Freescale Semiconductor i.MX53 Hardware Reference Manual

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reescale

Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

i.MX53 Quick Start Board

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Freescale Semiconductor
Hardware User Guide for i.MX53 Quick Start Board, Preliminary Rev 0.9 i

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Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

Table of Contents

1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1. i.MX53-QUICK START Board Overview ......................................................................................... 1

1.2. i.MX53-QUICK START Board Kit Contents ..................................................................................... 2

2. List of Acronyms .................................................................................................................................... 3

3. Specifications ........................................................................................................................................ 4

3.1. i.MX535 Processor ........................................................................................................................ 4

3.2. DDR3 DRAM Memory ................................................................................................................... 7

3.3. Dialog DA9053 PMIC ..................................................................................................................... 7

3.4. MicroSD Card Slot (J4) ................................................................................................................... 8

3.5. SD Card Slot (J5) ............................................................................................................................ 8

3.6. SATA 7-pin Data Connector (J7) .................................................................................................... 8

3.7. VGA Video Output (J8) .................................................................................................................. 8

3.8. LVDS Video Output (J9) ................................................................................................................. 9

3.9. Ethernet (J2B)................................................................................................................................ 9

3.10. Dual USB Host Connector (J2A) ................................................................................................. 9

3.11. Micro-B USB Device Connector (J3) ........................................................................................ 10

3.12. Audio Input/Output (J6/J18) ................................................................................................... 10

3.13. 5V Power Connector (J1)......................................................................................................... 10

3.14. Debug UART Connector (J16) .................................................................................................. 11

3.15. JTAG Connector (J15) .............................................................................................................. 11

3.16. Expansion Header (J13) ........................................................................................................... 12

3.17. User Interface Buttons ............................................................................................................ 12

3.18. User Interface LED Indicators .................................................................................................. 13

3.19. Optional Li-ION Batter Connector (J14) .................................................................................. 14

3.20. Optional Back-Up Coin Cell posts (JP1, JP2) ............................................................................ 14

3.21. PCB Shorting Traces ................................................................................................................ 15

4. Quick Start Board Connectors and Expansion Port............................................................................. 15

4.1. Wall 5V Power Jack (J1)............................................................................................................... 16

4.2. RJ45 Ethernet Connector (J2B) ................................................................................................... 17

4.3. VGA DB15 Connector (J8) ........................................................................................................... 18

4.4. Debug UART DB9 Connector (J16) .............................................................................................. 19

4.5. Headphone Output Connector (J18) ........................................................................................... 20

4.6. Microphone Input Connector (J6) ............................................................................................... 21

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4.7. Dual USB Host Jack (J2) ............................................................................................................... 22

4.8. micro-B USB Device Connector (J3) ............................................................................................ 23

4.9. SATA 7-pin Data Connector (J7) .................................................................................................. 24

4.10. SD Card Connector (J5) ........................................................................................................... 25

4.11. microSD Card Connector (J3) .................................................................................................. 26

4.12. 20-pin ARM JTAG Connector (J15) .......................................................................................... 27

4.13. LVDS Connector (J9) ................................................................................................................ 28

5. Quick Start Board Architecture and Design ........................................................................................ 29

5.1. 5V Power Supply ......................................................................................................................... 30

5.2. Dialog DA9053 PMIC ................................................................................................................... 31

5.2.1. Quick Start Power Rails ....................................................................................................... 33

5.2.2. Li-ION Battery Charging ...................................................................................................... 35

5.2.3. Backlight LED Driver ............................................................................................................ 35

5.2.4. Touch-Screen Operation ..................................................................................................... 36

5.2.5. Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................... 36

5.3. 3.2V Secondary Voltage Regulator ............................................................................................. 38

5.4. i.MX53 Applications Processor ................................................................................................... 39

5.4.1. Peripheral Module Logic Voltage Levels ............................................................................. 39

5.4.2. Boot Mode Operations and Selections ............................................................................... 41

5.4.3. Clock Signals ........................................................................................................................ 48

5.4.4. i.MX53 Internal Regulators ................................................................................................. 49

5.4.5. Watch Dog Timer ................................................................................................................ 49

5.5. DDR3 SDRAM Memory ................................................................................................................ 51

5.6. Micro SD Card Connector ............................................................................................................ 52

5.7. Full Size SD Card Connector ........................................................................................................ 53

5.8. VGA Video Output ....................................................................................................................... 54

5.9. LVDS Video Output...................................................................................................................... 55

5.10. Expansion Port ........................................................................................................................ 56

5.11. Audio ....................................................................................................................................... 57

5.12. Ethernet .................................................................................................................................. 58

5.13. USB Host connections ............................................................................................................. 59

5.14. SATA ........................................................................................................................................ 60

5.15. Debug UART Serial Port........................................................................................................... 61

5.16. JTAG Operations ...................................................................................................................... 62

6. Connector Pin-Outs ............................................................................................................................. 63

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7. Board Accessories ............................................................................................................................... 80

7.1. HDMI Daughter Card ................................................................................................................... 80

7.2. LCD Display Daughter Card ......................................................................................................... 82

7.3. LVDS Display Set (Coming Soon) ................................................................................................. 84

8. Mechanical PCB Information .............................................................................................................. 86

9. Board Verification ............................................................................................................................... 88

10. Troubleshooting .............................................................................................................................. 92

10.1. PMIC Voltage Rail Test Points ................................................................................................. 93

11. Known Issues ................................................................................................................................... 95

12. PCB Component Locations .............................................................................................................. 96

13. Schematics .................................................................................................................................... 101

14. Bill of Materials ............................................................................................................................. 115

15. PCB information ............................................................................................................................ 122

