Digi ConnectCore 6UL Reference Manual

ConnectCore® 6UL

System-on-module solution

Hardware Reference Manual

Revision history—90001523

Revision Date Description

K October

2019

L April 2020 Updated mechanical drawings to show additional dimensions, updated

M May 2020 Added operating temperature statement, replaced power-up time

N September

2020

P February

2021

Updated LGA_L3 description.

name of Digi Microcontroller Assist, and replaced block diagram.

diagram, modified maximum current power supply note.

Clarified I2C1 support and external supply usage.

Removed variants list and replaced with link to product page.

Trademarks and copyright

Digi, Digi International, and the Digi logo are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United
States and other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the
property of their respective owners.

© 2021 Digi International Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimers

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Digi International. Digi provides this document “as is,” without warranty of
any kind, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of fitness or
merchantability for a particular purpose. Digi may make improvements and/or changes in this manual
or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.

Warranty

To view product warranty information, go to the following website:

www.digi.com/howtobuy/terms

Customer support

Gather support information: Before contacting Digi technical support for help, gather the following

information:

Product name and model

Product serial number (s)

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

2

Firmware version

Operating system/browser (if applicable)

Logs (from time of reported issue)

Trace (if possible)

Description of issue

Steps to reproduce

Contact Digi technical support: Digi offers multiple technical support plans and service packages.
Contact us at +1 952.912.3444 or visit us at www.digi.com/support.

Feedback

To provide feedback on this document, email your comments to

Include the document title and part number (ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual,
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ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

3

Contents

About the ConnectCore® 6UL

Features and functionality 6
Variants 7
Block diagrams 7

ConnectCore 6UL module 8
NXP i.MX6UL application processor 9

Power interfaces 10

Power supply architecture 10
System power-up sequence 14
Coin cell 15

Bootstrap 16

Boot from fuses 17
Internal boot 18
Serial downloader 19

Wireless interfaces 19

WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 19
Antenna ports 24
Bluetooth 25

RF control signals 25
Parallel display 25
Microcontroller Assist™ 26

ConnectCore 6UL module lines related to the MCA 27

Reset control 28

IOs 29

Watchdog 31

Real-time clock 32

Tamper support 32

Power management 33

MCA firmware update 36
CryptoAuthentication device 36
Module pinout - general layout 36

External signals and pin multiplexing 38

Module specifications

Electrical specifications 108

Absolute maximum ratings 108

With front-end LDO 108

Without front-end LDO 108

Undervoltage detection 108

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

4

Overvoltage detection 109
Power consumption 109

Power consumption use cases 109

Global power consumption 112

Power consumption: Wireless power consumption increase 112

Power consumption: Real wireless transmission 113

Power consumption: Wireless-UART bridge 114
Mechanical specifications 115

Dimensions 115

Host PCB footprint and cutout 116

Weight 118
Environmental specifications 118
Socket options 119

Assembly instructions

Moisture sensitivity and shelf life 121
Mounting 121
Coplanarity 121
Solder paste print 121
Stencil 122
SMT pick and place 122
SMT process parameter reference - castellation and LGA applications 122
Reflow oven profile 122
Vapor phase profile 124
Vapor Phase IBL 309 batch soldering machine settings 125
Conformal coating 125

Regulatory information and certifications

Maximum power and frequency specifications 127
External antenna 127
Bluetooth certification 127
United States FCC 127

FCC notices 128

FCC-approved antennas 128

RF exposure 129
Europe 129

CE mark 129

OEM labeling requirements 130

CE labeling requirements 130

Declarations of Conformity 130

Approved antennas 130
Canada (IC) 130

Labeling requirements 131

Transmitters with detachable antennas 131

RF exposure 131

Approved antennas 132
Japan 132

Approval Label (MIC Marking) 133

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

5

About the ConnectCore® 6UL

The ConnectCore 6UL is a secure and extremely cost-effective connected System-on-Module platform.
Its innovative Digi SMTplus® surface mount form factor allows you to choose simplified design
integration leveraging proven and easy-to-use edge-castellated SMT technology, or a versatile LGA
option for ultimate design flexibility with access to virtually all interfaces.

Built on the NXP i.MX6UL application processor, the module is the intelligent communication engine
for today’s secure connected devices. It integrates dual-Ethernet and pre-certified dual-band Wi-Fi
(802.11a/b/g/n/ac) with dual mode Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.

Features and functionality

The ConnectCore 6UL system-on-module is based on the i.MX6UL processor from NXP. This processor
offers a number of interfaces, most of them multiplexed and not available simultaneously. The module
has the following features:

l i.MX6UL single ARMCortex-A7 core operating at speeds up to 528 MHz:

o

32 Kb L1 instruction cache

o

32 Kb L1 data cache

o

Up to 128 KB unified instruction/data L2 cache

o

NEONMPE (media processing engine) co-processor

l Up to 1 GB, 16-bit DDR3-800 memory

l Up to 2 GB, 8-bit SLC NAND flash memory

l NXP PF3000 power management IC (PMIC):

o

x 4 DC/DC buck converters

o

x 6 LDO regulators

o

x 1 DC/DC boost converter

o

OTP (one-time programmable) memory

o

Coin cell charger and always-ON RTC supply

l Graphical hardware accelerators:

o

PXP (PiXel Processing Pipeline)

o

ASRC (asynchronous sample rate converter)

l Secure Element

l Security accelerators:

