Renesas Electronics EK-RA8P1 Evaluation Kit

The Renesas Electronics EK-RA8P1 Evaluation Kit offers all the essential tools and interface options needed to evaluate the RA8P1 Microcontrollers. The AI-enabled RA8P1 MCUs, available in single- and dual-core variants, are built on the advanced TSMC 22nm ULL process. Combining hardware AI acceleration powered by Ethos-U55 with a high-performance Arm® Cortex®-M85 core, along with ample memory and a comprehensive set of peripherals, the RA8P1 MCUs are well-suited for a broad range of voice and vision AI applications as well as real-time analytics.

Special Feature Access to Support Advanced AI Applications

The EK-RA8P1 Evaluation Kit offers versatile special feature access, including 2-lane MIPI DSI and parallel graphics display connectors, enabling advanced visual interface options. It supports a camera expansion connector compatible with both CEU and MIPI-CSI2 standards, providing flexibility for various imaging applications, such as machine vision, robotics, and motor failure/anomaly detection. It also provides high-speed USB functionality as both host and device, facilitating robust data transfer and peripheral connectivity.

The kit is equipped with 64MB external OSPI Flash and 64MB SDRAM, ensuring ample memory for demanding operations. Audio capabilities are enhanced with PDM MEMS microphones and an audio codec featuring speaker out connections, supporting high-quality sound input and output. Additionally, an Ethernet port with an RJ45 RGMII interface provides reliable wired network connectivity for real-time data communication and analytics, making it an ideal option for security cameras, doorbells, and other devices. 

High-end Specs with Native MCU Pin Access

The Renesas Electronics EK-RA8P1 evaluation kit enables direct native pin access for the R7KA8P1KFLCAC microcontroller. It lets users access the microcontroller’s full feature set via its 289-pin BGA package. The board includes the high-performance 1GHz Arm Cortex-M85 core, ideal for advanced computation and AI workloads—and a 250MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core optimized for real-time and secure processing tasks, such as voice and vision AI applications, image classification, and people detection. This combination offers a powerful and versatile computing platform for demanding embedded applications.

With 1MB of embedded MRAM and 2MB of SRAM featuring ECC, the kit ensures robust, high-speed, and non-volatile storage for sophisticated projects. Integrated current measurement features for both the MPU and USB provide hardware-level profiling and optimization capabilities. Native pin access further streamlines hardware interfacing, making this evaluation kit suited for both development and detailed system analysis and consumer AI applications like learning thermostats, home appliances, and security panels.

Comprehensive Hardware Design with Robust Ecosystem

The EK-RA8P1 Evaluation Kit provides a comprehensive ecosystem and system control access, facilitating flexible development and debugging options. It supports USB full-speed host and device functions and accepts a 5V input via USB (Debug, High-Speed, Full-Speed) or an external power supply. On-board debugging is available through SWD and JTAG interfaces, with debug input and output capabilities supporting SWD, SWO, ETM, and JTAG protocols. The kit also features three user LEDs and two user buttons for intuitive manual control and status indication.

The evaluation kit is designed for broad compatibility with various development ecosystems, including two SeedGrove® systems (I2C and analog), two Digilent Pmod™ interfaces (configurable for I2C, SPI, or UART), Arduino™ Uno R3, MikroElektronika mikroBUS™, and SparkFun® Qwiic® (I2C). Additionally, it includes an MPU boot configuration switch, enabling streamlined system control and versatile boot options for optimized device setup.