Jump To
Out of the Box
The following section describes the steps to boot the i.MX 8M Plus EVK.
Development kit contains:
- i.MX 8M Plus EVK board
- Power Supply: USB Type C 45W Power Delivery Supply, 5 V/3 A; 9 V/3 A; 15 V/3 A; 20 V/2.25 A supported
- Cable: Assembly, USB 3.0, Type-C Male to Type-A Male
- Cable: Assembly, USB 2.0, Type-A Male to Micro-B Male
- Adapter: USB 3.0, Type-C Male to Type-A Female
- Software: Linux BSP image Programmed in eMMC
- Quick Start Guide
Get started developing your application on the i.MX 8M Plus EVK with the out-of-the-box video. For more information please visit the i.MX 8M Plus applications processor Documentation.
1.1 Get Familiar with the Board
Figure 1. i.MX 8M Plus EVK front
Figure 2. i.MX 8M Plus EVK back
1.2. Boot from eMMC
The i.MX 8M Plus EVK comes with a pre-built NXP Linux binary demo image flashed on the eMMC. Without modifying the binary inside, booting from the eMMC provides a default system with certain features for building other applications on top of Linux.
To understand more about NXP’s Embedded Linux®, Embedded Android™ or MCUXpresso SDK, continue reading the next sections.
1.3 Connect USB Debug Cable
Connect the supplied micro-B USB cable to the debug UART port
J23, then connect
the other end of the cable to a host computer.
Four UART connections will appear on the host computer. The third
port is for
A53 core and the
fourth port is for
M7
core system debugging.
If you are unfamiliar with terminal applications, please view one of the following tutorials before continuing to step 1.4.
Linux
Windows
Windows
1.4 Connect the HDMI cable
To see the user interface provided with the image binary, connect a
monitor via the HDMI connector (J17).
1.5 Boot Switch Setup
View our Boot Switch setup guide or the i.MX 8M Plus Reference Manual.
1.6 Connect Power Supply
Connect the power supply cable to the power connector (PORT0).
Power the board by flipping the switch (SW3).
The processor starts executing from the on-chip ROM code. With the default boot switch setup, the code reads the fuses to define the media where it is expected to have a bootable image. After it finds a bootable image, the U-Boot execution should begin automatically.
Information is printed in the serial console for the Cortex ® A53. If you do not stop the U-Boot process, it continues to boot the kernel.
Congratulations, Linux Boots
As the board boots up, you will see 4 penguins appear in the upper left-hand corner of the monitor, and then you will see the Linux terminal Icon on the top left and timer on right top corner. Congratulations, you are up and running.
Embedded Linux®
This section is applicable ONLY if attempting to load a Linux operating system on the board.
The i.MX Linux Board Support Package (BSP) is a collection of binary files, source code and support files that are used to boot an Embedded Linux image on a specific i.MX development platform.
Current releases of Linux binary demo files can be found on the i.MX Linux download page. Additional documentation is available in the i.MX Linux documentation bundle under the Linux sections of the i.MX Software and Development Tools.
2.1 Overview
Before the Linux OS kernel can boot on an i.MX board, the Linux kernel is loaded to a boot device (SD card, eMMC and so on) and the boot switches are set to boot that device.
There are various ways to download the Linux BSP image for different boards and boot devices.
This Getting Started guide only outlines a few methods of transferring the Linux BSP to an SD card. Experienced Linux developers can explore other options if desired.
2.1.1. Download an NXP Linux BSP Pre-Built Image
The latest pre-built images for the i.MX 8M Plus EVK are available on the Linux download page under the most current version on Linux.
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.
When more flexibility is desired, an SD card can be loaded with
individual components (boot loader, kernel, dtb file and rootfs
file) one-by-one or the *wic image is loaded and the
individual parts are overwritten with the specific components.
2.1.2 Burn NXP Linux BSP Image Using Universal Update Utility (UUU)
In addition to the connections from "Out of the Box" section,
connect the PORT1 to the host machine using the proper
USB cable.
Turn off the board. Consult the "1.5 Boot Switch Setup" section and configure the board to boot on serial download protocol (SDP) mode.
Depending on the OS used in the host machine, the way to transfer the Linux BSP image onto an SD card can vary. Choose an option below for detailed instructions:
2.1.2.1 Install UUU on Linux Distro
Download the latest stable files from UUU GitHub page. If further assistance for UUU is needed, please refer to this extensive tutorial.