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

6

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Variants

o

ARMTrustZone

o

CAAM (cryptographic acceleration and assurance module)

o

SNVS (secure non-volatile storage)

o

CSU (central security unit)

o

A-HABv4 (advanced high-assurance boot)

l IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WLAN interface

l Bluetooth®version 4.2 dual-mode

l ARM Cortex-M0+ Microcontroller Assist™ (MCA) subsystem

l Debug interfaces:

o

System JTAG controller

o

Single Wired Debug (SWD) interface for the MCA

l Support of i.MX6UL interfaces:

o

16-bit data/address bus

o

Display: 24-bit parallel bus

o

Camera: 24-bit parallel bus

o

KPP (key pad port)

o

TSC (touch screen controller)

o

x 2 MMC/SD/SDIO card ports

o

x 2 USB 2.0 OTG with integrated HS USB PHYs

o

x 2 10/100 Mbps Ethernet MAC

o

UART, SPI, I2C, PWM, ADC, CAN, I2S, and GPIOs

l Ultra-miniature SMT module (29 x 29 x 3.5 mm) based on 245 pads (245 LGA, 76 also available as

castellated pads)

Variants

See the ConnectCore 6UL product page for information on available variants.

Block diagrams

The figures below show block diagrams of the ConnectCore 6UL module and of the NXP i.MX6UL
application processor.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

7

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Block diagrams

ConnectCore 6UL module

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

8

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Block diagrams

NXP i.MX6UL application processor

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

9

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Power interfaces

Power interfaces

Power supply architecture

The ConnectCore 6UL requires a primary power supply input. This supply is the main power domain to
the on-module NXP PF3000 power management IC (PMIC), which generates all required supply
voltages for the module as well as the external interfaces. The system can be powered from voltages
up to 5.5V. See Powering the system from a nominal 5V power supply (4.5V to 5.5V) and Powering the

system for battery-powered applications (3.7V - 4.5V) for recommended power schemes for the

ConnectCore 6UL module.

The ConnectCore 6UL module has a dedicated pin for connecting a coin cell backup battery or
supercapacitor. You can enable a coin cell charger on the PMIC with Li-ion rechargeable batteries. This
backup battery or supercapacitor is mandatory if RTC time must persist after the module has been
disconnected from main power. You must also follow the recommended diode configuration as shown
in the diagrams below to make sure the module holds the system time.

If RTC time retention is not required, you can remove the circuitry from your design and connect the

3.3V voltage regulator directly to the VCC_MCA and MCA_VIN_DET pins.

Powering the system from a nominal 5V power supply (4.5V to 5.5V)

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

10

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Power interfaces

Powering the system for battery-powered applications (3.7V - 4.5V)

Note In the implementations shown above, the coin cell/supercapacitor is connected to VCC_LICELL

pin of the ConnectCore 6UL module, allowing coin-cell charger applications. This VCC_LICELL
connection feeds the VSNVS regulator of the PMIC, which supplies the SNVS power domain of the
CPU. The VSNVS regulator derives its power from either VIN or the coin cell (VIN takes precedence),
and it cannot be disabled. This power domain allows some functionality of the CPU in low power mode
applications even when the main power supply of the system is removed. However, this connection
significantly increases the power consumption of the module in these low-power modes. This explains
the power consumption in power-off mode; see Global power consumption for more information

To optimize power management in coin cell applications:

Do not connect the coin cell/supercapacitor to the VCC_LICELL power domain. You must keep the
connection to VCC_MCA. This drastically reduces power consumption and extends the life of the
power supply. To preserve coin cell charger functionality, follow the instructions in the Coin cell
section.

The power architecture of the module is described in more detail below.

The PMIC generates the following power domains that are available on the module pads:

n Buck converters. Two buck regulators provide 3.3V:

l SW1A: 3V3_INT, powers several interfaces inside the module

l SW2: 3V3_EXT, free power line not used inside the module

n And another two buck regulators used for internal supply:

l SW1B: VDD_ARM_SOC_IN

l SW3: VCC_DDR3

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Power interfaces

Quiescent

Power
domain

Regulator
type

Output
accuracy

Maximum
current

Dropout
voltage
(MAX)

Turn on
time
(MAX)

Turn
off time
(MAX)

current in
OFF mode
(TYP)

SW1A DC/DC +/-6.0 % 1.00 A - 500 us - -

SW2 DC/DC +/-6.0 % 1.25 A - 500 us - -

SW1B DC/DC +/-6.0 % 1.75 A - 500 us - -

SW3 DC/DC +/-6.0 % 1.5 A - 500 us - -

Note Maximum current includes both the module and the module carrier board consumption.

SW1: parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=VSW1xIN=3.6V, VSW1x=1.2 V, ISW1x=100 mA.
SW2: parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=VSW2IN=3.6V, VSW2=3.15 V, ISW2=100 mA.
SW3: parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=VSW3IN=3.6V, VSW3=1.5 V, ISW3=100 mA.