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List of Figures

Figure 1. DC Power Jack …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16
Figure 2. RJ45 Ethernet Connector……………………………………………………………………………………………. 17
Figure 3. VGA Connector………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 18
Figure 4. Debug UART Connector…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 19
Figure 5. Headphone Output Connector………………………………………………………………………………….. 20
Figure 6. Microphone Connector (J6) …………………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Figure 7. Dual USB Host Connectors (J2) ……………………………………………………………………………….…. 22
Figure 8. micro-B USB Device Connector (J3) ………………………………………………………………………….. 23
Figure 9. SATA Data Connector (J7) ………………………………………………………………………………………… 24
Figure 10. SD Card Connector (J5) …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 25
Figure 11. microSD Card Connector (J4) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 26
Figure 12. JTAG Connector (J15) ……………………………………………………………………………………….….…… 27
Figure 13. LDVS Connector (J9) ……………………………………………………………………………………..…….…….. 28
Figure 14. i.MX53 Smart-Start Block Diagram…………………………………………………………………………….. 29
Figure 15. Board Main Power Circuit. ……………………………………………………………………………………….… 30
Figure 16. Boot Mode Resistor Locations TOP…………………………………………………………………………….. 46
Figure 17. Boot Mode Resistor Locations BOTTOM…………………………………………………………………….. 47
Figure 18. Clock Source Locations………………………………………………………………………………………………. 48
Figure 19. Watch Dog Timer Reset Trigger…………………………………………………………………………………. 50
Figure 20. Power Jack (J1) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 64
Figure 21. Micro-B USB Connector (J3) …………………………………………………………………………………….. 64
Figure 22. Ethernet/Dual USB Conn (J2) …………………………………………………………………………………… 65
Figure 23. Headphone Connector (J18) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 66
Figure 24. Microphone Connector (J6) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 66
Figure 25. VGA DB15 Connector (J8) …………………………………………………………………………………………. 67
Figure 26. LVDS Connector (J9) …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 68
Figure 27. SATA Data Connector (J7) …………………………………………………………………………………………. 69
Figure 28. SD Card Connector (J5) …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 70
Figure 29. microSD Card Connector (J4) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 71
Figure 30. Debug UART Connector (J16) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 72
Figure 31. JTAG Connector (J15) ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 73
Figure 32. Expansion Port (J13) ……………………………………………………………………………………………….… 74
Figure 33. Optional HDMI Daughter Card…………………………………………………………………………………… 80
Figure 34. MCIMX28LCD 4.3” WVGA Display Daughter Card…………………………………………….………… 82
Figure 35. LVDS Display Kit………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 84
Figure 36. Quick Start Board Dimensions…………………………………………………………………………………… 86
Figure 37. Ethernet Loopback Cable………………………………………………………………………………………….. 91
Figure 38. Regulator Output Capacitor Positions Bottom………………………………………………………….. 93
Figure 39. Regulator Output Capacitor Positions Top………………………………………………………………… 94
Figure 40. Major Component Highlights Top…………………………………………………………………………….. 97

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Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

List of Figures (con)

Figure 41. Major Component Highlights Bottom………………………………………………………………………… 98
Figure 42. Assembly Drawing Top………………………………………………………………………………………………. 99
Figure 43. Assembly Drawing Bottom…………………………………………………………………………………………100
Figure 44. DC 5V INPUT……………………………………………………………………………………………….……………..102
Figure 45. MX53 POWER……………………………………………………………………………………………….……………103
Figure 46. MX53 DDR3 MEMORY…………………………………………………………………………………….………….104
Figure 47. MX53 CONTROL…………………………………………………………………………………………………………105
Figure 48. MX53 USB……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………106
Figure 49. MX53 SD INTERFACE………………………………………………………………………………………….………107
Figure 50. MX53 AUDIO……………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….108
Figure 51. MX53 SATA…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……109
Figure 52. MX53 VGA……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….110
Figure 53. MX53 ETHERNET…………………………………………………………………………………………………….…111
Figure 54. EXPANSION HEADER……………………………………………………………………………………………….…112
Figure 55. DA9053 PMIC…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….113
Figure 56. DEBUG, ACCELEROMETER……………………………………………………………………………………….…114
Figure 57. Top Etch Layer…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..123
Figure 58. Second Etch Layer……………………………………………………………………………………………………..124
Figure 59. Third Etch Layer…………………………………………………………………………………………………………125
Figure 60. Fourth Etch Layer………………………………………………………………………………………………………126
Figure 61. Fifth Etch Layer………………………………………………………………………………………………………….127
Figure 62. Sixth Etch Layer………………………………………………………………………………………………………….128
Figure 63. Seventh Etch Layer……………………………………………………………………………………………………..129
Figure 64. Bottom Etch Layer………………………………………………………………………………………………………130
Figure 65. Soldermask Top………………………………………………………………………………………………………….131
Figure 66. Soldermask Bottom……………………………………………………………………………………………………132
Figure 67. Pastemask Top…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..133
Figure 68. Pastemask Bottom……………………………………………………………………………………………………..134
Figure 69. Silkscreen Top…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….135
Figure 70. Silkscreen Bottom………………………………………………………………………………………………………136