-
uuu -
libusb1(via apt-get or any other package manager)
2.2.2 Burn the NXP Linux BSP Image to the Board
The latest pre-built images for the i.MX 8M Plus EVK are available on the Linux download page under the most current version of Linux.
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.
When more flexibility is desired, an SD card can be loaded with
individual components (boot loader, kernel, dtb file and rootfs
file) one-by-one or the .sdcard image is loaded and
the individual parts are overwritten with the specific
components.
By default, this procedure flashes the image to the emmc flash. Check the UUU GitHub page for reference on how to flash the image to other devices.
Open a terminal application and change the directory to the
location where uuu
and the latest Linux distribution for i.MX 8M Plus EVK are
located. Add execution permission to the
uuu file and execute it. uuu will wait
for the USB device to connect
$ chmod a+x uuu
sudo ./uuu <release package>.zip
Turn on the board,
uuu will start
to copy the images to the board.
When it finishes, turn off the board and consult. If further assistance with configuring the board to boot from emmc, please consult the Boot switch setup.
2.3 Windows
2.3.1 Install UUU on Windows
Download the latest stable files from UUU GitHub page. If further assistance for UUU is needed, please refer to this extensive tutorial.
-
uuu.exe - Serial USB drivers (depending on your board and Windows installation - check Windows Device Manager)
2.3.2 Burn the NXP Linux BSP Image to the Board
By default, this procedure flashes the image to the emmc flash. Check the UUU GitHub page for reference on how to flash the image to other devices.
Open the command prompt application and navigate to the directory where the uuu.exe file and the Linux release for the i.MX 8M Plus EVK are located.
uuu.exe <kernel_version>_images_<SOC>.zip
Turn on the board,
uuu will start
to copy the images to the board.
When it finishes, turn off the board and consult. If further assistance with configuring the board to boot from emmc, please consult the Boot switch setup.
Embedded Android™
This section describes the boot process of loading the i.MX 8M Plus EVK board with an Embedded Android system image and introduces how to build the software components that create your own system image. For details on building the Android platform, see this Android building guide.
The current release includes demo images, source code and documentation. These can also be found in Android OS for i.MX Applications Processor.
3.1 Overview
The storage devices on the development system (MMC/SD or NAND) must be programmed with the i.MX bootloader. The boot process determines which storage device to access based on the switch settings. When the boot loader is loaded and begins execution, the U-Boot environment space is then read to determine how to proceed with the boot process.
-
- U-Boot image:
u-boot.imx - Boot image:
boot.img - Android system root image:
system.img - Recovery root image:
recovery.img
- U-Boot image:
The images can come from pre-built release packages or be created from source code. Regardless of how you obtain them, all Android images contain the following components
For more information about the Android BSP, refer to the Android user guide.
3.1.1. Download NXP Android BSP Image
The pre-built NXP Android demo image provides a default system with certain features for evaluation. Without modifying the system, users can perform some basic operations, and interact with the system to test hardware interfaces and develop software application in the user space.
The pre-built images from the package are categorized by boot device and put in the directory with the device name. The latest pre-built image files can be found in Android section on the i.MX Software and Development Tools or on the demo images downloader link.
3.1.2. Burn NXP Android BSP Image Using UUU
In addition to the connections from Out of box chapter, connect the
TYPE-C Port1 USB 3.0 to the host machine using the
proper USB cable.
Turn off the board.
Consult the boot switch setup and configure the board to boot on SDP (serial download protocol) mode.
Depending on the OS used in the host machine, the way to transfer the Android BSP image onto an SD card can vary.
MCUXpresso SDK
The MCUXpresso software development kit (MCUXpresso SDK) provides comprehensive software source code to be executed in the i.MX 8M Plus M7 core. If you do not wish to enable the Cortex-M7 on i.MX 8M Plus at this moment you can skip this section.
4.1 Overview
The MCUXpresso SDK is designed for the development of embedded applications for Cortex®-M7 standalone or collaborative use with the A cores. Along with the peripheral drivers, the MCUXpresso SDK provides an extensive and rich set of example applications covering everything from basic peripheral use case examples to demo applications. The MCUXpresso SDK also contains RTOS kernels and device stack and various other middleware to support rapid development.