When powering up the SOM, PMIC OTP programming sets the ramp-up rate of all buck regulators to

12.5 mV/μs.

n LDO regulators. Four PMIC regulators are available; the module uses LDO1: VDDA_ADC_3P3.

LDO

Regulator
type

Output
accuracy

Maximum
current

Dropout
voltage
(MAX)

Turn on
time
(MAX)

Turn off
time
(MAX)

Quiescent
current in OFF
mode (TYP)

VLDO1 1.8-3.3V +/-3.0 % 0.100 A 60 mV 500 us 10 ms 13 uA

VLDO2 0.8-1.55V +/-3.0 % 0.250 A 60 mV 500 us 10 ms 13 uA

VLDO3 1.8-3.3V +/-3.0 % 0.100 A 60 mV 500 us 10 ms 13 uA

VLDO4 1.8-3.3V +/-3.0 % 0.350 A 60 mV 500 us 10 ms 13 uA

Note Maximum current includes both the module and the module carrier board consumption.

VLDO1 parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=3.6V, VLDO1IN=3.6V, VLDO1=3.3V, ILDO1=10

mA.

VLDO2 parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=3.6V, VLDO2IN=3.0V, VLDO2=1.55V, ILDO2=10

mA.

VLDO3 parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=3.6V, VLDO34IN=3.6V, VLDO3=3.3V, ILDO3=10

mA.

VLDO4 parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=3.6V, VLDO34IN=3.6V, VLDO4=3.3V, ILDO4=10

mA.

n Boost converter. The PMIC offers a boost regulator that is not used inside the module but that

is available in the pinout of the LGA version for customizations.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

12

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Power interfaces

Quiescent
current in
OFF mode
(TYP)

Power
domain

Regulator
type

Output
accuracy

Maximum
current

Dropout
voltage
(MAX)

Turn on
time
(MAX)

Turn
off time
(MAX)

SWBST DC/DC -4.0% /

0.6 A - 2 ms - -

+3%

Note SWBST parameters specified at TA=-40 °C to 85 °C, VIN=VSWBSTIN=3.6V, VLSWBST=5.0V,

ISWBST=100 mA.

VSYS and VSYS2 are the supply inputs to the regulators and buck converters of the PMIC. Both inputs
are available on the module pads and can be connected to a single voltage input or to two different
voltages on systems that require high efficiency on the power system:

n VSYS powers SW1A, SW2, LDO1 and LDO34 (shared input for LDO3 and LDO4).

n VSYS2 powers SW1B, SW3 and LDO2.

The power management IC located on the module is responsible for generating all required i.MX6UL
processor supplies. Some of the I/O supplies are set on the module. See the following table:

Power domain Connection

NVCC_NAND 3V3_INT

NVCC_GPIO 3V3_INT

NVCC_SD1 3V3_INT

NVCC_UART 3V3_INT

NVCC_CSI 3V3_INT

NVCC_LCD 3V3_INT

One I/O voltage must be set externally and is left unconnected on the ConnectCore 6UL module:
NVCC_ENET. See the following table for operating range of NVCC_ENET:

Power domain Min Type Max

NVCC_ENET 1.65 V 1.8/2.8/3.3 V 3.6 V

As shown in the table above, the supply has a wide operating range. In order to provide the most cost­effective and flexible solution for a given use case, the supplies listed in the table must be provided by
the carrier board integrating the ConnectCore 6UL module. However, PMIC 3.3V and LDO power rails
are dedicated power sources for supplying i.MX6UL power domains.

Note Electrical and timing characteristics of the processor (i.MX6UL industrial), PMIC (PF3000), and

MCA (KL03P24M48SF0) can be found in the corresponding datasheets, which are publicly available
from the manufacturer.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

13

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Power interfaces

System power-up sequence

The ConnectCore 6UL can be configured to power-up the system in two different ways:

Power-up over power supply attach

Note This is the default power-up configuration of the ConnectCore 6UL.

In this mode, the SOM is completely powered-up as soon as the power supply is attached to the
system. When this happens, the PMIC and the MCA are the first components to be powered. VSYS
represents the PMIC input power line, while VCC_MCA is the MCA input power line. The MCA starts to
run as soon as it is powered, while the PMIC follows a fixed initialization process. The PMIC is switched
on by controlling the PWRON signal (the on-off control line of the PMIC), which is managed by the MCA.
The MCA turns on the PMIC after a user-programmable delay (50 ms by default).

Once the PMIC is switched on, another fixed initialization process starts and the PMIC regulators are
turned on following a sequence defined in its OTPs. Finally, the CPU reset line (POR_B_CPU), which is
also controlled by the MCA, is released. The following time diagram shows the power-up sequence in
this mode:

To optimize the power-up sequence, Digi suggest a configuration that controls the main input power
supply of the SOM (VSYS) through the PWR_ON line (e.g. through a power switch). For more
information, see the detailed hardware implementation in the ConnectCore 6ULSBCPro reference

design schematics. In this case, VSYS won't be enabled until the MCA drives the PWR_ON line high. The

following simplified time diagram illustrates this particular case:

Power-up over PWR_IO

PWR_IO is the power on/off signal of the SOM, which is typically connected to a power button or any
other control peripheral/actuator. While in this mode, the power-up sequence will not start until an
event is capture on the PWR_IO line. See the simplified time diagram of this power-up mode below:

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

14

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Power interfaces

Note This power-up mode is available in MCA firmware version 1.4. For more information, see the

ConnectCore 6UL software documentation.