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List of Tables

Table 1. Regulator Timing Sequence…………………………………………………………………………………………32
Table 2. Quick Start Board Power Supply Rails…………………………………………………………………………33
Table 3. Port ID Resistor Values……………………………………………………………………………………………….36
Table 4. Module Voltage Supplies…………………………………………………………………………………………….40
Table 5. BOOT_MODE pin Settings………………………………………………………………………………………..…41
Table 6A. BOOT_CFG Word1……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 41
Table 6B. BOOT_CFG Word2……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 41
Table 6C. BOOT_CFG Word3……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 42
Table 7. Boot Mode Resistors TOP……………………………………………………………………………………………46
Table 8. Boot Mode Resistors BOTTOM…………………………………………………………………………………… 47
Table 9. DDR3 SDRAM Chip Organization………………………………………………………………………………… 51
Table 10. Micro-SD Card Boot Options……………………………………………………………………………………… 52
Table 11. Full Size SD Card Boot Options…………………………………………………………………………………… 53
Table 12. SATA Boot Mode Configuration Table. ……………………………………………………………………… 60
Table 13. Terminal Setting Parameters……………………………………………………………………………………… 61
Table 14. Power Jack (J1) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 64
Table 15. Micro-B USB Connector (J3) ………………………………………………………………………………………. 64
Table 16. Ethernet/Dual USB Conn (J2) ……………………………………………………………………………………..65
Table 17. Headphone Connector (J18) ……………………………………………………………………………………… 66
Table 18. Microphone Connector (J6) ………………………………………………………………………………………. 66
Table 19. VGA DB15 Connector (J8) …………………………………………………………………………………………. 67
Table 20. LVDS Connector (J9) …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 68
Table 21. SATA Data Connector (J7) …………………………………………………………………………………………. 69
Table 22. SD Card Connector (J5) ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 70
Table 23. microSD Card Connector (J4) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 71
Table 24. Debug UART Connector (J16) ……………………………………………………………………………………. 72
Table 25. JTAG Connector (J15) ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 73
Table 26. Expansion Port (J13) …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 74
Table 27. Expansion Port Pin-Mux Table……………………………………………………………………………………. 76
Table 28. Board Stack up information………………………………………………………………………………………… 87
Table 29. Problem Resolution Table………………………………………………………………………………………….. 92
Table 30. Output Capacitors and Values BOTTOM…………………………………………………………………….. 93
Table 31. Output Capacitors and Values TOP……………………………………………………………………………. 94

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Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

1. Introduction

This document is the Hardware Reference Manual for the i.MX53 Quick Start board based on the
Freescale Semiconductor i.MX53 Applications Processor. This board is fully supported by Freescale
Semiconductor. This Manual includes system setup and debugging, and provides detailed information
on the overall design and usage of the i.MX53 Quick Start board from a Hardware Systems perspective.

1.1. i.MX53-QUICK START Board Overview

The Quick Start Board is an i.MX535 platform designed to showcase many of the most commonly used
features of the i.MX535 Applications Processor in a small, low cost package. The MCIMX53-START is an
entry level development board and a near perfect subset of its larger sister board, the MCIMX53SMD,
which is available as a full, near-form factor tablet. Developers can start working with code on the
Quick Start board, and then port it over to the SMD Tablet if additional features are desired. This gives
the developer the option of becoming familiar with the i.MX535 Applications Processor before investing
a large amount or resources in more specific designs. Features of the i.MX53 Quick Start board are:

Processor: Freescale Applications Processor MCIMX535DVV1B

DRAM Memory: Micron 8Gb DDR3 SDRAM MT41J128M16HA-187E:D

PMIC: Dialog Semiconductor DA9053

Mass Storage: 5 in 1 SD/MMC/SDIO Card Connector
microSD Card Connector
7-pin SATA Data Connector

Video Output: 15-Pin D-Sub VGA Connector
30-Pin LVDS Connector

Ethernet: RJ-45 Connector for 10/100 Base-T

USB: Dedicated HS USB 2.0 Standard-A Host Connector
Shared HS USB 2.0 Standard - Host and Micro-B Device Connectors

Audio Connectors: 3.5mm Stereo Head Phone output

3.5mm Mono-Microphone input and Mono Head Phone (right channel) output

Power Connectors: 5V mm Barrel Connector

Debug Connectors: 9-Pin D-Sub Debug UART Connector
20-Pin Standard ARM JTAG Connector

Expansion Header: 120-Pin Header (Populated) to Support 1 of the following:
Optional HDMI Output Daughter Card (orderable)
Optional WVGA and WQVGA LCD Display Daughter Cards (orderable)
Camera Daughter Card (custom)
SDIO Based WiFi Daughter card (custom)

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User Interface Buttons: Power, Reset, 2 User-Defined Buttons

Indicators: 8 Status LEDs – External Power, PMIC ON, Fault Condition, and more

Li-ION Battery Connector: 3-Pin Header (unpopulated) for Li-ION Battery for Low Power Operation

Coin Cell: Connection point for 2-Pin Coin Cell (unpopulated) for RTC Operation

PCB: 3.0 inch x 3.0 inch (76.2 mm x 76.2 mm), 10 - layer board

1.2. i.MX53-QUICK START Board Kit Contents

The i.MX53-Quick Start Board comes with the following items:

 i.MX53-QUICK START Board
 microSD Card preloaded with Ubuntu Demonstration Software
 USB Cable (Standard-A to Micro-B connectors)
 5V/2.0A Power Supply
 Quick Start Guide
 Documentation DVD

1.3. i.MX53 Quick Start Board Revision History

 Rev A – Proof of Concept
 Rev B – Prototype (Internal Freescale Development)
 Rev C – Production (Silicon: i.MX53 Rev 2.0, DA9053 Rev AA)

The board version will be printed on a label, usually attached to the top of the SD Card Connector (J5).
The board version will be the letter designation following the schematic revision:

SCH-26565 REV C

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2. List of Acronyms

The following acronyms will be used throughout this document.

