You can build and run an Edge Impulse model on the Himax WE-I Plus EVB by collecting sensor data, training an impulse in Edge Impulse Studio, building the board’s deployment firmware, and flashing it with the Edge Impulse CLI. The board supports camera, microphone, and accelerometer experiments, so choose the input that matches the task before collecting examples.
What you need
- A Himax WE-I Plus EVB and a USB connection to your computer. Edge Impulse’s original announcement points to SparkFun as a source for the board; check current stock and availability directly at Edge Impulse’s WE-I Plus announcement.
- An Edge Impulse account and Studio project.
- Node.js 16 or newer for the CLI installation described by the Edge Impulse CLI repository.
- The Edge Impulse CLI, including its Himax flashing utility,
himax-flash-tool. - A trained impulse in Studio before you deploy.
Check the board’s current release instructions for the required cable, operating-system setup, driver, and board-revision details. The available documentation does not establish one universal set of requirements for every computer and board revision.
How the WE-I Plus fits an Edge Impulse project
The WE-I Plus EVB is an Edge Impulse-supported embedded AI target. Its HX6537-A combines an ARC EM9D DSP running at 400 MHz with 2 MB of internal SRAM and 2 MB of flash. The board has a monochrome camera, microphone, and accelerometer, making it suitable for image, audio, voice, and motion projects, as described in Edge Impulse’s announcement.
Edge Impulse’s hardware catalog lists the target as “Himax WE-I Plus (HX6537-A | ARC DSP 400MHz)” and describes supported hardware as providing data-collection and inferencing firmware. See the Himax WE-I Plus hardware documentation for the current target information.
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Set up the board and collect sensor data
- Install the CLI. With Node.js 16 or newer installed, run
npm install -g edge-impulse-cli. The CLI repository also identifieshimax-flash-toolas the board-specific flashing utility: github.com/edgeimpulse/edge-impulse-cli. - Connect the supported firmware to Studio. Attach the board to the computer and use the board’s supported Edge Impulse firmware with Studio’s device and data-acquisition flow. See the Himax hardware documentation for target setup details.
- Choose the relevant sensor and record representative examples. Use the camera for image classification or object detection, microphone for sound or voice recognition, and accelerometer for motion events. Edge Impulse outlines these project paths in its WE-I Plus announcement.
For a custom sensor source or host-side preprocessing, Edge Impulse also accepts acquisition data in its signed JSON or CBOR format, supports the data forwarder, and allows direct uploads of CSV, JPG, PNG, and WAV files. The data acquisition documentation explains these alternatives.
Train an impulse in Studio
An impulse combines the incoming data window, a signal-processing block, and a learning block. Configure those components for your sensor and task, then review class balance and test data before building firmware. There is no single window size or model architecture established for every WE-I Plus project; choose them based on the signal and the distinction your model needs to learn.
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Build and flash the Himax firmware
- In Edge Impulse Studio, open the project’s Deployment tab.
- Select the built Himax WE-I firmware option and build the deployment.
- Follow the operating-system-specific flashing script generated for the build. The Himax deployment instructions describe this workflow.
- After flashing, run
edge-impulse-run-impulse --debugto preview live inference, as shown in the deployment instructions.
Keep the model and its input pipeline within the board’s available memory and account for the compiler and toolchain required by your deployment. The 2 MB SRAM and 2 MB flash figures describe the HX6537-A; they do not guarantee that any particular model will fit or meet a particular latency or power target.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When to use a custom firmware build
The integrated firmware and Studio deployment are the straightforward route for a first project. If you need to integrate the model into a larger application, export the impulse as a C++ library or adapt the standalone Himax example. That example documents both GNU ARC and DesignWare ARC MetaWare build routes, followed by flashing the resulting image: Edge Impulse’s standalone Himax example.
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Choose between the integrated and custom routes based on sensor source, model memory needs, compiler availability, and power or latency requirements. The cited sources do not provide an apples-to-apples benchmark against other boards, so they do not establish a universal speed, accuracy, or battery-life advantage.
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