Coin cell

Rechargeable coin cell/supercap

VCC_LICELL is the input power line of an always-on regulator of the PMIC (VSNVS) that feeds the low­power mode circuitry of the CPU. By keeping this CPU power domain powered, the consumption of
the SOM increases significantly in this low-power mode. See Power supply architecture.

However, this connection is not required at all since the low-power mode functionality of the SOM is
supported by default by the on-module MCA. This means that the coin cell should only power the VCC_
MCA power domain (through the diode configuration explained in this chapter). By doing this, the coin­cell charger functionality is lost but the power consumption is drastically reduced.

If coin-cell charger functionality is mandatory, place a reverse diode between VCC_LICELL and the coin
cell to keep the low-power mode power consumption of the SOM under desirable values. This allows
current to flow from the SOM to the coin cell (charging) and blocks current going into VCC_LICELL line.

Note You must take into account the forward voltage drop of the diode for charging the coin cell.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

15

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Bootstrap

Digi has validated this hardware configuration with the Panasonic DB2J31400L diode. It's low reverse
leakage current (300 nA) is ideal for this low-power mode application.

Non-rechargeable coin cell

For non-rechargeable coin cell applications, add the following RC circuit at the input of VCC_LICELL
pad (B1):

Electrical values of the passive components of the filter:

n C = 4.7 uF

n R = 47 kΩ

Bootstrap

The ConnectCore 6UL module can be configured to boot from different devices and interfaces as
determined by the Boot ROM. The configuration of the booting process of the CPU is done through:

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

16

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Bootstrap

n BOOT_MODE register, which selects the boot mode of the processor.

n eFUSEs and/or GPIOs, which determine the boot configuration.

Four boot modes are available on the i.MX6UL processor. Selection between them is done through
BOOT_MODE[1:0] bits. The bits are externally configurable on two processor IOs, whose values are
latched during boot-up:

BOOT_MODE [1:0] Boot type

00 Boot from fuses

01 Serial downloader

10 Internal boot

11 Reserved

BOOT_MODE[0] and BOOT_MODE[1] are available on dedicated LGA pads on the module. However, on
the castellated pads only BOOT_MODE[1] is available.

Note BOOT_MODE[0] is set to 0 internally on the module through a 100K pull-down resistor. This

means that in applications using only the castellated pads of the module, the only boot modes
available are Boot from fuses and Internal boot. However, once Uboot is running, you can select a
different boot mode (like serial downloader).

Boot from fuses

Boot from fuses is the recommended boot mode for production purposes. When this boot mode is
selected, you must configure several parameters in order to select and configure the boot device of
the system. These parameters are configured through fuses, which are burned in order to set their
values. This means that the configuration is irreversible.

BOOT_CFG1 selects the boot device through BOOT_CFG1[7:4] bits:

BOOT_CFG1[7:4] Boot device

0000 NOR/OneNAND (EIM)

0001 QSPI

0011 Serial ROM (SPI)

010x SD/eSD/SDXC

011x MMC/eMMC

1xxx Raw NAND

There are many other registers that configure the different boot devices. For a complete description
of the booting configuration, refer to the NXP i.MX 6UltraLite Applications Processor Reference
Manual (Chapter 8: System Boot).

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

17

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Bootstrap

Internal boot

Internal boot is the recommended boot mode for development purposes. When this boot mode is
selected, the selection and configuration of the booting process is done through the same registers
used when booting from fuses. However, this time the values of some registers are overridden using
multiple GPIOs, which are latched during power-up.

The following configuration is done internally in the ConnectCore 6UL module in order to enable
booting from the NAND memory:

Bootstrap configuration Corresponding GPIO Default configuration

BOOT_CFG2[1] LCD_DATA9 100K pull-down

BOOT_CFG2[2] LCD_DATA10 100K pull-down

BOOT_CFG2[3] LCD_DATA11 100K pull-up

BOOT_CFG2[4] LCD_DATA12 100K pull-down

BOOT_CFG2[5] LCD_DATA13 100K pull-up

BOOT_CFG2[6] LCD_DATA14 100K pull-down

BOOT_CFG2[7] LCD_DATA15 100K pull-down

You must also set up BOOT_CFG1[7:0] register when booting from the internal on-module NAND when
Internal boot mode is selected. It must be configured externally (outside the module) as shown in the
following table:

Bootstrap configuration Corresponding GPIO Configuration

BOOT_CFG1[0] LCD_DATA0 0

BOOT_CFG1[1] LCD_DATA1 0

BOOT_CFG1[2] LCD_DATA2 0

BOOT_CFG1[3] LCD_DATA3 0

BOOT_CFG1[4] LCD_DATA4 1

BOOT_CFG1[5] LCD_DATA5 0

BOOT_CFG1[6] LCD_DATA6 0

BOOT_CFG1[7] LCD_DATA7 1

Digi recommends you use 10K pull-up and pull-down resistors to configure each line.

