Getting Started with the IMX6SLEVK

Choose a Development Path:

i.MX Linux^® Board Support Package

• Long-Term Support Kernel Release
• U-Boot

OR

i.MX Android^™ Board Support Package

• Android^™ Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) compatible Release
• Extended Multimedia Features

2.1 Overview

Before the Linux^® OS kernel can boot on an i.MX board, the Linux^® image needs to be copied to a boot device and the boot switches need to be set to boot that device.

To bring up the board and run Linux^®, four elements are needed:

• Boot loader (U-Boot)
• Linux^® kernel image (zImage)
• A device tree file (.dtb) for the board being used
• A root file system (rootfs) for the particular Linux^® image

2.2 Prepare a Linux^® BSP Image

Pre-built Image

The release contains a pre-built SD card image that is built specifically for the i.MX 6Quad Sabre-SD board. The SD card image is a file that is typically named <board name.sdcard> and is a specially constructed disk image including partitions and all necessary files to boot the board, including all four components mentioned above.</board>

The pre-built NXP Linux^® Binary Demo Image provides a typical system and basic set of features for using and evaluating the processor. Without modifying the system, the users can evaluate hardware interfaces, test SoC features, and run user space applications.

Self-built Image

With the source code and documentation, the users also can customize the Linux^® image built for your own device, i.e. add or remove system components.

The Yocto Project is the framework of choice with NXP professional support to build the images that are used for booting a Linux^® kernel, although other methods can be used.

For more details, see NXP Yocto Project User's Guide here.

2.3 Download Linux^® BSP Image

There are various ways to download the Linux^® BSP image for different boards, boot devices, and results desired.

For Getting-Started, we only list the few methods to transfer the BSP image to SD card.Experienced Linux^® developer can explore other options.

The .sdcard image (either from a pre-built or self-built BSP image) is an SD card image that can be flashed directly. This is the simplest way to load everything needed onto the card with one command.

When more flexibility is desired, an SD card can be loaded with the individual components (bootloader, kernel, dtb file and rootfs file) one-by-one or the .sdcard image can be loaded and the individual parts can be overwritten with the specific components.

Copying the full SD card image

An SD/MMC card reader is required to transfer the bootloader and kernel images to initialize the partition table and copy the root file system.

Linux^® host:

The Linux^® kernel running on the Linux^® host assigns a device node to the SD/MMC card reader.

To identify the device node assigned to the SD/MMC card, carry out the following command in the host computer: $ cat /proc/partitions

Carry out the following command to copy the SD card image to the SD/MMC card. Change sdx below to match the one used by the SD card.

$ sudo dd if=<filename.sdcard> of=/dev/sd<x> bs=1M && sync </x></filename.sdcard> where <filename.sdcard>filename.sdcard> is the correct board specific SD card image</filename.sdcard>.

To setup the partition manually, please read 4.3.3 in i.MX Linux^® User's Guide.

To load individual component separately when the full SD card image is not used, please read 4.3.4-3.4.6 in i.MX Linux^® User's Guide.

Using U-Boot

The Manufacturing Tool, named MfgTool, is a tool that runs on a Windows OS host and is used to download images to different devices on an i.MX board. The tar.gz file can be found with the pre-built Linux^® BSP image.

Manufacturing Tool Tutorial - Linux

1. Connect a USB cable from a computer to the USB OTG port on the board
2. No dedicated boot DIP switches are reserved for serial download mode on i.MX 6 Quad/QuadPlus SABRE-SD board. One way is to set the boot mode to boot from SD slot SD3 but do not insert the SD card, and power on the board. After the message "HID Compliant device" is displayed, the board enters serial download mode. Then insert the SD card into SD slot SD3.See "4.5.11 Serial download mode for the Manufacturing Tool" in i.MX Linux^® User Guide
3. Power on the board
4. Choose the correct *.vbs file according to the target device. The manufacturing tool automatically pulls the required files based on the device. The default profile of the Manufacturing Tool assumes that your file system is packed and compressed using the bzip2 algorithm. You can also modify the profile to support other formats
5. After the image downloading is done, set the boot switch to boot up the board. See next step in Section 2 in this Getting Started Tutorial or Section "How to boot the i.MX boards" in the document

For details, please refer to 4.2 Manufacutring Tool in i.MX Linux^®User's Guide.