AC97 - Audio Codec ‘97
CMC - Common Mode Choke
CODEC - Compression/Decompression
DDR - Double Data Rate
DNP - Do Not Populate
HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface
I2C - Inter-Integrated Circuit
I2S - Integrated Interchip Sound
IC - Integrated Circuit
IDE - Integrated Debug Environment
LAN - Local Area Network
LCB - i.MX53 Smart-Start
LCD -Liquid Crystal Display
LPDDR2 - Low Power DDR2
MMC - Multi Media Card
PMIC - Power Management Companion IC
RMII - Reduced Media Independent Interface
RTC - Real-Time Clock
SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
SD - Secure Digital
SPI - Serial Peripheral Interface
SSI - Synchronous Serial Interface
ULPI - UTMI Low Pin Interface
USB - Universal Serial Bus
UTMI - Universal Transceiver Macrocell Interface
WDOG - Watch Dog
WLAN - Wireless LAN

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3. Specifications

3.1. i.MX535 Processor

The i.MX535 Applications Processor (AP) is based on ARM Cortex-A8TM Platform, which has the following
features:

• MMU, L1 Instruction and L1 Data Cache

• Unified L2 cache

• Target frequency of the core (including Neon, VFPv3 and L1 Cache): 1.0 GHz

• Neon coprocessor (SIMD Media Processing Architecture) and Vector Floating Point (VFP-Lite)

coprocessor supporting VFPv3

• TrustZone

The memory system consists of the following components:

• Level 1 Cache:

− Instruction (32 Kbyte)

− Data (32 Kbyte)

• Level 2 Cache:

− Unified instruction and data (256 Kbyte)

• Level2 (internal) memory:

− Boot ROM, including HAB (64 Kbyte)

− Internal multimedia/shared, fast access RAM (128 Kbyte)

− Secure/non-secure RAM (16 Kbyte)

• External memory interfaces:

− 16/32-bit DDR2-800, LV-DDR2-800 or DDR3-800 up to 2 Gbyte

− 32 bit LPDDR2

− 8/16-bit NAND SLC/MLC Flash, up to 66 MHz, 4/8/14/16-bit ECC

− 16-bit NOR Flash. All WEIMv2 pins are muxed on other interfaces (data with NFC pins).

I/O muxing logic selects WEIMv2 port, as primary muxing at system boot.

− 16-bit SRAM, cellular RAM

− Samsung One NAND

mode)

The i.MX53 system is built around the following system on chip interfaces:

• 64-bit AMBA AXI v1.0 bus – used by ARM platform, multimedia accelerators (such as VPU, IPU,

GPU3D, GPU2D) and the external memory controller (EXTMC) operating at 200 MHz.

• 32-bit AMBA AHB 2.0 bus – used by the rest of the bus master peripherals operating at 133

MHz.

• 32-bit IP bus – peripheral bus used for control (and slow data traffic) of the most system

peripheral devices operating at 66 MHz.
The i.MX53 makes use of dedicated hardware accelerators to achieve state-of-the-art multimedia
performance. The use of hardware accelerators provides both high performance and low power
consumption while freeing up the CPU core for other tasks.

TM

and managed NAND including eMMC up to rev 4.4 (in muxed I/O

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The i.MX53 incorporates the following hardware accelerator:

• VPU, version 3 – video processing unit

• GPU3D – 3D graphics processing unit, OpenGL ES 2.0, version 3, 33 Htri/s, 200 Mpix/s, and 800

Mpix/s z-plane performance, 256 Kbyte RAM memory.

• GPU2D – 2D graphics accelerator, OpenVG 1.1, version 1, 200 Mpix/s performance.

• IPU, version 3M – image processing unit

• ASRC – asynchronous sample rate converter

The I.MX53 includes the following interfaces to external devices:

NOTE

Not all the interfaces are available simultaneously depending on I/O

multiplexer configuration.

• Hard disk drives:

− PATA, up to U-DMA mode 5, 100 MByte/s

− SATA II, 1.5 Gbps

• Displays:

− Five interfaces available. Total rate of all interfaces is up to 180 Mpixels/s, 24 bpp. Up to

two interfaces may be active as once.

− Two parallel 24-bit display ports. The primary port is up to 165 Mpix/s (for example,

UXGA @ 60 Hz).

− LVDS serial ports: one dual channel port up to 165 Mpix/s or two independent single

channel ports up to 85 MP/s (for example, WXGA @ 60 Hz) each.

− TV-out/VGA port up to 150 Mpix/s (for example, 1080p60).

• Camera sensors:

− Two parallel 20-bit camera ports. Primary up to 180-MHz peak clock frequency,

secondary up to 120-MHz peak clock frequency.

• Expansion cards:

− Four SD/MMC card ports: three supporting 416 Mbps (8-bit i/f) and one enhanced port

supporting 832 Mbps (8-bit, eMMC 4.4)

• USB

− High-speed (HS) USB 2.0 OTG (up to 480 Mbps), with integrated HS USB PHY

− Three USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) hosts:

 High-speed host with integrated on-chip high speed PHY
 Two high-speed hosts for external HS/FS transceivers through ULPI/serial,

support IC-USB

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• Miscellaneous interfaces:

− One-wire (OWIRE) port

− Three I2S/SSI/AC97 ports, supporting up to 1.4 Mbps, each connected to audio

multiplexer (AUDMUX) providing four external ports.

− Five UART RS232 ports, up to 4.0 Mbps each. One supports 8-wire, the other four

support 4-wire.

− Two high speed enhanced CSPI (ECSPI) ports plus one CSPI port

− Three I2C ports, supporting 400 kbps.

− Fast Ethernet controller, IEEE1588 V1 compliant, 10/100 Mbps

− Two controller area network (FlexCAN) interfaces, 1 Mbps each

− Sony Philips Digital Interface (SPDIF), Rx and Tx

− Enhanced serial audio interface (ESAI), up to 1.4 Mbps each channel

− Key pad port (KPP)

− Two pulse-width modulators (PWM)

− GPIO with interrupt capabilities

− Secure JTAG controller (SJC)

The system supports efficient and smart power control and clocking:

• Supporting DVFS (Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling) and DPTC (Dynamic Process and

Temperature Compensation) techniques for low power modes.

• Power gating SRPG (State Retention Power Gating) for ARM core and Neon

• Support for various levels of system power modes.