This guide shows how to run the hello_world.bin demo
provided by the
REL_2.9.0
release. For detailed information on MCUXpresso SDK and how to build
and deploy custom demos, please see the
MCUXpresso SDK site.
4.2 Run Applications Using U-Boot
-
- Following the steps from section 2. Embedded Linux, prepare an SD card with a pre-built U-Boot + Linux image from the Linux BSP package for the i.MX 8M Plus processor. If you have already loaded the SD card with a Linux image, you can skip this step.
-
Insert the SD card in the host computer (Linux or Windows) and
copy the application image (for example
hello_world.bin) to the FAT partition of the SD card. - Safely remove the SD card from the PC.
- Insert the SD card to the target board. Make sure to use the default boot SD slot and double check the boot switch setup guide.
-
Connect the DEBUG UART connector on the board to the PC through a USB cable. The Windows OS installs the USB driver automatically, and the Ubuntu OS will find the serial devices as well.
See Connect USB debug cable section for more instructions on serial communication applications. Open a second terminal on the i.MX8M Plus EVK board’s second enumerated serial port.
- This is the Cortex-M7’s serial console. Set the speed to 115200 bit/s, data bits 8, 1 stop bit (115200, 8N1), no parity.
-
Power up the board and stop the boot process by pressing any key before the U-Boot countdown reaches zero. At the U-Boot prompt on the first terminal, type the following commands.
=> fatload mmc 0:1 0x48000000 hello_world.bin=> cp.b 0x48000000 0x7e0000 0x20000=> bootaux 0x7e0000These commands copy the image file from the first partition of the SD card into the Cortex-M7’s TCM and releases the Cortex-M7 from reset.
This section describes how to run applications using an SD card and pre-built U-Boot image for i.MX processor.
Security and Integrity
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| AN12714 i.MX Encrypted Storage Using CAAM Secure Keys | This application note provides the steps to run a transparent storage encryption at block level using DM-Crypt, taking advantage of the secure key feature provided by i.MX's Cryptographic Accelerator and Assurance Module (CAAM). |
| AN12838 Strengthening Public Key Cryptography using CAAM Secure Key | This application note describes the public key cryptography scheme based on the Black Key feature provided by i.MX application processors. |
| AN12632 Enhanced OpenSSL on i.MX 8M and i.MX 8MM | This application note describes how to add support for accelerated OP-TEE OS with Cryptographic Accelerator and Assurance Module (CAAM) on top of OpenSSL. The final result being an enhanced OpenSSL capable of accelerating crypto algorithms in a secure way via OP-TEE. |
| Trusted Execution Environment: Getting Started with OP-TEE on i.MX Processors | An overview of TEE, example use cases and how to leverage i.MX hardware security features from OP-TEE. |
| Secure the Edge: Manufacturing Protection: Provision Sensitive Material in an Unsecure Environment | This webinar will provide an introduction to the manufacturing protection feature and discuss how it can be used to ensure that sensitive material is delivered and installed securely. |
| AN4581 i.MX Secure Boot on HABv4 Supported Devices | This application note provides a secure boot reference for i.MX applications processors that include HABv4 and demonstrates an example for generating signed images and configuring the IC to run securely. |
| AN12812 Using Code-Signing Tool with Hardware Security Module | This document provides the information necessary for the user to effectively use code-signing tool (CST) with a hardware security module (HSM) backend. |
| i.MX Security Features and Collateral | A collection of documentation and community posts focused on various security aspects of the i.MX applications processors. |
-
CAAM Module Example
- Checking the Speed Performance
- OpenSSL is an open source project that defines the security protocols SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security). It has a software library that can be used in applications that requires a secure information transmission in order to prevent eavesdropping.
-
OpenSSL includes a speed command that tests the
encryption performance for a desired encryption algorithm. For
this example, the algorithm used is the
aes-128-cbcthat implements the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption algorithm, with a cipher block chaining (CBC) mode of operation and 128-bit block.
The i.MX 8M Plus EVK board includes the Cryptographic Acceleration and Assurance Module (CAAM) module that can be used through CryptoDev in order to accelerate by hardware the encryption and decryption process. It is recommended to use this module when working with large amounts of data or in any application where performance is important.
