Alif Semiconductor’s Ensemble E1C (SK-E1C) and Balletto B1 (SK-B1) StartKits are low-cost development boards built around the company’s Cortex-M55 + Ethos-U55 microcontrollers. The Balletto B1 adds BLE 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless connectivity, while the Ensemble E1C does not have built-in wireless connectivity.
Both StartKits feature a microcontroller with a 160MHz Cortex-M55 CPU, an Ethos-U55 NPU, 2MB SRAM, and 1.8/1.9MB NVM. They also include an Arducam camera header, a mikroBUS Click Board expansion socket, and two PDM microphones for camera, audio, and sensor-based projects. The Balletto B1 additionally provides the complete RF path to a chip antenna for its wireless subsystem, while both boards feature an on-board Segger J-Link debugger for development and testing.
Ensemble E1C (SK E1C) and Balletto B1 (SK B1) StartKits (Both the boards looks identical)
Alif Semiconductor StartKit (SK-B1 and SK-E1C) specifications:
MCU SK-E1C – Alif Semiconductor Ensemble E1C SK-B1 – Alif Semiconductor Balletto B1 CPU – Arm Cortex-M55 core with Helium-M Vector Extension @ up to 160 MHz NPU – Arm Ethos-U55 neural network processor core (128 MACs per cycle) Memory & Storage: 2MB of SRAM and 1.8MB of NVM (1.9 MB MRAM on E1C)
Camera Interface – 20-pin Arducam header
Wireless – BLE 5.3 and 802.15.4 radio subsystem with chip antenna (Balletto B1 StartKit only)
USB 1x USB Type-C port connected to the SoC 1x USB Type-C port for programming and debugging