• Flexible clock gating control scheme

• On-chip temperature monitor

• On-chip oscillator amplifier supporting 32.768 kHZ external crystal

• On-chip LDO voltage regulators for PLLs

Security functions are enabled and accelerated by the following hardware:

• ARM TrustZone including the TZ architecture (separation of interrupts, memory mapping, and so

on)

• Secure JTAG controller (SJC) – Protecting JTAC from debug port attacks by regulating or blocking

the access to the system debug features.

• Secure real-time clock (SRTC) – Tamper resistant RTC with dedicated power domain and

mechanism to detect voltage and clock glitches.

• Real-time integrity checker, version 3 (RTICv3) – RTIC type 1, enhanced with SHA-256 engine

• SAHARAv4 Lite – Cryptographic accelerator that includes true random number generator (TRNG)

• Security controller, version 2 (SCCv2) – Improved SCC with AES engine, secure/nonsecure RAM

and support for multiple keys as well as TZ/non-TZ separation.

• Central Security Unit (CSU) – Enhancement for the IIM (IC Identification Module). CSU is

configured during boot and by e-fuses and determines the security level operation mode as well

as the TrustZone (TZ) policy.

• Advanced High Assurance BOOT (A-HAB) – HAB with the next embedded enhancements:

SHA-256, 2046-bit RSA key, version control mechanism, warm boot, CSU and TZ initialization.

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3.2. DDR3 DRAM Memory

The i.MX53-Quick Start board uses four 2-Gigabit DDR3 SDRAM ICs manufactured by Micron for a total
onboard RAM memory of 1 GigaByte. The SDRAM data width for each IC is 16-bits. The chips are
arranged in pairs that are controlled by each of the two chip select pins to form 32-bit words for the
i.MX53 CPU. On Die Termination (ODT) functionality has been implemented on the board, as well as the
ability to separate out the I/O Voltage Supply from the main SDRAM Voltage Supply if desired.

3.3. Dialog DA9053 PMIC

The DA9053 device is a small (7 x 7 mm, 0.5mm pitch) 169 ball VFBGA that provides nearly all power
supply functions for the Quick Start board. The following is a feature list of the major functionality
provided by the DA9053 PMIC for the Quick Start board:

• Power Supply resources:
o 12 Low Drop Out (LDO) regulators

 1 for internal PMIC purposes only (LDOCORE)
 1 for charging optional back up coin cell
 10 for platform needs

o 4 DC/DC Buck Converters (3 with DVS)

 1 for the ARM Core supply (VBUCKCORE)
 1 for the Peripheral Core supply (VBUCKPRO)
 1 for the external SDRAM memory (VBUCKMEM)
 1 for the internal cache memory (VBUCKPERI)

o 1 White LED driver and boost converter

• Li-ION battery Charger

• Resistive touch screen interface

• Expansion Port Card ID detect

• Wall voltage supply over-voltage protection

• 1 HS-I2C interface

• External LDO regulator enable

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3.4. MicroSD Card Slot (J4)

The microSD Card slot is used as the primary means to boot the Quick Start board. The power source for
the microSD Card slot is VLDO3_3V3. The microSD Card slot is not normally configured with a card
detect feature. The MicroSD Card slot can be configured to boot from a MMCmicro card with an
alternate boot option setting (see section on Boot Options).

3.5. SD Card Slot (J5)

The SD Card slot is a 5-in-1 SD/MMC connector that acts as a secondary external memory media slot.
The power source for the SD Card Slot is the auxiliary LDO regulator (DCDC_3V2). The SD Card slot can
be configured as the boot source with an alternate boot option setting, as well as being configured for
either SD or MMC card operation (see section on Boot Options). The SD Card Slot supports full 8-bit
parallel data transfers and can support SDIO cards (WiFi, BT, etc) designed to fit in a standard SD card
slot. The Quick Start board has specifically been tested with an Atheros SD-25 WiFi card.

3.6. SATA 7-pin Data Connector (J7)

The SATA connector provides the means to connect an external SATA memory device to the Quick Start
board. Commonly, this would be an External hard drive or a DVD/CD reader. Power for the SATA device
needs to be supplied externally by the user via a 12-pin power connector. It is possible to boot from a
SATA drive by making OTP fuse changes. Once the fuse changes are made, they cannot be reversed.

3.7. VGA Video Output (J8)

A standard VGA signal is output directly from the i.MX53 Processor with minimum external components
required. Power for the TVE module of the i.MX535 Processor is supplied by VLDO7 of the PMIC and is
set to 2.75V. If VGA output is not desired, it is possible to program the PMIC to turn off VLDO7 to
conserve power. The VGA output supports a variety of video formats up to 150 Mega-Pixels per second.
Level shifters are required on the Horizontal and Vertical Synchronization signals as well as the VGA I2C
communications signals in order to meet VGA specifications.

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3.8. LVDS Video Output (J9)

The LVDS module of the i.MX53 Processor is connected to a 30-pin LVDS connector. While the i.MX53
Processor is capable of outputting to two separate LVDS displays, only one connector is pinned out on
the Quick Start board. The pin outs on the LVDS connector match the optional cable and 10” HannStar
LVDS display that can be purchased optionally from Freescale. The single LVDS connector will support
video formats up to 165 Mega-Pixels per second. The power source for the LVDS module is a switchable
output of the VBUCKPERI DCDC converter. This rail is shared with the SATA module and the USB module.
If these modules are not being used, the PMIC can be programmed to turn off power to these three
modules without affecting other 2.5V supplies to the remainder of the i.MX53 Applications Processor.

3.9. Ethernet (J2B)

The i.MX53 Processor Fast Ethernet Module outputs RMII formatted signals to an external Ethernet PHY.
The processor is capable of 10/100 Base-T speeds. The Quick Start board uses the SMSC LAN8720A
Ethernet Transceiver in a QFN-24 package. 3.2V power is supplied to the Ethernet IC from the external
LDO regulator. The output of the Ethernet PHY is connected to an RJ45 jack with integrated magnetic.