The OpenSSL speed test can be seen using the following command:
# openssl speed -evp aes-128-cbc
Doing aes-128-cbc for 3s on 16 size blocks: 43389139 aes-128-cbc's in 2.99s
Doing aes-128-cbc for 3s on 64 size blocks: 28788614 aes-128-cbc's in 3.00s
Doing aes-128-cbc for 3s on 256 size blocks: 11766741 aes-128-cbc's in 2.99s
Doing aes-128-cbc for 3s on 1024 size blocks: 3674139 aes-128-cbc's in 2.99s
Doing aes-128-cbc for 3s on 8192 size blocks: 495157 aes-128-cbc's in 3.00s
OpenSSL 1.0.2p 14 Aug 2018
built on: reproducible build, date unspecified
options:bn(64,64) rc4(ptr,char) des(idx,cisc,16,int) aes(partial) idea(int) blowfish(ptr)
compiler: arm-poky-linux-gnueabi-gcc -march=armv7ve -mfpu=neon -mfloat-abi=hard -mcpu=cortex-a7 -DL_ENDIAN -DTERMIO -O2 -pipe -g -feliminate-unused-debug-types -Wall -Wa,--noexecstack -DHAVE_CRYPTODEV -DUSE_CRYPTODEV_DIGESTS
The 'numbers' are in 1000s of bytes per second processed. type 16 bytes 64 bytes 256 bytes 1024 bytes 8192 bytes
Aes-128-cbc 193627.86k 513839.78k 837089.96k 1048974.64k 1130986.42k
Solution:
In doc “AN12838 Strengthening Public Key Crptography using CAAM Secure Key” section 5.2.1 and 5.2.2. it describes details of the usage.
Tools and References
Security Reference Manual for i.MX 8M Plus Applications
Processor
Wired Communications
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| AN12409 i.MX6/7/8 series USB Certification Guide | The purpose of this document is to describe how to perform USB Certification Test on the i.MX6/7/8 series family of applications processor including procedure descriptions, tools and criteria for USB Compliance Test. |
| AN13164 i.MX8MP PCIe Bandwidth Analysis | This document presents various usage scenarios for PCIe on the i.MX 8M Plus to provide a more clear understanding of the cases where near Gen3 x1 line rate bandwidth (8 Gbits/s) can be achieved after protocol overhead. |
| AN13210 How to Use FlexCAN in Linux | i.MX8MP presents two FlexCAN FD interfaces which can be programmed from Realtime domain or Linux domain. This document presents various usage scenarios for FlexCAN on the i.MX 8M Plus to provide a clearer understanding of how FlexCAN to be used in Linux. |
With Linux running on the i.MX board, you can evaluate special features that i.MX SoCs provide. This tutorial shows the step-by-step instructions on how to connect to the Internet on Linux with i.MX 8M Plus EVK:
- Connect an Ethernet cable to the board RJ-45 connector
- Boot up the board and wait for the Linux prompt
-
At the Linux prompt, enter the following command
# ifconfig eth0 - Ping any site to corroborate functionality
# ping 8.8.8.8 PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=119 time=4.81 ms 64 bytes
from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=119 time=4.87 ms 64 bytes
from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=3 ttl=119 time=4.94 ms 64 bytes
from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=4 ttl=119 time=4.61 ms
Wireless Connectivity
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud Connectivity | Integrated support for cloud services including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud IoT. |
| Getting Started with NXP-Based Wi-Fi Modules on i.MX 8M Quad EVK Running Linux OS | This manual covers the bring-up of i.MX 8M Quad EVK, configurations for the BSP image, hardware connection with NXP-based wireless modules and how to bring up the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. |
| Feature Configuration Guide for NXP-Based Wireless Modules on i.MX 8M Quad EVK | This document specifies the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® features and configurations on i.MX 8M Quad EVK with Azurewave AW-CM358MA (88W8987) and Azurewave AW-CM276MA (88W8997) wireless modules. It covers the initialization and configuration of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interfaces. |
Power Management
The PCA9450 is the NXP Power Management IC optimized for i.MX 8M Plus.
