Hey everyone!
I’m kinda new here and still learning about embedded hardware, so sorry if this is a basic question.
I noticed there’s already a thread about the G720 thermal model, and it got me thinking - how do you guys usually keep your Genio boards from getting too hot during heavy tasks? Like, does the chip throttle itself automatically, or do you have to set that up manually in the software?
I’m also wondering if adding a small heatsink or CPU fan actually makes a big difference, or if the board handles it fine on its own for most projects.
Would love to hear what’s working for you guys! Thanks in advance.
When I am facing with the thermal management on Genio boards, I prefer using a combination of hardware design and software control.
Yes, the SoC has built-in thermal protection mechanisms, including frequency and voltage scaling (DVFS) and thermal throttling. But, the actual behavior depends on the BSP, kernel thermal framework, and configuration.
For sustained workloads such as AI inference, video processing, or GPU-intensive applications, it will be different. I think, relying only on throttling may reduce performance.
A proper heatsink, thermal pad, and good airflow will work. They can significantly improve thermal stability by lowering junction temperature and maintaining higher operating frequencies.
If you are making mass production designs, I recommend you to monitor temperature through thermal sensors and tune cooling based on the application workload.
MTK SoCs typically offer good power efficiency, and the SW features a DVFS thermal throttle mechanism to prevent overheating. Good passive cooling is usually sufficient; you can refer to EVK’s thermal design for guidance.