The BOOT_CFG1 and BOOT_CFG2 register lines are not dedicated lines of the CPU. This means that
the values of these lines are latched during the power-up, but have a different functionality once the
system is up and running. In this case, these lines belong to the LCD interface. In order to protect the
value of these registers while the system is booting, Digi recommends you use a protection circuitry
as shown in sheet 3 of 7, "Boot selection," of the ConnectCore 6UL reference designs. See Design files.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

18

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Wireless interfaces

CAUTION! BOOT_CFG4[7:0] is available on LCD_DATA[23:16]. Make sure BOOT_CFG4[7]
(LCD_DATA23) is not kept high while booting. This bootstrap pin is configuring the "infinite
loop enable" at the start of the boot ROM. If this pin is high while booting, the infinite loop is
enabled and the system will not boot.

Serial downloader

You can use the serial downloader boot mode for device recovery. The serial downloader allows you to
download a program image to the chip through a USB or UART serial connection. When any of the
standard boot modes is selected but the booting process doesn’t succeed (for instance due to wrong
booting device or corrupted images) the CPU automatically jumps to the serial downloader boot
mode.

Wireless interfaces

The ConnectCore 6UL System-on-module combines a wireless local area network (WLAN) and
Bluetooth dual solution to support IEEE802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WLAN standards and Bluetooth 4.2, enabling
seamless integration of WLAN/Bluetooth and Low Energy technology. Digi also offers a non-wireless
variant of the ConnectCore 6UL module.

The following sections include specifications for the wireless interfaces available on the ConnectCore
6UL module.

WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

The 2.4 GHz band on the ConnectCore 6UL module supports 20/40 MHz bandwidths, and the 5 GHz
band supports 20/40/80 MHz bandwidths. The following sections specify the performance of the WLAN
IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac interface on the ConnectCore 6UL module.

Modulation and data rates

The following tables list modulation values for the ConnectCore 6UL module, which supports the
following WLAN standards:

Mode

802.11b DBPSK 1 Mbps

Modulation & coding

DQPSK 2 Mbps

CCK 5.5 Mbps

CCK 11 Mbps

Rate

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

19

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Wireless interfaces

Mode

802.11ga BPSK-1/2 6 Mbps

802.11n BPSK-1/2 MCS0

Modulation & coding

BPSK-3/4 9 Mbps

QPSK-1/2 12 Mbps

QPSK-3/4 18 Mbps

16QAM-1/2 24 Mbps

16QAM-3/4 36 Mbps

64QAM-2/3 48 Mbps

64QAM-3/4 54 Mbps

QPSK-1/2 MCS1

QPSK-3/4 MCS2

16QAM-1/2 MCS3

16QAM-3/4 MCS4

64QAM-2/3 MCS5

Rate

64QAM-3/4 MCS6

64QAM-5/6 MCS7

802.11ac BPSK-1/2 MCS0

QPSK-1/2 MCS1

QPSK-3/4 MCS2

16QAM-1/2 MCS3

16QAM-3/4 MCS4

64QAM-2/3 MCS5

64QAM-3/4 MCS6

64QAM-5/6 MCS7

256QAM-3/4 MCS8

256QAM-5/6 MCS9

Note Rates MCS8 & MCS9 are only available in receive mode.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

20

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Wireless interfaces

Data rate (Mbps) - Non Short Guard Interval (Non-SGI)

Data rate
(Mbps) 802.11b 802.11ga 802.11n 802.11ac

Modulation DBPSK CCK BPSK-

1/2

1
Mbps11Mbps6Mbps54Mbps

2.4
GHz

5 GHz HT20 6 54 6.5 65 6.5 65

Data rate (Mbps) - Short Guard Interval (SGI)

Mode

Modulation DBPSK CCK BPSK-

2.4
GHz

HT20 1 11 6 54 6.5 65 6.5 65

HT40 13.5 135 13.5 135 180

HT40 13.5 135 13.5 135 180

HT80 29.3 292.5 390

802.11b 802.11ga 802.11n 802.11ac

1/2

1
Mbps11Mbps6Mbps54Mbps

HT20 1 11 6 54 7.2 72.2 7.2 72.2

HT40 15 150 15 150 200

64QAM­3/4

64QAM­3/4

BPSK­1/2

MCS0 MCS7 MCS0 MCS7 MCS9

BPSK­1/2

MCS0 MCS7 MCS0 MCS7 MCS9

64QAM­5/6

64QAM­5/6

BPSK­1/2

BPSK­1/2

64QAM­5/6

64QAM­5/6

256QAM­5/6

256QAM­5/6

5 GHz HT20 6 54 7.2 72.2 7.2 72.2

HT40 15 150 15 150 200

HT80 32.5 325 433.3

RF channels

The ConnectCore 6UL module supports the following frequency bands:

RF
band

2.4
GHz

Ch.BWCh.

spacing Channel number (Center freq. MHz)

20
MHz

40
MHz

5 MHz 1(2412), 2(2417), 3(2422), 4(2427), 5(2432), 6(2437), 7(2442), 8(2447), 9

5 MHz 3(2422), 11(2462)

(2452), 10(2457), 11(2462), 12(2467), 13(2472), 14(2484)

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Wireless interfaces

RF
band

5 GHz 20

Note Dependent upon regulatory bodies.

