RDK X3 ROS2 AI Board (4GB, 5Tops)

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

GPIO

General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.

H.265

A video compression standard, also called HEVC, that reduces video file size and bandwidth compared with older formats. It matters for vision and AI projects because hardware H.265 encode/decode support can handle many camera streams more efficiently.

HDMI

HDMI is a common digital video and audio connection used by computers, media players, and many displays. If a display kit has HDMI input, it is usually much easier to test with a single-board computer because it can act like a normal monitor.

I2C

I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.

I2S

I2S is a digital audio interface used to send sound data between chips, such as from a microcontroller to an audio amplifier or DAC. It matters if your project needs cleaner digital audio output than a basic buzzer or PWM signal can provide.

JPEG

A compressed image file format commonly used for photos. It matters because the camera sends already-compressed snapshots, which are easier to store on an SD card or transmit over a slow serial link than raw image data.

LPDDR4

A low-power type of RAM commonly used in phones and embedded computers. More LPDDR4 memory lets a board run larger programs, Linux services, or AI models more smoothly.

MIPI

MIPI is a high-speed display and camera interface often used inside phones, tablets, and embedded devices. It matters because raw MIPI displays usually need special driver hardware or software support, unlike plug-and-play HDMI screens.

PWM

Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.

RJ45

The common plug and socket style used for wired Ethernet network cables. If a board has an RJ45 connector, you can usually plug it into standard Ethernet cabling without making a custom connector.

SPI

A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.

TOPS

TOPS means trillions of operations per second, often used to describe AI accelerator performance. It helps compare whether a computing module is suited to lightweight image recognition or more demanding neural-network workloads.

UART

UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.

USB host

A USB host is the side of a USB connection that controls attached devices, like a computer talking to a keyboard or flash drive. This matters because most microcontroller boards are normally USB devices, so adding USB host support lets them use common USB peripherals.