SparkFun QuickLogic Thing Plus - EOS S3

$ 49.50 $ 24.75

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The SparkFun QuickLogic Thing Plus EOS™ S3, is a small form factor system ideal for enabling the next generation of low-power Machine Learning (ML) devices. The QuickLogic Thing Plus is powered by QuickLogic’s EOS S3, the first eFPGA-enabled Arm Cortex©-M4F MCU to be fully supported with Zephyr RTOS and FreeRTOS. Unlike other development boards which are based on proprietary hardware and software tools, the QuickLogic Things Plus is based on 100% open source hardware, compatible with the Feather form factor, and is built around 100% open source software (with support for FreeRTOS, Zephyr, nMingen, Docker, and SymbiFlow).

Between the onboard LiPo battery connector and charging circuitry, wake-on-sound PDM microphone, and low-power, three-axis accelerometer, this Thing Plus board is ideal for wearable, voice, gesture sensing applications. The strong firmware support for the microphone and accelerator make it easy to move sensor data into the embedded FPGA. From there, you can use SensiML, TensorFlow Lite, or other tools to train and run embedded machine learning algorithms specific to your application. The board also includes a Qwiic connector to quickly interface with an ecosystem of 150+ I2C-compatible boards such as sensors, RFID readers, displays, keypads, and relays.


The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I2C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.


  • 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
  • Thing Plus Form Factor
    • Breadboard-compatible 0.1" (2.54 mm) pitch headers
    • 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
    • SPI
    • I2S
  • Storage
    • 16 Mbit SPI NOR flash - GigaDevice GD25Q16CEIGR
  • Sensors
    • 3-Axis 12-bit 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)
    • Single Cell LiPo battery
    • On-board charging circuitry - Microchip MCP73831/2
    • Standard LiPo JST connector
  • Software
    • Machine Learning
      • TensorFlow Lite
      • SensiML
    • Real-time Operating Systems
      • Zephyr RTOS
      • FreeRTOS
    • FPGA Tools
      • SymbiFlow
      • Renode

SparkFun QuickLogic Thing Plus - EOS S3 Product Help and Resources

QuickLogic Thing Plus (EOS S3) Hookup Guide

July 22, 2021

This guide provides users with functional descriptions, configuration options for the QuickLogic Thing Plus EOS S3. It also serves as a “Getting Started” and “How To” guide.

Core Skill: Programming

If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.

4 Programming

Skill Level: Experienced - You will require a firm understanding of programming, the programming toolchain, and may have to make decisions on programming software or language. You may need to decipher a proprietary or specialized communication protocol. A logic analyzer might be necessary.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping

If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.

2 Electrical Prototyping

Skill Level: Rookie - You may be required to know a bit more about the component, such as orientation, or how to hook it up, in addition to power requirements. You will need to understand polarized components.
See all skill levels


Comments

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  • Member #1732647 / last year / 1

    FYI: this needs a usb A to usb C cable since it doesn't implement the USB-C spec correctly at all and has no Rpd 5.1k termination resistors. A MacBook Pro, or any USB host connected via a USB-C to USB-C cable, will not even detect and power the port at all without this workaround.

    Otherwise everything else works fine enough but it needs to be re-flashed via an SWD debugger.

  • Member #1485428 / about 2 years ago * / 1

    There have been issues with getting data flashed to the board. Following this forum post for updates. https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=56658&p=238960&hilit=quicklogic+thing#p238960

Customer Reviews

3.5 out of 5

Based on 2 ratings:

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no software

Its been a while but.. could not find some of the software. could not get some to work. Never got the product to work.

no succes with PFGA Projects

I have tried three times to get a FPGA project to work and all have failed. The Sparkfun QuickLogic Ting Plus - EOS S3 was offered at a discount price and arrived quickly. The embedded Arm Cortex M4 F microcontroller was not recognised by my Windows PC so communicating with the FPGA was not possible. Sparkfun offered a refund and arranged a return but COVID-19 struck and I missed this opportunity. I am now stuck with a a device that does not work.