RK3506
A low-cost industrial MPU with a triple Cortex-A7 plus a Cortex-M0 real-time core. It targets HMIs, industrial controllers and gateways that need Linux plus deterministic I/O, and some variants integrate DRAM in-package.
- 3× Cortex-A7 + Cortex-M0
- Dual Ethernet MAC
- CAN-FD
- In-package DDR variants
- Real-time capable
Specifications
| Architecture | ARMv7-A + ARMv6-M (MCU) |
|---|---|
| CPU | 3× Cortex-A7 up to 1.5 GHz + Cortex-M0 |
| GPU | 2D acceleration (RGA); no 3D GPU |
| NPU | None |
| Memory | DDR2 / DDR3 / DDR3L; in-package DDR on some variants |
| Storage | eMMC, SD, SPI NOR/NAND, SLC NAND |
| Display | MIPI DSI, RGB (small / mid-size HMI panels) |
Interfaces
| USB | USB 2.0 OTG ×2 |
|---|---|
| Ethernet | 2× 10/100 MAC (RMII) |
| MIPI | MIPI DSI |
| I2C / SPI / UART | Multiple I2C, SPI, UART (see datasheet) |
| Other | CAN-FD ×2, FlexBus, I2S/audio, PWM, SARADC |
Interface counts depend on pin-muxing and combo-PHY configuration. Verify against the official RK3506 datasheet / TRM.
Development
Vendor BSP (6.1 kernel line). Check board vendors (e.g. Luckfox Lyra) for images.
Not an Android target.
Vendor U-Boot.
Board DTS on the vendor BSP.
Primary SDK flavour.
Limited / community.
Operating systems
Typical use cases
- Industrial HMI
- PLC / motion controllers
- Protocol gateways
- Low-cost Linux IoT
RK3506 Tutorials
Flash Any Rockchip Board with rkdeveloptool (Linux & macOS)
Build rkdeveloptool from source, set up udev permissions, and flash raw images, partitions and SPI flash on Rockchip boards.
How to Identify a Rockchip SoC (from Linux, U-Boot, USB or the Chip Marking)
Five quick ways to find out exactly which Rockchip SoC and board you are dealing with, even on an unknown device.
Rockchip Boot Process Explained: BootROM, TPL, SPL, BL31, U-Boot and Linux
A stage-by-stage walkthrough of how a Rockchip SoC boots, where each piece lives on flash, and how to tell from the serial log which stage failed.
What Is MaskROM Mode? Rockchip Recovery and Loader Mode Explained
MaskROM is the Rockchip BootROM's USB recovery mode, the reason Rockchip boards are nearly unbrickable. Learn how to enter it, how it differs from Loader mode, and how to flash from it.
Boards using RK3506
RK3506 FAQ
What CPU does the RK3506 have?
The RK3506 uses 3× Cortex-A7 up to 1.5 GHz + Cortex-M0 (ARMv7-A + ARMv6-M (MCU)), built on a 22 nm process.
Does the RK3506 have an NPU, and how many TOPS?
No, the RK3506 has no NPU (None). AI workloads run on the CPU or GPU, or on an external accelerator.
What memory does the RK3506 support?
DDR2 / DDR3 / DDR3L; in-package DDR on some variants.
Does the RK3506 support PCIe and NVMe SSDs?
The RK3506 has no PCIe interface. Use eMMC, SD or SPI flash for storage.
Which operating systems run on the RK3506?
Linux (vendor BSP), Linux PREEMPT_RT, Buildroot, RT-Thread on the MCU. Vendor BSP (6.1 kernel line). Check board vendors (e.g. Luckfox Lyra) for images.
What video can the RK3506 decode and encode?
The RK3506 is not a video-focused SoC; see the datasheet for multimedia capabilities.
Which boards use the RK3506?
Boards in our database include Luckfox Lyra series. See the hardware database for full specs.
What is the RK3506 used for?
Typical applications: Industrial HMI, PLC / motion controllers, Protocol gateways, Low-cost Linux IoT.
Documentation & official resources
- Rockchip official website
- rockchip-linux on GitHub (kernel, U-Boot, rkbin, tools)
- Luckfox wiki (RV1103 / RV1106 / RK3506 boards)
Have a RK3506 question not covered here? Ask the community or browse RK3506 questions.
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