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| AN13054 i.MX 8M Plus Power Consumption Measurement | This application note illustrates the current drain measurements of the i.MX 8M Plus application processors taken on the NXP EVK platform through several use cases. |
-
Low-Power Mode Suspension Example
-
Enter the command below in order to enable serial TTY as a wake-up source for the board:
Path:
# echo enabled > /sys/class/tty/ttymxc0/power/wakeup -
Enter the command below to enter Suspend-To-RAM mode:
# echo mem > /sys/power/state PM: suspend entry (deep) PM: Syncing filesystems ... done. Freezing user space processes ... (elapsed 0.001 seconds) done. OOM killer disabled. Freezing remaining freezable tasks ... (elapsed 0.000 seconds) done. Suspending console(s) (use no_console_suspend to debug) -
Press the
SW01switch to wake-up the board. The following messages should appear on terminal:HIFsuspendwow TODO PM: suspend devices took 0.112 seconds Disabling non-boot CPUs ... CPU1: shutdown psci: CPU1 killed. CPU2: shutdown psci: CPU2 killed. CPU3: shutdown psci: Retrying again to check for CPU kill psci: CPU3 killed. Enabling non-boot CPUs ... Detected VIPT I-cache on CPU1 GICv3: CPU1: found redistributor 1 region 0:0x00000000388a0000 CPU1: Booted secondary processor [410fd034] cache: parent cpu1 should not be sleeping CPU1 is up Detected VIPT I-cache on CPU2 GICv3: CPU2: found redistributor 2 region 0:0x00000000388c0000 CPU2: Booted secondary processor [410fd034] cache: parent cpu2 should not be sleeping CPU2 is up Detected VIPT I-cache on CPU3 GICv3: CPU3: found redistributor 3 region 0:0x00000000388e0000 CPU3: Booted secondary processor [410fd034] cache: parent cpu3 should not be sleeping CPU3 is up PM: resume devices took 0.028 seconds OOM killer enabled. Restarting tasks ... done. PM: suspend exit
With Linux running on the i.MX board, you can evaluate special features that i.MX SoCs provide. This example shows how to suspend to low-power modes and resume normal operation.
Audio
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| DSP Concepts Offerings for i.MX 8 Processors | Learn about audio platform offerings from DSP Concepts for the i.MX 8M family. |
| AN12195 Implement Low-Power Audio on i.MX8M | This document discusses low-power audio application design on the i.MX 8M. |
-
Simple Audio Example
Connect your earphone to the audio jack on the i.MX 8M Plus EVK board.
If your earphones include a microphone feature (TRRS with four contacts), do not push the microphone jack to the end. Leave one contact ring outside.
#aplay -1
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: imxspdif [imx-spdif], device 0: S/PDIF PCM snd-soc-dummy-dai-0 [S/PDIF PCM snd-soc-dummy-dai-0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: wm8524audio [wm8524-audio], device 0: HiFi wm8524-hifi-0
[]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: wm8524audio [wm8524-audio], device 1: HiFi-ASRC-FE (*)
[]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
# gst-launch-1.0 audiotestsrc ! alsasink device=plughw:2
Setting pipeline to PAUSED ...
Pipeline is PREROLLING ...
Redistribute latency...
Pipeline is PREROLLED ...
Setting pipeline to PLAYING ...
New clock: GetAudioSinkClock
You should be able to listen to a tone on the earphone.
When you are done with the tone, finish the command line by pressing kbd:[Ctrl+C]
Decoder Video Audio Example
This example explains how to decode just the audio from a video
file. Copy a video file to your /home/root/ on your
SD card rootfs partition, boot the board from the SD card and run
the command below:
Note: You can obtain the file used in the example for free from the Big Buck Bunny site.
