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Connectors on Tachyon

Tachyon follows the Raspberry Pi 5 form factor, maintaining standard connector placements for items lke:

  • PCIe, CSI, DSI connectors
  • 40-pin expansion HAT header

However, there are some key design changes:

✅ Primary USB connector, LED, and button remain in the standard positions.
🔄 HDMI ports replaced with:

  • Secondary USB port (USB 2.0 Host)
  • Built-in lithium battery charger

Major Innovation: Integrated 5G Sub-6GHz Antenna

  • Ethernet & USB ports replaced by a high-speed cellular antenna
  • Built-in Wi-Fi antennas
  • Optional GNSS antenna support
  • Tachyon module positioned underneath the board for optimal performance

Connector Overview​

Tachyon Connectors

LabelDescription
1Primary USB (USB1)
2Secondary USB (USB2 - Host only)
4Activity LED
5LiPo battery connector
6DSI/CSI display/camera connector
7CSI camera-only connector
8GNSS antenna
9Built-in cellular antenna
10QWIIC connector (3.3V I2C)
11SD card slot (optional)
12Debug connector
1340-pin Raspberry Pi Expansion HAT connector
14HAT 5V power direction jumper
15Wi-Fi chip antenna
16PCIe expansion connector
17Device info (serial number data matrix code)
18Power & Mode Button
19Primary LED
20Audio adapter connector
21RTC battery connector (optional)
22External button connection (optional)

Primary USB (USB1)​

  • USB 3.1 bi-directional support
  • Power & Data
    • Supports USB Power Delivery (PD)
    • Can function as host or device, depending on the connection
  • Video Output
    • Supports USB-C adapters that provide USB + Power + HDMI output

Secondary USB (USB2)​

  • USB 2.0 Host only
  • Standard USB-C port
  • Supports USB hubs and provides 5V power

LiPo Battery Connector​

Tachyon supports 3.7V LiPo batteries with a 3-pin JST-PH connector.

  • Includes a built-in 10K NTC thermistor for temperature sensing.

Battery Connector

📢 Note: Facing the plug on the battery side

QWIIC Connector (3.3V I2C)​

  • Follows SparkFun Qwiic / Adafruit STEMMA QT standard
  • Enables easy I2C expansion for sensors & peripherals
  • Supports daisy-chaining multiple I2C devices
  • 4-pin JST 1mm connector (keyed)

📢 More Info: Qwiic Ecosystem

SD Card Slot (Optional)​

  • Accepts standard SD cards
  • Used for additional storage (OS is stored on internal flash)

Debug Connector​

Provides UART access for system debugging.
Used for:
✅ System Controller (MCU) Debugging
✅ Linux Module UART Console Access

🔌 Connects to the Debug Adapter using a 10-pin (2x5) ribbon cable.

Raspberry Pi 40-Pin Expansion HAT Connector​

  • Follows the Raspberry Pi standard
  • Enables HAT expansion for additional functionality

📢 More Info: GPIO & IO Page

HAT 5V Power Direction Jumper​

🛑 EVT Users: Connector marking is reversed!
❌ IN = OUT and OUT = IN (Fix in DVT)

ModeFunctionality
IN5V supplied to the HAT from Tachyon
OUT5V supplied from the HAT to power Tachyon

📢 Notes:

  • IN mode: 5V isn't powered in standby mode, but works on battery
  • OUT mode: External 5V at 2A required to power Tachyon

Audio Adapter Connector​

  • 4-pin connector providing analog audio in/out
  • Supports microphone input

Connects to the Audio Adapter.

PCIe Expansion Connector​

  • Enables high-speed PCIe peripherals
  • Used for NVMe SSDs, AI accelerators, and networking cards

GNSS (GPS) Antenna Connector​

  • Required for GPS functionality
  • Uses a low-cost PCB patch antenna

External Button Connector​

  • 2-pin header used for an external user button
  • Compatible with M1 Enclosure’s external button