Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC

Introduction

Overview

This document describes key hardware aspects of Ezurio’s Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC system-on-module which is based on the i.MX 8M Plus processor family and the Sona IF573. Data in this document is drawn from several sources and includes information found in the documentation for NXP’s i.MX 8M Plus and our Sona IF573.

Note: Information in this document is subject to change. Contact us for the most updated version of this document.

For full documentation on the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC, visit:

https://www.ezurio.com/nitrogen8m-plus-smarc

General Description

The Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC is an integrated platform solution with Quad Cortex®-A53 processors operating up to 1.8 GHz and pre-certified tril-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax WLAN 2x2 plus dual-mode Bluetooth® 5.4 LE module.

Quad Arm® Cortex^®-A53 processors are integrated with an NPU of 2.3 TOPS that greatly accelerates machine learning inference. The vision engine is composed of two MIPI-CSI camera inputs and an HDR-capable Image Signal Processor (ISP) capable of 375 MPixels/s. The advanced multimedia capabilities include several display interfaces, HDMI 2.0a (eARC), MIPI-DSI, and LVDS. These interfaces can utilize the onboard 1080p60 video encode and decode in H.265 and H.264 format, along with an onboard GPU that is a 3D and 2D graphic accelerator supporting 1 GPixel/s, OpenVG 1.1, Open GL ES3.1, Vulkan, and Open CL 1.2 FP. Multiple audio and microphone interfaces are available along with the audio processing capabilities of the HiFi 4 DSP operating at 800MHz for Immersive Audio and Voice systems.

The Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC features an Arm® Cortex®-M7 microcontroller running at 800 MHz for customer applications to offload the Cortex®-A53 processor for real time and low power operation. A variety of robust control networks for industrial applications are possible via CAN-FD interfaces, SPI, I2C, UART, USB 3.0, and dual Gb Ethernet.

The Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC includes the Sona IF573 which is pre-calibrated and integrates the complete transmit/receive RF paths including diplexer, switches, reference crystal oscillator and power management units (PMU). One RF connector (MHF4) on the module provides the most flexibility of antenna selection and installation for the best antenna performance. Several high-performance antennas are certified with the Sona IF573 onboard the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC. A detailed list of pre-certified antennas list is shown in the module datasheet on the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC product page.  Additionally, the supporting SMARC_CAR carrier board kit, also includes all required antennas for this radio.

The Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC has several product SKUs providing different eMMC and LPDDR4 memory configurations, see Ordering Information.

This datasheet is subject to change. Please contact Ezurio for further information.

Hardware Change Log

REV10 to REV20

1. Silkscreen:

   1. REV10

      

   2. REV20

      
2. Switch the Wi-Fi module from the Sterling LWB5+ to the Sona M.2 1216 form factor to ensure compatibility with the entire Sona module family
3. Removal of ESPI_IO2 (S56) and ESPI_RESET# (S58) signals, which are now utilized to control GBEx_LINK100#
4. Addition of GBEx_LINK100# signals (P21 & S19)

Errata

ERRATA1: Missing ground on pin S47

Issue: Due to a model issue, the pin S47 isn't exported in the schematics and therefore is not grounded, hence not complying with the SMARC requirement.

Impact: No HW impact as the 48 other ground pins are properly connected.

Resolution: Connect pin S47 to ground to have 49 grounded pins as per the SMARC standard.

Action: Future revision of the product shall ground pin S47.

Specification Summary

Processor / SoC / Chipset

Interfaces

Power

Mechanical

Software

Environmental

Certifications

Development

Warranty

Functional Descriptions

Power-Up Sequence and Timing

Boot Mode

The Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC module contains a switch (SW1) connected to BOOT_MODE0 thus allowing to switch from internal fuses boot (eMMC by default) to USB serial downloader.

The other boot mode signals (BOOT_MODE[1-3]) are exposed to the carrier to SMARC BOOT_SEL[0-2] signals.

This allows more combinations as shown in the following table.

Boot mode combinations

Hardware Architecture

Block Diagrams

The figure below shows the block diagram of the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC which contains the NXP i.MX 8M Plus processor, PMIC (PCA9450CHN) and the Sona IF573.

Sona IF573 to i.MX 8M Plus Connections

Pin-Out and Pinmux Table

The following tables list the resistor characteristics and pin multiplexing (PIN-MUX) of the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC. Most of the pin names on the SOM are same as the pin names of the connected NXP processor. The "Pin Number " column shows the relationship of the SOM pin number to the NXP processor pin number.

PO = Power Output, PI = Power Input, DI = Digital Input, DO = Digital Output, DIO = Bi-directional Digital Port, GND = Ground

NXP process has configurable internal Pull-up (PU) and pull-down (PD) resistor whose values are listed below. During a reset condition, the PU and PD state are pre-defined and cannot be changed.

Resistor characteristics

Pin configuration for the i.MX is achieved using a suite of evaluation and configuration tools that assists users from initial evaluation to production software development. Users can download the tool from the NXP website: https://www.nxp.com/design/designs/config-tools-for-i-mx-applications-processors:CONFIG-TOOLS-IMX?tab=Design_Tools_Tab

Pinout table for Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC edge connector (J2)

Mechanical Drawings

Module dimensions of the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC are 82 x 50 mm. Detail drawings are shown below.

