MicroMod Machine Learning Carrier Board Hookup Guide

Contributors: Nate, Ell C

Hardware Overview

Common Components

Most SparkFun MicroMod Carriers will have some common components and all MicroMod Carriers will have the keyed M.2 MicroMod Connector to plug your processor into. The photo and list below outline some of the components you can expect on most SparkFun MicroMod Carriers.

• M.2 MicroMod Connector - This special keyed M.2 connector lets you install your MicroMod Processor of choice on your Machine Learning Carrier Board.
• USB-C Connector - Connect to your computer to program your Processor and also can provide power to your MicroMod system.
• 3.3V Regulator - Provides a regulated 3.3V and sources up to 1A.
• Qwiic Connector - The standard Qwiic connector so you can add other Qwiic devices to your MicroMod system.
• Boot/Reset Buttons - Push buttons to enter Boot Mode on Processor boards and to Reset your MicroMod circuit.
• microSD Slot - Insert a microSD card for reading and writing data.

Machine Learning MicroMod Carrier Board Specific Components

Digital MEMS Microphones

What's better than ONE microphone? TWO!

• Microphone 1 supports a PDM interface and is enabled by default. To disable this mic, cut the EN1 jumper. For more information on this microphone, refer to the datasheet here.
• Microphone 2 supports an I2S interface and is disabled by default. To enable EN2, solder the jumper pads to close the circuit. For more information on this microphone, refer to the datasheet here.

GPIO

Along the sides of the Machine Learning Carrier Board, we've broken out dedicated PTHs for UART, digital, analog, pulse width modulation, and SPI. You may also notice that we've included a ground rail on the right side of the board.

I²C Specific GPIO

Additionally, we've broken out the I²C SDA and SCL lines, with 3V3 and GND to complete your I²C functionality. These are primary I²C pins - they are connected to the Qwiic connector.

Accelerometer

The LIS2DH12 is an ultra-low-power, high performance, three-axis linear accelerometer belonging to the “femto” family with digital I²C/SPI serial interface standard output. If you need more detail on this little guy, refer to the Datasheet here.

Camera Connector

With this 24 pin connector, you can add image recognition to your machine learning board by popping in the Himax CMOS Imaging Camera.

JTAG

An unpopulated JTAG footprint is available for more advanced users who need breakpoint level debugging. We recommend checking out our JTAG section for the compatible male header and a compatible JTAG programmer and debugger.

RTC Battery

We've included a 3V Lithium Rechargeable Battery as a backup power source.

Jumpers

VE Jumper

VIN and 3V3 Jumpers

Cutting these jumpers will disable the VIN and 3V3 LEDs on the front of the board.

I²C Jumper

If you are daisy-chaining multiple Qwiic devices, you will want to cut this jumper; if multiple sensors are connected to the bus with the pull-up resistors enabled, the parallel equivalent resistance could create too strong of a pull-up for the bus to operate correctly. As a general rule of thumb, disable all but one pair of pull-up resistors if multiple devices are connected to the bus. To disable the pull up resistors, use an X-acto knife to cut the joint between the highlighted jumper pads.

RESET PTH

Need an external reset button? These PTH allow you to tie in to the reset functionality.

Machine Learning MicroMod Carrier Pin Functionality

• Machine Learning Carrier Pinout Table
• MicroMod General Pinout Table
• MicroMod General Pin Descriptions

Board Dimensions

The Machine learning Carrier Board measures 2.3 inches by 2.05 inches.