You can connect a USB cable from the debug UART port to the computer and open a serial communication program for for console output.

Using Manufacturing Tool

The U-Boot bootloader is able to download images over Ethernet to RAM and then writes to an SD card. For this operation. Network communications need to be configured.

For instructions about how to download U-Boot to an MMC/SD card that is not the one used to boot from, please refer to section 4.4.1

Images can be downloaded to other boot media (memory storage device) using U-Boot.To use other memory device, please refer to sections under 4.4.1

2.4 Boot Switch Setup

The boot modes of the i.MX boards are controlled by the boot configuration DIP switches on the board.

Table 1: Boot Options

Table 2: SW3 Configuration

Table 3: SW4 Configuration

Table 4: SW5 Configuration

X: None specified

^D: Default configuration

*: Switch needs to be configured for high or low depending on the application needs. Please check reference manual for boot configuration options.

**: 1 = power cycle on power-up via SDa_RST_B (SD3_RST). 0 = no power cycle

For boot switch setup to boot from other device (SD3 and SATA), please refer to 4.5 in i.MX Linux^® User Guide

3.1 Key Features Demo in Linux^®

With Linux^® running on the i.MX platform, you can evaluate special features that i.MX SoCs provide:

Power Management

There are three main power management techniques on i.MX boards:

• Suspend and resume commands
• CPU frequency scaling
• Bus frequency scaling

After Linux^® setup, for more details about developing applications in user space. Please see i.MX6 Linux^® Reference Manual.

Multimedia

After Linux^® setup, for more details about developing applications in user space. Please see i.MX6 Linux^® Reference Manual.

Graphics

• For more details go to Chapter 8 of I.MX Linux^® User's Guide
• For more details of graphic APIs and driver support, see i.MX6 Graphics User's Guide
  • The purpose of this document is to provide information on graphic APIs and driver support. Each chapter describes a specific set of APIs or driver integration as well as specific hardware acceleration customization. The target audiences for this document are developers writing graphics applications or video drivers
  • i.MX G2D API
  • i.MX 6 EGL and OGL Extension Support
• For more details of Video Processing Unit, see i.MX VPU programming interface Linux^® Reference Manual

Security

• For more details go to Chapter 9 of i.MX Linux^® User's Guide
• For details of secure system upgrade, read i.MX Linux^® High Assurance Boot User's Guide

Connectivity

• Bluetooth support works best with a USB dongle with either BlueZ4 or BlueZ5.
• Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology support require the Broadcom firmware package download from i.MX Software and Development Tools. The Broadcom device drivers are integrated into the kernel but to function require the firmware package download and integration.
• For more details go to Chapter 10 of i.MX Linux^® User's Guide

3.2 Application development

After Linux^® setup, for more details about developing applications in user space. Please see i.MX6 Linux^® Reference Manual.

3.3 Yocto Project

NXP Yocto Project User's Guide covers how to set up the Linux^® host machine, how to run and configure a Yocto Project, generate an image, and generate a rootfs

For more details, see NXP Yocto Project User's Guide

3.4 Extended Features in Android^™

Wi-Fi Display Sink API

The i.MX Android^™ Wi-Fi Display Sink APIs allows a device to act as Wi-Fi Display Sink to render the audio and video contents from Wi-Fi Display Source in real time.