# gplay-1.0 SampleVideo_1280x720_2mb.mp4
FSL_GPLAY2_01.00_LINUX build on Mar 12 2018 11:48:19
Set VideoSink kmssink
Set TextSink fakesink ====== AIUR: 4.3.4 build on Mar 12 2018 11:47:35. ======
Core: AVI_PARSER_03.05.29 build on Aug 31 2017 09:15:57
file: /usr/lib/imx-mm/parser/lib_avi_parser_arm_elinux.so.3.1
Track 00 [video]: Disabled
Codec: 4, SubCodec: 1
-----------------------
------------------------ Track 01 [audio_0] Enabled
Duration: 0:09:56.424000000
Language: und
Mime: audio/mpeg, mpegversion=(int)1, channels=(int)2, rate=(int)48000, bitrate=(int)0
codec_data=(buffer)014d401fffe10017674d401fda014016ec0440000003004000000c83c60ca801000468ef3c80
------------------------
====== BEEP: 4.3.4 build on Mar 12 2018 11:47:45. ======
Core: MP3 decoder Wrapper build on Jan 11 2018 10:20:25
file: /usr/lib/imx-mm/audio-codec/wrap/lib_mp3d_wrap_arm_elinux.so.3
CODEC: BLN_MAD-MMCODECS_MP3D_ARM_02.13.01_ARMV8 build on Jan 11 2018 10:05:45. [Stop (No Repeated)][Vol=1.0][00:00:00/00:09:56]=========== fsl_player_play()=========== FSL_GPLAY2_01.00_LINUX build on Mar 12 2018 11:48:19
[h]display the operation Help
[p]Play
[s]Stop
[e]Seek
[a]Pause when playing, play when paused
[v]Volume
[m]Switch to mute or not
[>]Play next file
[ [r]Switch to repeated mode or not
[u]Select the video track
[d]Select the audio track
[b]Select the subtitle track
[f]Set full screen
[z]resize the width and height
[t]Rotate
[c]Setting play rate
[i]Display the metadata
[x]eXit
State changed: buffering
State changed: playing
[Playing (No Repeated)][Vol =1.0][00:00:13/00:00:13]EOS Found
getNextItem No next item!
No more media file, exit gplay!
State changed: stopped
Exit display thread
FSL_PLAYER_UI_MSG_EXIT
fsl_player_deinit
Display and Graphics
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| i.MX Graphics User’s Guide | This guide provides information on graphic APIs and driver support for developers writing graphics applications or video drivers. |
| i.MX 8 GStreamer User Guide | Learn more about how to use GStreamer version 1.0 on the i.MX 8M Plus EVK. This guide includes examples for decode, encode, camera, video composition and video scaling and rotation. |
| Implementing Graphics in Real-time Industrial HMI Systems with NXP MCUs and Embedded Wizard | NXP has partnered with TARA Systems to offer Embedded Wizard as an enabling software technology. |
| AN12189 Quick Start Guide for MX8-DSI-OLED1 for i.MX 8M Evaluation Kit | This document provides a brief overview on how to get started with the MX8-DSI-OLED1 accessory card, a MIPI-DSI interface OLED display kit with touch screen support and the i.MX 8M EVK. |
| AN12188 Quick Start Guide for IMX-MIPI-HDMI for i.MX 8M Evaluation Kit | This document provides a brief overview on how to get started with the i.MX 8M EVK and the IMX-MIPI-HDMI accessory card, which is used for converting the MIPI-DSI signal to an HDMI signal. |
| AN12187 Quick Start Guide for MINISASTOCSI for i.MX 8M Evaluation Kit | This document provides a brief overview on how to get started with the i.MX 8M EVK and the MINISASTOCSI accessory card, a MIPI-CSI interface camera kit based on OmniVision chipset OV5640. |
Camera Interfaces
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| i.MX 8 Camera Use Cases | Learn more about the i.MX 8 MIPI CSI use case, advanced Gstreamer camera use cases, available cameras and daughter cards supported by the i.MX 8M Plus EVK, compatible device tree (DTS) files and how to enable different camera options. |
| i.MX 8 GStreamer User's Guide | Learn more about how to use GStreamer version 1.0 on the i.MX 8M Plus EVK. Includes examples for decode, encode, camera, video composition and video scaling and rotation. |
| AN12187 Quick Start Guide for MINISASTOCSI for i.MX 8M Evaluation Kit | This document provides a brief overview on how to get started with the i.MX 8M EVK and the MINISASTOCSI accessory card, a MIPI-CSI interface camera kit based on OmniVision chipset OV5640. |
Machine Learning
Machine learning (ML) typically encompasses applications where classification, recognition and prediction of man-made abstractions are desired. Examples include image recognition, gesture recognition, anomaly detection, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, ASR, scene recognition and many more. This section will focus specifically on the NXP ML tools applied to image or video streams. The audio section may reference the included examples.
