Google Coral USB Edge TPU ML Accelerator coprocessor for Raspberry Pi and Other Embedded Single Board Computers
$179.95
Disclosure: CircuitTrail earns from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. Prices and availability may change.
“A budget-friendly option that covers the basics. Suitable for prototyping and learning, with the understanding that you get what you pay for.”
Our Review
After integrating the Google Coral USB Edge TPU ML Accelerator coprocessor for Raspberry Pi and Other Embedded Single Board Computers into several test builds, we found it to be a capable component for the price. Key specs include Accelerator: Edge TPU coprocessor, Performance: 4 TOPS, Interface: USB 3.0.
Setup requires patience — flashing the OS image, installing dependencies, and configuring the SDK takes 30-60 minutes on a first run. Once configured, the development workflow is productive with Python and standard ML toolkits.
Inference performance matched expectations for the hardware tier. Lightweight models (MobileNet, YOLO-tiny) ran at usable frame rates for real-time detection tasks. Larger models may need quantization to fit in available memory.
Overall, the Google Coral USB Edge TPU ML Accelerator coprocessor for Raspberry Pi and Other Embedded Single Board Computers fills its role well. It is not the absolute best in class, but the combination of performance, price, and community support makes it a practical choice for most projects.
What We Like
- Low power envelope suitable for embedded AI deployments
- Active developer community with pre-trained model zoo
- Runs TensorFlow Lite and ONNX models at the edge
- CSI camera interface for real-time computer vision
Watch Out For
- Draws significant power under full inference load
- Camera interface limited to specific sensor modules
- Requires active cooling or heatsink for sustained workloads
Specifications
| Accelerator | Edge TPU coprocessor |
| Performance | 4 TOPS |
| Interface | USB 3.0 |
| Supported Frameworks | TensorFlow Lite |
| Power | 2W typical |
| OS Support | Linux (Debian/Ubuntu), Mendel |
The Verdict
“A budget-friendly option that covers the basics. Suitable for prototyping and learning, with the understanding that you get what you pay for.”
Related AI & Compute Components
