboard sensor selection and ported it to the SparkFun Thing Plus form factor, a critical piece of which is a Qwiic connector.

Features & Specifications

• EOS S3 MCU + eFPGA SoC
  • Arm® Cortex®-M4F Microcontroller
    • up to 80 MHz operating frequency
    • up to 512 Kb SRAM
  • Embedded FPGA (eFPGA)
    • 2400 effective logic cells
    • 64 Kb RAM
• Feather Form Factor
  • Breadboard-compatible 0.1" (2.54 mm) pitch headers - all headers are pre-soldered
  • 2.75" x 0.9" (70 mm x 22.9 mm) footprint
  • All 20 Feather-defined GPIO + 14 additional GPIO
• Interfaces
  • SWD programming connector for use with USB-TTL converter
  • USB data signals are tied to eFPGA programmable logic
  • UART available via I/O headers
  • I²C available via I/O headers, and Qwiic Connector
  • I²S
  • SPI
• Storage: 16 Mbit SPI NOR flash - GigaDevice GD25Q16CEIGR
• Sensors
  • Accelerometer - STMicro LIS2DH12TR
  • Digital pulse density modulation (PDM) microphone with Wake-on-Sound (WoS) feature - Vesper VM3011-U1
• User Interfaces
  • RGB LED
  • User pushbutton
  • Reset pushbutton
• Power
  • USB Type-C connector (regulated to 3.3 V)
  • Li-Po battery
    • On-board charging circuitry - Microchip MCP73831/2
    • Standard Li-Po JST connector
• Software
  • Machine Learning
    • TensorFlow Lite
    • SensiML
  • Real-time Operating Systems
    • Zephyr RTOS
    • FreeRTOS
  • FPGA Tools
    • SymbiFlow
    • Renode

Coming Soon in SparkFun Red

As with all our prototypes, the boards pictured here have a black PCB, but all production boards that will actually ship to backers will come in SparkFun’s standard red PCB color.

Perfect for Wearable & Voice Applications

Betweeen the onboard Li-Po battery connector and charging circuitry, wake-on-sound PDM microphone, and low-power, three-axis accelerometer, this Thing Plus board is ideal for wearable and voice applications. The strong firmware support for the the microphone and accelerator make it easy move sensor data into the embedded FPGA. From there, use SensiML, TensorFlow Lite, or other tools to train and run embedded machine learning algorithms specific to your application.

Lots of Expansion Options with a Qwiic Connector

SparkFun Thing Plus - QuickLogic EOS S3 features SparkFun’s Qwiic connect system, which makes prototyping and development a snap:

• Tons of expansion boards: There are over 150 Qwiic-compatible
  expansion boards to choose from, including everything from RFID
  readers to displays to keypads.
• No soldering: Qwiic cables (4-pin JST) plug easily from
  development boards to sensors, shields, accessory boards, and more,
  making easy work of setting up a new prototype.
• Polarized connector: There's no need to worry about accidentally
  swapping the SDA and SCL wires on your breadboard. The Qwiic
  connector is polarized so you know you'll have it wired correctly
  every time, right from the start.
• Daisy chain-able: It's time to leverage the power of the I²C
  bus! Most Qwiic boards will have two or more connectors on them,
  allowing multiple devices to be connected.

Open Source Everything

As with other QuickLogic dev boards, the SparkFun Thing Plus - QuickLogic EOS S3 enjoys a completely open toolchain, which is complemented by SparkFun’s large and growing selection of open hardware Qwiic Connect sensor and accessory boards.

Support & Documentation

This board features the QuickLogic EOS S3 System-on-Chip (SoC), which contains a low-power Arm® Cortex®-M4F processor and an embedded FPGA. The EOS S3 is supported by a full suite of open source tools.

• Schematics and layout
• EOS S3 family datasheet
• EOS S3 technical reference manual
• EOS S3 whitepaper
• QORC SDK with FreeRTOS
• QuickLogic fork of Zephyr RTOS
• SymbiFlow Tutorial

Manufacturing Plan

As with all our in-house products, this board will be manufactured at SparkFun headquarters in beautiful Niwot, Colorado. We know a thing or two about PCB assembly and are working closely with QuickLogic on testing and validation. We expect production to go smoothly, but will transparently keep backers updated should there be any bumps along the way.

Fulfillment & Logistics

All orders will be shipped to backers worldwide via Crowd Supply’s fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics. For more information on fulfillment, see Crowd Supply’s guide page on ordering, paying, and shipping.

Risks & Challenges

In the grand scheme of printed circuit board fabrication and assembly, this product carries minimal risk. That said, at the time of campaign launch, the global electronic components supply chain is showing some strain and parts shortages may arise that delay production. In addition, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may cause logistical delays. In any case, we will apprise backers of our progress via project updates.