2.4 GHz

2.4 GHz band
channel #

1 2412 ✔ ✔ ✔

2 2417 ✔ ✔ ✔

Ch.BWCh.

spacing Channel number (Center freq. MHz)

20 MHz 36(5180), 40(5200), 44(5220), 48(5240), 52(5260), 56(5280), 60(5300),

MHz

40
MHz

80
MHz

40 MHz 38(5190), 46(5230), 54(5270), 62(5310), 102(5510), 110(5550), 118

80 MHz 42(5210), 58(5290), 106(5530), 122(5610), 138(5690), 155(5775)

Center frequency
(MHz)

64(5320), 100(5500), 104(5520), 108(5540), 112(5560), 116(5580), 120
(5600), 124(5620), 128(5640), 132(5660), 136(5680), 140(5700), 144
(5720), 149(5745), 153(5765), 157(5785), 161(5805), 165(5825)

(5590), 126(5630), 134(5670), 142(5710), 151(5755), 159(5795)

EUROPE
(ETSI)

NORTH AMERICA
(FCC) JAPAN

3 2422 ✔ ✔ ✔

4 2427 ✔ ✔ ✔

5 2432 ✔ ✔ ✔

6 2437 ✔ ✔ ✔

7 2442 ✔ ✔ ✔

8 2447 ✔ ✔ ✔

9 2452 ✔ ✔ ✔

10 2457 ✔ ✔ ✔

11 2462 ✔ ✔ ✔

12 2467 ✔ No ✔

13 2472 ✔ No ✔

14 2484 No No 802.11b only

5 GHz

5 GHz band
channel # Center frequency (MHz) EUROPE (ETSI) NORTH AMERICA (FCC) JAPAN

36 5180 Indoors ✔ ✔

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Wireless interfaces

5 GHz band
channel # Center frequency (MHz) EUROPE (ETSI) NORTH AMERICA (FCC) JAPAN

40 5200 Indoors ✔ ✔

44 5220 Indoors ✔ ✔

48 5240 Indoors ✔ ✔

52 5260 Indoors / DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

56 5280 Indoors / DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

60 5300 Indoors / DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

64 5320 Indoors / DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

100 5500 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

104 5520 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

108 5540 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

112 5560 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

116 5580 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

120 5600 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

124 5620 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

128 5640 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

132 5660 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

136 5680 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

140 5700 DFS / TPC DFS DFS / TPC

149 5745 SRD ✔ No Access

153 5765 SRD ✔ No Access

157 5785 SRD ✔ No Access

161 5805 SRD ✔ No Access

165 5825 SRD ✔ No Access

Note

DFS = Dynamic Frequency Selection
TPC = Transmit Power Control
SRD = Short Range Devices 25 mW max power

Transmit power

The following table lists nominal transmit power values for the ConnectCore 6UL module.

Note Nominal powers are subject to regulatory domain regulations.

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Wireless interfaces

RF band Channel BW Standard Output power (dBm)

2.4 GHz 20 MHz 802.11b 18 (1Mbps) - 18 (11Mbps)

20 MHz 802.11g 18 (6Mbps) - 14 (54Mbps)

20 MHz 802.11n/ac 17 (MCS0) - 13 (MCS7)

40 MHz 802.11n/ac 15 (MCS0) - 13 (MCS7)

5 GHz 20 MHz 802.11a 13 (6Mbps) - 11 (54Mbps)

20 MHz 802.11n/ac 15 (MCS0) - 8 (MCS7)

40 MHz 802.11n/ac 12 (MCS0) - 7 (MCS7)

80 MHz 802.11ac 9 (MCS0) - 4 (MCS7)

Note Due to manufacturing tolerance, these nominal output powers may be reduced up to 3 dB.

Receive sensitivity

The following table lists typical receive sensitivity values for the ConnectCore 6UL module.

Mode 802.11b 802.11ga 802.11n 802.11ac

Modulation DBPSK CCK BPSK-

1/2

1
Mbps11Mbps6Mbps54Mbps

2.4
GHz

5 GHz HT20 - - -86 -72 -86 -67 -82 -64 -

Note Specification is subject to change.

HT20 -90 -84 -85 -69 -84 -65 -82 -64 -

HT40 - - - - -79 -61 -79 -61 -54

HT40 - - - - -79 -61 -79 -61 -54

HT80 - - - - - - -76 -58 -51

64QAM­3/4

BPSK­1/2

MCS0 MCS7 MCS0 MCS7 MCS9

64QAM­5/6

BPSK­1/2

64QAM­5/6

256QAM­5/6

Antenna ports

The ConnectCore 6UL module has two antenna ports: one on the module via a dedicated
U.FLconnector, and another on the LGA pads. Both antenna ports support WLAN and Bluetooth
functionality. You can use the control signal RF1_INT/nEXT to select between the on-module antenna
port (U.FLconnector) and the external antenna port (LGA pad). This control signal has a 10K pull-up
populated on the module, which means that the on-module antenna port (U.FL connector) is active by
default. Pulling RF1_INT/nEXTlow activates the external antenna port and disables the on-module
antenna port.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Parallel display

Bluetooth

The ConnectCore 6UL module supports both Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy protocols:

n Bluetooth 4.2; backwards compatible with Bluetooth 1.X, 2.X + Enhanced Data Rate, Bluetooth

3.X, Bluetooth 4.0 and Bluetooth 4.1. Bluetooth class 1 and class 2 power-level transmissions

n Integrated WLAN-Bluetooth coexistence

See Bluetooth certification for more information.