Using the i.MX Android^™ Wi-Fi Display Sink APIs, an Android^™ application can perform the following:

• Scan for other Wi-Fi Display Source devices
• Get self peer name and MAC address
• Set the device name which is displayed in other Wi-Fi Display devices
• Set the display surface to render the RTSP streaming from the Wi-Fi Display Source Device
• Start or stop the RTSP streaming between Wi-Fi Display Source and Sink
• Disconnect Wi-Fi display connection from P2P layer
• Send the input event to the Wi-Fi Display Source device, which known as UIBC

The HDCP2.X (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) function based on the Android^™ Extended Wi-Fi Display Sink Release package is designed to create a secure connection between a source and a display by enabling:

• The High Assurance Boot (HAB) for an Android^™ image
• Generation and provision keyblob for HDCP2.X key

Extended Codec

The features described in the release notes are supported by NXP implemented media framework OMXPlayer. They are only available after applied android_L5.1.1_2.0.0-ga_omxplayer_source.tar.gz software package.

Only codecs that have no license restriction are included in OMXPlayer package.

Check Video/Audio decoder/encoder in i.MX Android Extended Codec Release Notes

To install the OMXPlayer package, perform the following steps:

1. Copy the OMXPlayer package to the Android^™ root directory
2. Go to the Android^™ root directory and decompress the OMXPlayer package

This step generates the device/fsl-codec, external/fsl_imx_omx, lean_obj_before_building.sh, and switch_build_to.sh.

$ source build/envsetup.sh
$ lunch <target build platform> # e.g., sabresd_6dq-user</target>
$./switch_build_to.sh full
$./clean_obj_before_building.sh
$make

3.5 Further Resources

LCD/HDMI SD CARD for Booting Android

The default boot mode configures the system to display the UI on the MCIMX28LCD (sold separately). To change the default configuration and enable the MCIMXHDMICARD daughte rcard (sold separately), hit any key to stop u-boot from proceeding. Once prompt is visible, the u-boot can be configured as follows:

For LCD boot up, type the following commands (as one line):

setenv bootargs console=ttymxc0,115200 init=/initandroidboot.console=ttymxc0panel=lcdsaveenvreset

For HDMI boot up, type the following commands (as one line):

setenv bootargs console=ttymxc0,115200 init=/initandroidboot.console=ttymxc0panel=hdmisaveenvreset

EPDC SD CARD for Booting Android

The default settings should be used and no change is needed.

Tera Term Tutorial

Tera Term is a very popular open source terminal emulation application. This program can be used to display information sent from your NXP development platform's virtual serial port.

1. Download Tera Term from SourceForge. After the download, run the installer and then return to this webpage to continue

Download

2. Launch Tera Term. The first time it launches, it will show you the following dialog. Select the serial option. Assuming your board is plugged in, there should be a COM port automatically populated in the list

3. Configure the serial port settings (using the COM port number identified earlier) to 115200 baud rate, 8 data bits, no parity and 1 stop bit. To do this, go to Setup -> Serial Port and change the settings
4. Verify that the connection is open. If connected, Tera Term will show something like below in it's title bar

5. You're ready to go

PuTTY Tutorial

PuTTY is a popular terminal emulation application. This program can be used to display information sent from your NXP development platform's virtual serial port.

1. Download PuTTY using the button below. After the download, run the installer and then return to this webpage to continue

Download

2. Launch PuTTY by either double clicking on the *.exe file you downloaded or from the Start menu, depending on the type of download you selected
3. Configure In the window that launches, select the Serial radio button and enter the COM port number that you determined earlier. Also enter the baud rate, in this case 115200

4. Click Open to open the serial connection. Assuming the board is connected and you entered the correct COM port, the terminal window will open. If the configuration is not correct, PuTTY will alert you
5. You're ready to go

Board Documents

• SABRE Board for Smart Devices - Fact Sheet
• i.MX 6QuadPlus SABRE Board for Smart Devices Quick Start Guide 
• Design files, including hardware schematics, Gerbers, and OrCAD files for i.MX 6QuadPlus (i.MX 6DualPlus emulation) 

Chip Documents

• i.MX 6DualPlus Processor - Dual-Core, High-Performance, Advanced 3D Graphics, HD Video, Advanced Multimedia, Arm^® Cortex^®-A9 Core

Forums

i.MX Community