3.10. Dual USB Host Connector (J2A)

The USB module of the i.MX53 Processor provides two high speed USB PHYs that are connected to each
of the USB-A Host Jacks on connector J2. One PHY provides Host-only functionality and is connected to
the upper USB jack on the connector tower. The second PHY is USB 2.0 OTG capable and is connected to
the lower USB jack on the connector tower. Both jacks receive 5V power directly from the 5V Wall
Power Supply, via a FET that can be controlled by software, and a 1.1A Poly-fuse. The PMIC provides an
over-voltage functionality to limit voltage applied to the USB jack in the event that a DC Power Supply
other than the original supply provided is used. Also, there is no current regulating device to limit
current supplied to each jack, other than the Poly-fuse.

NOTE

The lower USB Host Jack is cross connected with the Micro-B USB Device connector. This was done as a
convenience to the user as cables with micro-A plugs are still uncommon at the time the board was
designed. The USB OTG PHY will switch to ‘device’ mode if a USB Host is attached to the micro-B
connector with a cable. This design is not recommended for release to the general electronics consumer
population. This board has not been tested for USB compliance.

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3.11. Micro-B USB Device Connector (J3)

The micro-B USB connector is connected to the USB OTG PHY on the i.MX53 Processer, and is also
connected to the Lower USB Host Jack on the connector tower. The connector’s external USB 5V power
pin is connected to the USB_OTG_ID pin, which is normally pulled to ground via a 3.3K Ohm resistor.
When a powered USB Host device is attached to the micro-B USB connector, the USB_OTG_ID pin is
pulled high and sends a signal to the USB OTG PHY to operate in device mode. The connector’s external
USB 5V power pin is not connected to the PMIC, or any other power rails on the Quick Start board.
Therefore, it is not possible to supply power to the Quick Start board via the USB connections.

3.12. Audio Input/Output (J6/J18)

Analog audio input and output are provided by Freescale’s Low Power Stereo Codec, SGTL5000. The
audio codec is connected to the i.MX53 Applications Processor via 4-wire I2S communications, utilizing
the AUDMUX5 port of the processor. The audio codec’s Headphone Amp provides up to 58 mW output
to 16-Ohm headphones at a typical SNR of 98 dB and THD+N of -86 dB. Typical power consumption is

11.6 mW. In addition, the audio codec can perform several enhancements to the output including virtual
surround, added bass and three different types of equalization. The Microphone Input module of the
Stereo Codec is also used, with the microphone input connected to the tip pin of the Microphone Jack
(J6). Microphone Bias voltage is applied on the Quick Start board and not as a separate connection to
the Microphone Jack. If the user desires to use a combined microphone, mono headphone device, the
ferrite bead on L25 can be moved to the L22 pads, redirecting the right channel output to the
Microphone Jack. A 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter may be necessary to convert the microphone, mono
headphone device to fit the Microphone Jack. On both the Headphone Jack and Microphone jack, a
fourth pin is used to detect the insertion of a plug into either jack. When a standard 3-pin device is
inserted into the 4-pin jack, the detect line is grounded, indicating to the i.MX53 Processor that the plug
has been inserted.

3.13. 5V Power Connector (J1)

A 2.0mm x 6.5mm barrel connector is used which should fit standard DC Plugs with an inner dimension
of 2.1mm and an outer dimension of 5.5mm. If an alternate power supply is used (not the original,
supplied power supply), it should supply no more than 5.25V / 3A output. If the PMIC senses too high
voltage at the connector input, it will turn off isolation FET Q1 to protect the Quick Start board. In
between the Power Connector and the isolation FET is a single blow, fast acting fuse to protect the
Quick Start board from an over current situation fault. If a Wall Power Supply is properly connected to
the Quick Start board, and the green 5V power LED indicator is not lit, it could mean that either the fuse
has been blown, or that the voltage output of the power supply is too high.

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3.14. Debug UART Connector (J16)

UART1 of the i.MX53 Processor is connected to an RS-232 output to be used as a debug output for the
developer. The Transmit (TX) and Receive (RX) signals are sent through two 1.8V to 3.2V level shifters to
convert the logic signal voltages to the correct values for the Sipex SP3232 RS-232 transceiver. The CTS
and RTS signals are not used on the Quick Start board. The RS-232 transceiver receives its power from
the external 3.2V LDO Regulator. If the output of the regulator is turned off for power savings measures,
debug output will be lost.

If the designer wishes to use the port as an Applications UART Port, changes can be made in software to
reconfigure the port. A male-to-male gender changer can be used to properly convert the port.

To access the debug data output during development, connect the Debug UART Connector to a suitable
host computer and open a terminal emulation program (ie, Teraterm or HyperTerminal). Proper settings
for the terminal program are:

• BAUD RATE: 115,200

• DATA: 8 bit

• PARITY: None

• STOP BIT: 1-bit

• FLOW CONTROL: None

3.15. JTAG Connector (J15)

A standard 20-pin ARM JTAG connector is provided on the Quick Start board. Logic signals to the JTAG
connector are 1.8V signals. A 1.8V reference signal is provided to pin 1 of the connector so that the
attached JTAG tool can automatically configure the logic signals for the right voltage. If the JTAG tool
does not have an automatic logic voltage sense, make sure that the tool is configured for 1.8V logic.

JTAG tools that have been specifically tested with the Quick Start board are:

• JTAG Commander (Macraigor)

• DS-5 and RealView (ARM Ltd.)