RF control signals

The following signals are not supported by the current firmware of the WLAN/Bluetooth transceiver:

n WLAN_RF_KILL# (pad B17)

n BT_RF_KILL# (pad B18)

n WLAN_LED (pad B19)

n BT_LED (pad B20)

Parallel display

The ConnectCore 6UL provides a 24-bit RGB LCD interface. The following table shows the color
mapping of this interface when configured to work in 16/18/24 bits.

Signal name Description 16-bit 18-bit 24-bit

LCD_DATA0 Display data line 0 B[0] B[0] B[0]

LCD_DATA1 Display data line 1 B[1] B[1] B[1]

LCD_DATA2 Display data line 2 B[2] B[2] B[2]

LCD_DATA3 Display data line 3 B[3] B[3] B[3]

LCD_DATA4 Display data line 4 B[4] B[4] B[4]

LCD_DATA5 Display data line 5 G[0] B[5] B[5]

LCD_DATA6 Display data line 6 G[1] G[0] B[6]

LCD_DATA7 Display data line 7 G[2] G[1] B[7]

LCD_DATA8 Display data line 8 G[3] G[2] G[0]

LCD_DATA9 Display data line 9 G[4] G[3] G[1]

LCD_DATA10 Display data line 10 G[5] G[4] G[2]

LCD_DATA11 Display data line 11 R[0] G[5] G[3]

LCD_DATA12 Display data line 12 R[1] R[0] G[4]

LCD_DATA13 Display data line 13 R[2] R[1] G[5]

LCD_DATA14 Display data line 14 R[3] R[2] G[6]

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Microcontroller Assist™

Signal name Description 16-bit 18-bit 24-bit

LCD_DATA15 Display data line 15 R[4] R[3] G[7]

LCD_DATA16 Display data line 16 R[4] R[0]

LCD_DATA17 Display data line 17 R[5] R[1]

LCD_DATA18 Display data line 18 - R[2]

LCD_DATA19 Display data line 19 - R[3]

LCD_DATA20 Display data line 20 - R[4]

LCD_DATA21 Display data line 21 - R[5]

LCD_DATA22 Display data line 22 - R[6]

LCD_DATA23 Display data line 23 - R[7]

Note 24-bit displays can be connected to an 18-bit parallel LCD bus. For this, the six most significant

data bits of the display are connected to the 18-bit LCD bus. The remaining two least significant data
bits of the display can be connected in two ways:

n Connected either to GND or VCC. In this case, it's not possible to reach a full black or white.

n Connected to the lower bits of the same color. In this case, full black and white can be reached,

but some color gradients are lost.

Microcontroller Assist™

The Microcontroller Assist, orMCA, is a small microcontroller that is deeply integrated into the design
of the ConnectCore 6UL module. It assists the i.MX6UL processor with advanced operations related to
power management, security, and system reliability. The functionality provided by the MCA includes:

n Advanced power management such as power key button, wake up sources, and PMIC control

in low power.

n Peripheral extensions such as RTC, watchdog, and tamper pins.

The MCA and the i.MX6UL are connected through an I2C interface and an interrupt line. The
microcontroller provides up to 20 general purpose IOs that can be configured with different modes to
provide functionality such as digital input/output or ADC.

The i.MX6UL can update the MCA firmware over the I2C bus. See the MCAsoftware documentation for
additional information about this process.

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Microcontroller Assist™

ConnectCore 6UL module lines related to the MCA

Pin
number Pin name

A2 MCA_IO0 Bi-

A3 MCA_IO4 Bi-

A4 MCA_VIN_DET Input Analog Input voltage detection line. Connect to

A5 MCA_RESET Input Digital Reset input line, active low.

A6 SWD_CLK/PWR_IOInput Digital Power on/off input line, active low. SWD

A7 SWD_DIO/MCA_

IO7

A8 VCC_MCA Input Analog Input power supply of the MCA.

B2 MCA_IO1 Bi-

Pin
direction Type Definition

directional

directional

Bi­directional

directional

Digital and
analog

Digital and
analog

Digital General purpose Input/Ouput. SWD

Digital and
analog

General purpose Input/Output.

General purpose Input/Output.

VCC_MCA.

interface clock line.

interface data line.

General purpose Input/Output.

B5 MCA_IO2 Bi-

directional

B6 MCA_IO5 Bi-

directional

ConnectCore® 6UL Hardware Reference Manual

Digital General purpose Input/Output.

Digital and
analog

General purpose Input/Output.

27

About the ConnectCore® 6UL Microcontroller Assist™

Pin
number Pin name

C3 MCA_IO3 Bi-

C4 MCA_

IO6/CLKOUT32K

Pin
direction Type Definition

directional

Bi­directional

Digital and
analog

Digital General purpose Input/Output. 32KHz

General purpose Input/Output.

clock output.