Heatsink

Electrical Characteristics

Absolute Maximum Ratings

The following table summarizes the absolute maximum ratings for the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC product series. Absolute maximum ratings are those values beyond which damage to the device can occur. Functional operation under these conditions, or at any other condition beyond those indicated in the operational sections of this document, is not recommended.

Absolute maximum ratings

Recommended Operating Conditions

The following table summarizes the recommended operating conditions for the Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC product series.

Recommended operating conditions

DC Electrical Characteristics / Current Consumption

Several power saving modes are available and are listed in the following table.

Typical current consumption

Power Management & Consumption

DC Power Tree

The Nitrogen8M Plus SMARC requires a primary 5V power supply (VSYS) input. This supply is the main power domain to the on-module NXP PCA9450CHN power management IC (PMIC), which generates all required supply voltages for the module components. The PMIC has 32.768KHz crystal oscillator and buffer built-in which generates the real-time clock (RTC) for the NXP processor and Wi-Fi radio.

Power Modes

NXP PCA9450CHN has eight power modes: OFF, READY, SNVS, RUN, STANDBY, PWRDN, PWRUP and FAULT_SD. Below figure shows the state transition diagram showing the conditions to enter and exit each state.

• OFF mode:
  PMIC will enter OFF mode from any state when the main power source VSYS_5V falls below V_{sys_POR} threshold (2.2 to 2.6V; typ.=2.4V). All regulators are OFF and all registers are reset in this mode.
• READY Mode:
  PMIC enters READY mode when VSYSY_5V is higher than V_{sys_POR}. The internal LDO VINT is enabled and loads the MTP data to registers. Once the MTP data loading is complete, the state machine is ready to transition to SNVS mode.
• SNVS Mode:
  PMIC will enter SNVS (Secure Non-Volatile Storage mode) when VSYS_5V exceeds the V_{sys_UVLO} threshold. LDO1 is powered up and the 32.778KHz buffer starts running. RTC_RESET_B is pulled high after both LDO1 and LDO2 voltage come up.
  Note:            PMIC_ON_REQ input is masked until RTC_RESET_B is released. PMIC will start power up sequence if PMIC_ON_REQ is asserted high in this mode.
• PWRUP Mode:
  After RTC_RESET_B is released in SNVS mode, the PMIC starts power up with a pre-defined sequence with PMIC_ON_REQ asserted high.
  During PWRUP mode, PMIC_STBY_REQ signal is masked until POR_B is released. The PWRUP mode ends up releasing POR_B and the PMIC is transitioned to RUN mode.
• PWRDN Mode:
  When PMIC_ON_REQ is low in RUN or STANDBY mode, PMIC enters PWRDN mode, where it starts with pulling down POR_B. and then by turning off each power rail before transitioning to SNVS mode.
• RUN Mode:
  PMIC operates in RUN mode when PMIC_ON_REQ is driven high and PMIC_STBY_REQ is driven low. When PMIC_STBY_REQ is asserted high in this mode, it is transitioned to STANDBY mode. PMIC_ON_REQ is asserted low, it moves to PWRDN mode.
• STANDBY Mode:
  PMIC is transitioned to STANDBY mode from RUN mode when both PMIC_ON_REQ and PMIC_STBY_REQ are driven low. If PMIC_ON_REQ is asserted low, then it is transitioned to PWRDN mode. If PMIC_STBY_REQ is driven low, it is transitioned to RUN mode.
  
  Power modes

• FAULT_SD Mode:
  PCA9450CHN has three kinds of Fault sources.

  • Thermal shutdown: Transition to SNVS mode or READY mode after Fault_SD mode.
    When junction temperature reaches 150℃, it enters FAULT_SD mode after 120μs where regulators are tuned off simultaneously. It stays at FAULT_SD mode until the junction temperature fall below 150℃, then move to READY state if any of LDO1 and LDO2 is fault is triggered. And it will move to SNVS mode if either LDO1 or LDO2 fault is triggered.
  • Voltage regulator fault during power up: Transition to READY mode after FAULT_SD mode.
    Any POK of voltage regulator doesn’t come up within 10ms after regulator is enabled during power up sequence, it stops power-up sequence and then moves into FAULT_SD mode where all regulators are turned off.
  • Voltage regulator fault in STBY and RUN MODE: Move to FAULT_SD mode in 100ms after fault is detected. Transition to SNVS mode or READY mode after FAULT_SD mode.

Environmental and Reliability

Environmental Requirements

Required Storage Conditions

• Prior to Opening the Dry Packing
  The following are required storage conditions prior to opening the dry packing:

  • Normal temperature: 5~40℃
  • Normal humidity: 80% (Relative humidity) or less
  • Storage period: One year or less

Regulatory, Qualification & Certifications

Regulatory Approvals

Radio certifications for SOMs with wireless options are held under the specific wireless module listings:

Regulatory Information

Ordering Information

Legacy - Revision History