• Trace32 (Lauterbach)

• J-Link (Segger/Codesourcery)

• J-Link (IAR)

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3.16. Expansion Header (J13)

A 120-pin Expansion Port Header is provided on the Quick Start board for use with many optionally
expansion boards available from Freescale, or for custom designed boards made be the developer. At
the time of initial production, the following expansion boards are available from Freescale:

• MCIMXHDMICARD HDMI signal output daughter card

• MCIMX28LCD 4.3” WVGA Touch Panel LCD Display

The Expansion Port makes the following features of the i.MX53 Processor available to be used on a
custom built expansion card:

• Two Serial Peripheral Interfaces (SPI) CSPI, eCSDPI2

• Two I2S/SSI/AC97 Ports AUDMUX4, AUDMUX5

• Two Inter-Integrated Circuits (I2C) I2C1, I2C2

• 2 UARTs UART4, UART5

• SPDIF Audio

• USB ULPI Port USBH2

• 24-bit Data and display control signals

• Resistive Touch Screen Interface

• Various Voltage rails

3.17. User Interface Buttons

There are four user interface buttons on the Quick Start board. Their functionality is as follows:

POWER: In the ‘Power Off’ state, momentarily pressing the POWER button will begin the PMIC

power on cycle. The PMIC supplied voltage rails will come up in the proper sequence to
power the i.MX53 Processor. When the processor is fully powered, the boot cycle will be
initiated.

In the ‘Power On’ state, momentarily pressing the POWER button will send a signal to a
GPIO port for user defined action, but will not initiate a hardware shutdown.

In the ‘Power On’ state, holding the power button down for greater than 5 seconds will
result in the PMIC initiating a shutdown to the ‘Standby’ power condition. This will also
be the result from the ‘Power Off’ state as the PMIC will transition into the ‘Power On’
state and will still see the POWER button as held down.

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RESET: Pressing the RESET button in the ‘Power On’ state will force the i.MX53 Applications

Processor to immediately turn off, and reinitiate a boot cycle from the Processor Power
Off state. The RESET button has no effect on the PMIC or the voltage rails.

Pressing the RESET button when the Quick Start board is powered off will have no
effect.

USERDEF1: These two buttons are user defined buttons attached to PATA_DATA14 (P6) for
USERDEF2: USERDEF1 and PATA_DATA15 (P5) for USERDEF2. The two GPIO pins are normally pulled

high by an internal resistor. The two buttons function by connecting the pins to ground,
thus inserting a low signal. The developer is left to determine the actions of these two
pins in code. Sample codes do not assign functionality to either pin.

3.18. User Interface LED Indicators

There are eight LED status indicators located next to the microSD card connector. These LEDs have the
following functions:

5V: The 5V status LED (D1) is a Green LED connected directly to the 5V_MAIN power rail.

This LED indicates that 5V wall power is being properly supplied to the Quick Start
board. If this light is not lit, it would indicate one of three problems:

1) Fuse F1 has been blown and needs to be replaced.

2) Voltage from the wall supply is greater than 5.5V and the over voltage

protection feature is disabling power to the board.

3) The DC Power supply is not plugged in or malfunctioning.

PMIC: The PMIC status LED (D9) is a Green LED gated by the PMIC SYS_UP signal from the

PMIC. This LED indicates that the PMIC is in the fully on condition and supplying power
to the processor and other voltage rails as directed by software.

USER: The User status LED (D16) is a Green LED gated by the PATA_DATA1 (L3) GPIO pin. The

developer is left to determine the action of this pin in code. Sample codes do not assign
functionality to the pin. The LED comes on by default when the processor starts up.

FLT: The FLT status LED (D14) is a Red LED gated by the NVDD_FAULT signal from the PMIC.

The LED will turn on anytime the PMIC is not outputting the requested voltages or when
the PMIC senses a fault condition and will begin to power down the voltage rails. This
may aid in trouble shooting power problems if both the PMIC and FLT LEDs are on at the
same time, it indicates that the PMIC is causing a shutdown based on a fault it has
sensed.

3.3V: The 3.3V status LED (D10) is a Blue LED gated by the External Regulator 3.2V power rail.
This power rail can be turned off by software for power savings measures. This LED
provides an easy visual recognition as to the status of this bus.

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SATA: The SATA status LED (D11) is a Blue LED gated by the SATA_1V3 (VLDO5) power rail.

This power rail can be turned off by software for power savings measures. This LED
provides an easy visual recognition as to the status of this bus.

VGA: The VGA status LED (D12) is a Blue LED gated by the TVDAC_2V75 (VLDO7) power rail.

This power rail can be turned off by software for power savings measures. This LED
provides an easy visual recognition as to the status of this bus.

LCD: The LCD status LED (D13) is a Blue LED gated by the LCD_3V2 power rail.

Normally the LCD_3V2 power rail receives power directly from the DCDC_3V2 power
rail, but the LCD can also be configured to receive power from VIOHI_2V772 (VLDO4). In
the alternate voltage supply configuration, this LED will provide visual recognition as to
the status of the LCD bus.

3.19. Optional Li-ION Battery Connector (J14)

On the Quick Start board, there is a footprint (J14) available to solder a three pin wafer connector
(Molex 0530470310 or equivalent). This connector will mate to Li-ION batteries commercially available
as replacement batteries to commonly available MP3 players. The developer should make sure that the
polarity of the battery matches the polarity of the connector as replacement batteries may vary from
different manufacturers. When installed, a battery can be charged from the external 5V wall power
source. A battery will not be charged when only a USB cable is connected to the Quick Start board.
When powering a board from only a battery, the 5V power rail and the DCDC_3V2 power rail will not be
powered. Therefore, the Ethernet subsystem and Audio subsystem will not be operational under normal
board configurations. Depending on the battery capacity, it may be necessary to power down additional
subsystem voltage rails to extend battery life to a usable amount.

The battery charging feature is an autonomous operation of the Dialog DA9053 PMIC that does not
require software support. Battery charging may be prevented by software by making registry changes to
the PMIC. The developer may need to verify in software that PMIC registry settings are proper for
battery charging operations. The footprints for testing with a battery were included for skilled
developers looking to experiment.