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| eIQ™ ML Software Development Environment | Enables the use of ML algorithms on NXP MCUs, i.MX RT crossover MCUs and i.MX family SoCs. eIQ software includes inference engines, neural network compilers and optimized libraries. |
| i.MX Machine Learning User’s Guide | The NXP eIQ UM for i.MX toolkit provides a set of libraries and development tools for machine learning applications targeting NXP microcontrollers and application processors. |
| NXP eIQ™ Machine Learning Software Development Environment for i.MX Applications Processors | This document provides guidance for the supported ML software for the i.MX family and includes an eIQ introduction, Yocto installation guide and step-by step guide for running all supported DNN and non-DNN examples. |
| eIQ FAQ | This document covers some of the most commonly asked questions about eIQ and embedded machine learning. |
| AN13001 Glow Memory Analysis | How to understand the Glow memory information generated by the Glow compiler and calculate the memory required for a particular model. This compiler can then be used to determine the minimum memory size that is needed to run the model. |
| AN12766 Anomaly Detection with eIQ using K-Means Clustering in Tensor Flow Lite | Step-by-step instruction to enable a machine condition monitoring application using anomaly detection. |
| Getting Started with eIQ Software for i.MX Applications Processors | A series of step-by-step tutorials using our eIQ ML software development environment that will show unboxing, deployment, modeling and inferencing at the edge. |
| AN12964 i.MX 8M Plus NPU Warmup Time | The purpose of this document is to clarify the impact of the NPU warm-up time on overall performance. |
Tools and References
eIQ Inference with DeepViewRT™ - Platform-optimized, proprietary runtime inference engine for machine learning applications for EdgeVerse MCUs and microprocessors.
eIQ™ Inference with TensorFlow™ Lite Library - TensorFlow Lite, a low latency, smaller footprint inference engine, uses the Eigen library and techniques such as pre-fused activations and quantized kernels.
Device Management and Secure OTA
| Documents and Videos | Description |
|---|---|
| AN12900 Secure Over-the-Air Prototype for Linux Using CAAM and Mender or SW Update | Provides a prototype implementation for Secure OTA for Linux images, specifically for the i.MX 8M/MM. |
| Docker On i.MX8MM with Ubuntu | This document describes a way to create ubuntu rootfson host pc and install docker for any ARM 64 platform. |
Design Resources
Board Information
- i.MX 8M Plus EVK Quick Start Guide
- i.MX 8M Plus LPDDR4 EVK Board Hardware User's Guide
- i.MX 8M Plus EVK Base Board Design Files
- i.MX 8M Plus LPDDR4 EVK Compute Module Design Files
Chip Documents
- i.MX 8M Plus Applications Processor Datasheet for Consumer Products
- i.MX 8M Plus Applications Processor Datasheet for Industrial Products
- i.MX 8M Plus Applications Processor Reference Manual
- i.MX 8M Plus Mask Set Errata for Mask 1P33A
Software
Get Help
Training
To learn what to do next, find your issue below. If you still need help, contact NXP Support.
| Training | Description |
|---|---|
| i.MX 8M Plus Training | Full list of on-demand training, how-to videos and webinars from NXP about this product. |
Forums
Connect with other engineers and get expert advice on designing with the i.MX 8M Plus on one of our community sites.
Product Forums: Software Forums:Boot Switch Setup
The boot sequence is detailed in the i.MX 8M Plus Quick Start Guide. In short, the boot modes of the i.MX boards are controlled by the boot configuration switches.
The switches set the boot media (depending on board, i.e. SD card, eMMC, NAND), the serial download protocol mode (SDP) or the value set on eFuses.
The SDP is also the fallback for the boot media, in other words, when the switches are configured to boot from SD card but the SD card slot is empty or the SD card binary content is not bootable, the boot sequence continues to the SDP boot.
Figure 4. Boot switch setup
The following table lists the boot switch settings on the i.MX 8M EVK board. The same information can be found on i.MX 8M Plus Quick Start Guide and on silkscreen on the board near the switches.
Table 1. Boot modes available for i.MX 8M Plus EVK
| Boot Device |
SW4-1
|
SW4-2
|
SW4-3
|
SW4-4
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boot From Fuses | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| USB Serial Download Mode | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| USDHC3 (eMMC boot only, SD3 8-bit) Default | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| USDHC2 (SD boot only, SD2) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| NAND 8-bit single device 256 page | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| NAND 8-bit single device 512 page | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| QSPI 3B Read | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| QSPI Hyperflash 3.3V | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| ecSPI Boot | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note: The default boot device is eMMC/uSDHC3. If you want to try other boot devices, change the boot switches to the corresponding values listed in the table.
