Skip to main content
The Arduino Uno Q is a dual-system board combining a Qualcomm QCS2210 (running Linux Debian) and an STMicroelectronics STM32U585 microcontroller (running Zephyr RTOS).
This guide walks you through deploying an Edge Impulse Zephyr module and running inference on the STM32 side. west support for the Uno Q is still experimental. Debugging requires ADB port forwarding.
See the official Zephyr documentation for the latest details:
https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/boards/arduino/uno_q/doc/index.html

Arduino Uno Q

​
Overview

The Uno Q consists of:
  • Qualcomm QCS2210 – Runs Linux Debian (host logic, logging, cloud, UI).
  • STMicroelectronics STM32U585 – Runs Zephyr RTOS (real-time sensor IO + ML inference).
Your Edge Impulse model runs on the Zephyr (STM32) MCU, while the Linux side may consume results via UART, SPI, I²C, or shared logging.

​
Prerequisites

For IMU-based inference examples, you can use:
  • X-NUCLEO-IKS02A1 - STMicroelectronics industrial motion MEMS sensor expansion board with ISM330DHCX 6-axis IMU. Connects via Arduino headers or I2C.
  • Arduino UNO R4 WiFi IMU Shield with the LSM6DSOX sensor via the ESLOV connector.
Alternatively, you can use Qwiic-compatible IMU sensors via the Qwiic connector, such as:
  • SparkFun Qwiic 6DoF IMU (LSM6DSO)
  • SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer (ADXL345)
  • Grove 3-axis Accelerometer (ADXL335) with a Grove to Qwiic adapter
These sensors connect via I2C and are compatible with Zephyr’s sensor API.

​
Step 1: Verify ADB Connection

First, verify your Uno Q is connected via USB and visible to ADB: 
adb devices
You should see something like: 
List of devices attached
1914980263	device
ADB communicates with the Linux side of the Uno Q. Keep this connection active throughout development - the Linux side acts as the bridge for debugging the STM32 MCU.

​
Step 2: Initialize the Example Project with Edge Impulse Zephyr Module

See our Edge Impulse Zephyr Module for the latest deployment instructions Create and initialize your Zephyr workspace: 
mkdir ~/zephyrproject && cd ~/zephyrproject
west init -m https://github.com/edgeimpulse/example-standalone-inferencing-zephyr-module
cd example-standalone-inferencing-zephyr-module
west update
All subsequent west commands (build, flash, debug) should be run from ~/zephyrproject/example-standalone-inferencing-zephyr-module unless otherwise specified.
This pulls:
  • Zephyr core RTOS
  • Edge Impulse Zephyr Module (edge-impulse-sdk-zephyr)
  • Example app sources under src/

​
Step 3: Deploy Your Model from Edge Impulse Studio

In Edge Impulse Studio, go to Deployment > Zephyr Module Click Build Download the .zip file (e.g. my_model-zephyr.zip) Extract it into your project: 
mkdir -p model
unzip ~/Downloads/my_model-zephyr.zip -d model

​
Step 4: Add Model Path to CMakeLists.txt

Edit the project CMake file: add the following line to the end of CMakeLists.txt: 
list(APPEND ZEPHYR_EXTRA_MODULES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/model)
This tells the build system where to find your Edge Impulse model.

​
Step 5: Configure UNO Q Board for Zephyr Build

Open .west/config and set the board: 
[build]
board = arduino_uno_q
The UNO Q shares its STM32U585 MCU architecture with the Uno Q, so arduino_uno_q is a working target until official uno_q Zephyr support is merged. See Zephyr docs for the latest here

​
Step 6: Build the Firmware

From the ~/zephyrproject/example-standalone-inferencing-zephyr-module directory, build the firmware: 
west build -b arduino_uno_q --pristine
If you’ve built before and want a clean build: 
west build --pristine
You should see output similar to: 
[858/858] Linking CXX executable zephyr/zephyr.elf
Memory region         Used Size  Region Size  %age Used
          FLASH:      164584 B         1 MB     15.70%
            RAM:       19320 B       448 KB      4.21%
       IDT_LIST:          0 GB        32 KB      0.00%
Now you have validated the build, you are ready to flash your own model and custom applications to the Uno Q.

​
Step 7: Flash and Debug the UNO Q

The Uno Q requires a two-step process for flashing and debugging the STM32 MCU.

​
Start the Debug Bridge

In Terminal 1, start the ADB port forwarding and OpenOCD server: 
adb forward tcp:3333 tcp:3333 && adb shell arduino-debug
Keep this terminal running. It bridges your development machine to the on-board OpenOCD server.

​
Flash or Debug the Firmware

In Terminal 2, navigate to your project directory and run the flash or debug command: 
cd ~/zephyrproject/example-standalone-inferencing-zephyr-module
To flash: 
west flash -r openocd
To debug: 
west debug -r openocd
You should see output similar to: 
-- runners.openocd: Flashing file: build/zephyr/zephyr.hex
The Uno Q does not support the dfu-util runner. Always use openocd as the runner for flashing and debugging.

​
Step 8: View Inference Results

Once flashed, open a serial console to the UNO Q: 
minicom -D /dev/ttyACM0 -b 115200
Expected output (example): 
Edge Impulse standalone inferencing (Zephyr)
Predictions:
 normal: 0.02
 anomaly: 0.98

​
Step 9: (Advanced) Connect Linux & Zephyr Sides

If you want the Qualcomm Linux side to read inference results: Use UART or shared SPI/I2C between QCS2210 ↔ STM32U585 Forward results to Linux process (e.g. Python script monitoring /dev/ttyS*) This lets you run high-level logic or cloud uploads on Debian while Zephyr handles real-time ML.

​
Step 10: Update and Maintain

west update
This keeps both Zephyr and Edge Impulse SDK up to date.

​
Summary

You’ve successfully deployed an Edge Impulse model using the Edge Impulse Zephyr Module to the STM32 MCU on the Uno Q. You can now build more complex applications combining real-time inference on Zephyr fully utilizing the Uno Q dual-system architecture, and leverage the low power MCU to the fullest extent.