3.20. Optional Back-Up Coin Cell posts (JP1, JP2)

On the Quick Start board, there are two through-holes (JP1 and JP2) next to the power connector. These
through-holes are positioned to hold a Lithium coin cell battery (Sanyo ML1220-VM1 or equivalent). For
proper operation, the coin cell posts should be soldered direction to the Quick Start board, with the
positive terminal connected to JP1 and the negative terminal connected to JP2. The DA9053 PMIC will
charge the coin cell when 5V Wall Power is available. When 5V Wall Power is removed, the coin cell will
provide power only to the RTC power rail (VLDO1) supplying power to the i.MX53 processor. The length
of time a coin cell can power the RTC subsystem may vary.

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Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

3.21. PCB Shorting Traces

On the Quick Start PCB, there are 29 sets of standard footprints with a copper trace between them to
short the two pads together. The PCB is produced with these pads unpopulated. These shorting traces
are placed throughout the PCB at locations in line with major power rails and critical components. The
purpose of these shorting traces it to allow the skilled developer to manually cut the trace between the
pads to either:

1) Isolate power to major subsystems or components.

2) Install small value precision resistors to measure current consumption of major subsystems.

3) Or reconfigure power sources to subsystems or components using wires soldered to the pads.

To restore a shorting trace back to normal after the trace is cut, it is only necessary to solder a Zero Ohm
resistor to the pads.

4. Quick Start Board Connectors and Expansion Port

The Quick Start board provides a number of connectors for a variety of inputs and outputs to and from
the board. The following subsections describe these connections in detail.

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Power Jack (J1)

4.1. Wall 5V Power Jack (J1)

The 5V/2A AC-to-DC power supply that comes with the Quick Start board is plugged into the Power Jack
(J1) on the board as show in Figure 1. If the original power supply is lost, it is possible to use a substitute
power supply for the Quick Start board. Voltage above 5.5V, and below 12V, will trigger the Over­Voltage protection circuitry on the board. It is not recommended to use a higher voltage since, in the
event of a failure to the protection circuitry, damage to the board will result. A voltage supply above 12V
will damage the PMIC part.

Figure 1. DC Power Jack

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Ethernet/Dual US

B

Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

4.2. RJ45 Ethernet Connector (J2B)

A standard Cat-V Ethernet cable is attached to the Quick Start board at the Ethernet/Dual USB
connector J2. The connector contains integrated magnetic which allows the Ethernet IC to auto
configure the port for the correct connection to either a switch or directly to a host PC on a peer-to-peer
network. It is not necessary to use a crossover cable when connecting directly to another computer. The
Ethernet/Dual USB connector is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2a. Ethernet Port

Connector (J2)

Figure 2. RJ45 Ethernet Connector

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VGA DB15

4.3. VGA DB15 Connector (J8)

To connect the Quick Start board to a computer monitor in the base configuration, a VGA cable is
required. Connect the free end of the VGA cable to connector J8 to the point shown in Figure 3.

Connector (J8)

Figure 3. VGA Connector

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Debug UART DB9

Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

4.4. Debug UART DB9 Connector (J16)

To connect a host PC to the Quick Start board to receive Debugging information, a Null Modem serial
cable is required. This cable is not supplied with the Quick Start kit. The male plug end of the serial cable
is connected to the board at the point shown in Figure 4. The other end of the serial cable is connected
to a PC. For newer generation computers that do not have a serial port, a USB-to-Serial cable can be
used. There is no need for any special cabling to support debug information output.

Figure 4. Debug UART Connector

Connector (J16)

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Head Phone

4.5. Headphone Output Connector (J18)

Any set of ear buds or head phones with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack can be connected to the Audio
Output jack at the point shown in Figure 5. Ear buds are not supplied as part of the Quick Start kit.

Figure 5. Headphone Output Connector

Connector (J18)

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Microphone

Hardware Reference Manual for i.MX53 Quick Start

4.6. Microphone Input Connector (J6)

The Quick Start board provides a 3.5mm stereo connector for a microphone input. The microphone is
not provided as part of the Quick Start kit. The developer has several choices as to the type of device
plugged into this connector. A mono microphone will input its signal though the tip of the 3.5mm plug.
The microphone bias is applied on the Quick Start board, therefore a microphone which uses a wire to
send the bias signal to the actual condenser is not necessary, but will not interfere with the microphone
operation. The Quick Start board can also be configured for use with a microphone/mono-output ear
bud commonly used on cellular phones. To have right channel sound output on this connector, it would
be necessary for the developer to move the ferrite bead from the L25 pads and solder it to the L22 pads.
This will remove the signal from the headphone output connector. The developer may also find it
necessary to use a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter with most cellular microphone/earphone sets. As
manufactured, the developer may also use a two plug headphone, microphone set commonly used for
VOIP services on a PC. The microphone is connecter at the point shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Microphone Connector (J6)

Connector (J6)

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Ethernet/Dual USB

4.7. Dual USB Host Jack (J2)

The Quick Start board has two USB Host only connectors that can be used to support USB devices. The
upper USB port is connected to the High-speed (HS) USB 2.0 module of the i.MX53 processor and can
support; 1) Any single, high-power USB device, 2) Any combination of USB devices though a self­powered hub not to exceed 500 mA current draw, or 3) Any combination of USB devices through a
powered hub. The lower USB port is connected to the High-speed (HS) USB 2.0 OTG module of the
i.MX53 processor and is cross-connected with the micro-B USB device connector (J3). As long as the
Quick Start board is not connected to a USB Host device through the micro-B USB connector, the same
combinations of USB devices can be used on the lower port as used on the upper port. The lower USB
port requires configuration as a Host port in software, and is not available as a Host port during the
initial boot sequence. USB cables can be inserted into the Dual USB connector at the point shown in

Figure 7.

Connector (J2)

Upper

Lower

Figure 7a. USB Connectors

Figure 7. Dual USB Host Connectors (J2)

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