Note: 1 = ON; 0 = OFF; X = Don’t Care
Minicom Tutorial
Serial communication console setup
On the command prompt of the Linux host machine, run the following command to determine the port number:
$ ls /dev/ttyUSB*
The smaller number is for Arm® Cortex®-A53 core and the bigger number is for Arm® Cortex ®-M4 core.
Minicom
Use the following commands to install and run the serial
communication program (minicom
as an example):
-
Install Minicom using Ubuntu package manager.
$ sudo apt-get install minicom -
Launch Minicom using a console window using the
port number determined earlier.
$ sudo minicom /dev/ttyUSB* -s - Configure Minicom as show in Figure 3
- The next step is to Connect the HDMI cable.
Figure 3. Minicom Configuration
Tera Term Tutorial
Serial communication console setup
The FTDI USB-serial chip on i.MX 8M Plus enumerates four serial
ports. Assume that the ports are
COM9,COM10,COM11,COM12, (then
Use COM11). One port is for the serial console
communication from Arm® Cortex®-A53
core and the second port is for Arm®
Cortex®-M7 core. The serial-to-USB drivers are
available at
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm.
Note: To determine the port number of the i.MX board virtual COM port, open the Windows device manager and find USB serial Port in Ports (COM and LPT)
Teraterm
Is an open source terminal emulation application. This program displays the information sent from the NXP development platform’s virtual serial port.
- Download Tera Term. After the download, run the installer and then return to this webpage to continue.
- Launch TeraTerm. The first time it launches, it shows the following dialog. Select the serial option. Assuming your board is plugged in, there should be a COM port automatically populated in the list.
-
Configure the serial port settings (using the
COMport number identified earlier) to115200baud rate,8data bits, no parity and1stop bit. To do this, go to Setup → Serial Port and change the settings. - Verify that the connection is open. If connected, Tera Term shows something like below in its title bar.
- The next step is to Connect the HDMI cable.
PuTTY Tutorial
Serial communication console setup
The FTDI USB-serial chip on i.MX 8M Plus enumerates two serial
ports. Assume that the ports are
COM9,COM10,COM11 and
COM12. One port is for the serial console communication
from Arm® Cortex®-A53 core and the
second port is for Arm® Cortex®-M7
core. The serial-to-USB drivers are available at
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm.
Note: To determine the port number of the i.MX board virtual COM port, open the Windows device manager and find USB serial Port in Ports (COM and LPT)
PuTTY is a popular terminal-emulation application. This program displays the information sent from the NXP development platform’s virtual serial port.
- Download PuTTY After the download, run the installer and then return to this webpage to continue.
- Launch PuTTY by either double clicking on the executable file you downloaded or from the Start menu, depending on the type of download you selected.
-
Configure In the window that launches. Select
the Serial radio button and enter the
COMport number that you determined earlier. Also enter the baud rate, in this case115200. -
Click Open to open the serial connection.
Assuming the board is connected and you entered the correct
COMport, the terminal window opens. If the configuration is not correct, PuTTY alerts you. - The next step is to Connect the HDMI cable.
Boot Switch Setup
The boot sequence is detailed in the i.MX 8M Plus Reference Manual . In short, the boot modes of the i.MX boards are controlled by the boot configuration switches.
The switches set the boot media (depending on board, i.e. SD card, eMMC, NAND), the serial download protocol mode (SDP) or the value set on eFuses.
The SDP is also the fallback for the boot media, in other words, when the switches are configured to boot from SD card but the SD card slot is empty, or the SD card binary content is not bootable, the boot sequence continues to the SDP boot.
Figure 4. Boot switch setup for i.MX 8M Plus EVK
The following table lists the boot switch settings on the i.MX 8M Plus EVK board. The same information can be found on i.MX 8M Plus Reference Manual and on silkscreen on the board near the switches.
Table 1. Boot modes available for i.MX 8M Plus EVK
| Boot Media |
SW1101
[D1-D4]
|
|---|---|
| Boot from Fuse | 0000 |
| Serial Download | 0001 |
| eMMC/SDHC3 | 0010 |
| MicroSD/SDHC2 | 0011 |
| NAND 256 Page | 0100 |
| NAND 512 Page | 0101 |
| QSPI 3B Read | 0110 |
| ECSPI Flash | 1000 |
| Infinite Loop | 1110 |
Note: Make sure the boot switch is configured to boot from emmc.