W8 PWR_ON Output Digital Output power on/off line. Set to low

level during power off.

Reset control

Asserting and de-asserting the MCA_RESET line wakes the ConnectCore 6UL module from any power
mode (suspend/power off). Then, the microcontroller executes the programmed firmware.

The MCA, in cooperation with the PMIC, controls the reset line of the i.MX6UL processor (POR_B). The
MCA_RESET pin is the main reset input of the ConnectCore 6UL module. This pin is a pseudo open­drain with an internal pull up. Asserting the MCA_RESET line low sets the MCA into reset state, and it
remains in this state until the line is de-asserted.

During system initialization, the MCA performs the following actions:

n Asserts the PWR_ON line low for a configurable number of milliseconds (0-255 ms with a

default value of 50ms). This powers the PMIC off, switching off all regulated outputs of the
PMIC. You can disable this power cycle by setting the timer to 0.

n Asserts the PWR_ONline high to power the system on (assuming it was asserted low before).

n Keeps POR_B asserted low for a configurable number of miliseconds.

n Asserts the POR_B line high to start the execution of the firmware on the i.MX6UL processor.

Note ThePOR_B line is also connected to the PMIC. The PMIC won't release this line until it is

switched on andthe entire starting sequence is finished (a few ms after the latest regulator is
turned on). This means that even if the MCA releases the reset line before the PMIC is ready,
the CPU won't go out of reset. This occurs on the ConnectCore 6UL module: the MCA releases
the CPU reset line by putting the MPU_RESET linehigh butthere's a delay since this GPIO goes
high until the POR_B_CPU line goes high. The delay occurs because the PMIC is still not
completely initialized.

The following time diagram represents the reset sequence. You can configure the reset timing.
Default values are as follows:

n tr

: 50 ms

1

n tr

: 2 ms

2

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Microcontroller Assist™

SeeSystem power-up sequencefor more information about the power-up sequence of
theConnectCore 6UL.

See the MCAsoftware documentation for additional information on the configuration of the MCA.

IOs

The ConnectCore 6UL MCA provides up to eight configurable IOs.

Since the general purpose IOs do not incorporate internal pull-ups or pull-downs, you may have to add
the components to the exterior of the module carrier board.

The following table lists all available MCA IOs with capabilities and module pad:

PAD

MCA IO

MCA_IO0 A2/76 ✔

MCA_IO1 B2

MCA_IO2/EXT_VREF B5

MCA_IO3 C3

LGA/CS* Digital I/O IRQ capable ADC 32KHz clock 1.2 Vref

✔ ✔

✔ ✔ ✔

✔ ✔

✔ ✔

✔

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About the ConnectCore® 6UL Microcontroller Assist™

PAD

MCA IO

LGA/CS* Digital I/O IRQ capable ADC 32KHz clock 1.2 Vref

MCA_IO4 A3/75

MCA_IO5 B6

MCA_IO6/CLKOUT32K C4

SWD_DIO/MCA_IO7 A7/71

* CS = castellated pads

✔ ✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

Digital IOs

All MCA IOs can be configured as digital inputs/outputs, which are powered from the MCA_VCC power
rail.

The digital outputs preserve the output value set in all operating modes, except in power off and coin
cell modes where the IOs are reconfigured to high impedance state to preserve power.

Note Since the general purpose IOs do not incorporate internal pull-ups or pull-downs, you may need

to add the components to the exterior of the module carrier board.

MCA IRQs

You can configure the MCA IOs as interrupt inputs, using the MCA software to configure the active
edge of the interrupt (rising, falling, or both). The firmware provides a configurable debounce filter for
each GPIO that improves noise immunity and filters rebounds on push buttons. When one or more
MCA IRQs are activated, the MCA interrupts the main processor through the corresponding IRQ line,
signaling the active IRQs in the IRQ status registers. The IRQ inputs can wake the system from any
low power mode (suspend or power off).

See the MCA software documentation for additional information about how to configure and access
the MCA IRQ lines.

Analog to digital converter

You can configure up to five MCA IOs as Analog to Digital channels in addition to the ones provided by
the i.MX6UL CPU. The index of the MCA ADC channels corresponds to the index of the MCA IO. This
means that the ADC channel 0 corresponds to the MCA_IO0, the ADC channel 1 to the MCA_IO1, the
ADC channel 2 to the MCA_IO2, and so on.

The result of the ADC conversion for a given input voltage is inversely proportional to the reference
voltage of the ADC. For the MCA ADCs, the reference voltagecorresponds to the VCC_MCA voltage.
(Note that the i.MX6UL ADCs have a different reference voltage.) The MCA ADC provides 12-bit of
resolution with right-justified, unsigned format output. These ADCs are suitable for low-frequency
sampling(under 10 Hz). For higher frequency sampling, Digi recommends the CPU ADC channels. You
can configure the MCA ADC lines to act as an analog window comparator and generate an IRQ
depending on the voltage level in the input. This feature allows applications to be notified of this event
instead of needing to periodically poll the input for its value.

See the MCA software documentation for additional information about how to configure and access
the MCA IRQ lines.

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