Dual-core architecture for Linux + real-time control
The STM32MP157FAC1 is a heterogeneous MPU from ST's STM32MP1 series, pairing a dual ARM Cortex-A7 at 800 MHz with a Cortex-M4 coprocessor at 209 MHz. The A7 cluster runs Linux or Android application stacks; the M4 handles deterministic control loops, sensor fusion, or low-latency I/O without jitter from the OS scheduler. Memory interface supports DDR3, DDR3L, LPDDR2, and LPDDR3, so the same PCB layout can be tuned for cost (DDR3) or low-power (LPDDR3) depending on the thermal budget.
Five USB ports are on-chip: two USB 2.0 host controllers and three USB 2.0 OTG ports with integrated PHY. That saves external USB hub silicon when the design needs a keyboard, a thumb drive, a cellular modem, and a debug port simultaneously. Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and a 10/100 Mbps MAC are both present, so the same part can serve as a protocol gateway between a legacy 100BASE-TX field network and a backbone GbE uplink. Display and graphics are handled by an integrated LCD controller and HDMI-CEC interface, with hardware graphics acceleration confirmed. For touch-panel HMIs or dashboard displays, the part drives the panel directly without an external GPU. Security is covered by ARM TrustZone (ARM TZ), which isolates secure boot, key storage, and authenticated firmware updates from the application OS. Additional wired interfaces include CAN, I²C, SPI, UART, MMC/SD/SDIO, and SPDIF — enough to cover motor drive encoder feedback, sensor buses, and audio pass-through without external bridge chips.
Rated for -20°C to 105°C (TJ).