Android 6.0 Running on i.MX6 Embedded Computers

We're back! Hopefully you are all rested and the new year diets are going well.

It's our first blog post of 2017, and our friends at DAVE Embedded Systems have put together a great video showing the new Android 6.0 'Marshmallow' OS running on a custom i.MX6 board.

Porting Linux Kernel 4.1.x and Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" is a a new step in the Application SW support. The video shows the complete standalone start up, including splashscreens from UBoot, Linux and Android. All of these are customisable, and this complete solution is available from DAVE Embedded Systems' team.

I.MX6 from DAVE Embedded Systems

The i.MX 6 series of applications processors from NXP is a feature and performance scalable multicore platform that includes single-, dual- and quad-core families based on the ARM® Cortex® architecture, including Cortex-A9, combined Cortex-A9 + Cortex-M4 and Cortex-A7 based solutions.



DAVE Embedded Systems has designed the AXEL product family around the i.MX6 processor. The AXEL boards are Single - Dual - Quad Core ARM Cortex CPU modules, and there are 4 options available.

AXEL Ultra - 85mm x 50mm.
Wide range DDR3 RAM memory up to 4GB
High mechanical retention up to 100G shock thanks to 3x140pins and 4 screw holes
Dual CAN, USB, Ethernet GB, PCIe, SATA and native 3.3V I/O

AXEL Esatta - 85mm x 50mm
Wide range DDR3 RAM memory up to 4GB
Dual CAN, USB, Ethernet GB and native 3.3V I/O

AXEL Lite - 67.5mm x 45mm
Wide range SODIMM DDR3 RAM memory up to 2GB
Dual CAN, USB, Ethernet GB and native 3.3V I/O

AXEL ULite -  67.5mm x 25.4mm
Ultra low power - ARM Cortex A7 MPCore @ 528 MHz
Pin to pin compatibility with AXEL LITE SOM based on i.MX6
Advanced security thanks to TRNG, Crypto Engine, etc
Up to 2 x Ethernet 10/100 Mbps with integrated switch
Highly flexibile with up to 4 different scalable CPU versions

There are a few things to consider before making your decision, our sales engineers can talk you through all the options available.

Different form factors: Axel Lite has a SO-DIMM DDR3 204pin connector whereas the Ultra has 3x140pin with 4 screw holes. That means the Lite isn't suitable for environments where vibrations are present, whereas the Ultra version has been designed for applications requiring rugged, high reliability modules.

Connectivity: The Axel Lite due to the limited pin-out (compared to the Ultra) doesn't provide all of the available connectivity the i.MX6 CPU can offer, so you need to choose your connectivity carefully. The Ultra version can provide more connectivity due to the higher pin-count.

Peripherals: Ultra also provides a SATA II (3Gb/s) interface, mainly for storage, and a 5ppm RTC (Real Time Clock) The Lite version offers a simple RTC. Ultra has 2.8-4.5V wide range input voltage, and the Lite has Single 3.3V input. 

For more information please contact Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166 or send us an email: info@sarsen.net

Asymmetric Multiprocessing (AMP) on FREESCALE i.MX6

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

Some more excitement from our friends at DAVE Embedded Systems, who have just announced the availability of a new enhanced application of Asymmetric Multiprocessing (AMP) on the AXEL System On Module (SoM).

So what exactly is ASYMMETRIC MULTIPROCESSING?

Asymmetric Multi Processing (AMP) allows a multiprocessor system to run multiple Operating Systems (OS) that are independent of each other.

In other words, each CPU has its own private memory space, which contains the OS and the applications that are to run on that CPU. In addition, there can be some shared memory space that is used for multiprocessor communication. This is in contrast with Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP), in which one OS runs on multiple CPUs using a public shared memory space. Thanks to AMP, developers can use open-source Linux and FreeRTOS operating systems and the RPMsg Inter Processor Communication (IPC) framework between the i.MX6 high-performance ARM Cortex-A9 processors to quickly implement applications that need to deliver deterministic, real-time responsiveness for markets such as automotive and industrial.


AXEL: a family of System On Modules (SOM) based on Freescale i.MX6

AXEL LITE, AXEL ESATTA and AXEL ULTRA are the new top-class Solo/Dual/Quad core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU modules from DAVE Embedded Systems, based on the recent Freescale i.MX6 application processor. The use of this processor enables extensive system-level differentiation of new applications in many industry fields, where high-performance and extremely compact form factor are key factors. Smarter system designs are made possible, following the trends in functionalities and interfaces of the new, state-of-the-art embedded products.

Contact Sarsen Technology for more information by email - info@sarsen.net or by calling our technical sales team - +44 1672 511166