Kontron would like to point out that the information contained in this manual may be subject to alteration,
particularly as a result of the constant upgrading of Kontron products. This document does not entail any guarantee
on the part of Kontron with respect to technical processes described in the manual or any product characteristics
set out in the manual. Kontron assumes no responsibility or liability for the use of the described product(s), conveys
no license or title under any patent, copyright or mask work rights to these products and makes no representations
or warranties that these products are free from patent, copyright or mask work right infringement unless otherwise
specified. Applications that are described in this manual are for illustration purposes only. Kontron makes no
representation or warranty that such application will be suitable for the specified use without further testing or
modification. Kontron expressly informs the user that this manual only contains a general description of processes
and instructions which may not be applicable in every individual case. In cases of doubt, please contact Kontron.
This manual is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved by Kontron. No part of this document may be
reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer
language, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the
express written permission of Kontron. Kontron points out that the information contained in this manual is
constantly being updated in line with the technical alterations and improvements made by Kontron to the products
and thus this manual only reflects the technical status of the products by Kontron at the time of publishing.
Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
1.5 added chapter RTC power consumption, changed U-Boot Licencing
note
2018-February-12
High Risk Applications Hazard Notice
THIS DEVICE AND ASSOCIATED SOFTWARE ARE NOT DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED OR INTENDED FOR USE OR RESALE
FOR THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, THE NAVIGATION, CONTROL OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR
AIRCRAFT OR OTHER TRANSPORTATION, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, LIFE SUPPORT OR LIFE SUSTAINING APPLICATIONS,
WEAPONS SYSTEMS, OR ANY OTHER APPLICATION IN A HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT, OR REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE
PERFORMANCE, OR IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF PRODUCTS COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR
SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE (COLLECTIVELY, "HIGH RISK APPLICATIONS").
You understand and agree that your use of Kontron devices as a component in High Risk Applications is entirely at
your risk. To minimize the risks associated with your products and applications, you should provide adequate design
and operating safeguards. You are solely responsible for compliance with all legal, regulatory, safety, and security
related requirements concerning your products. You are responsible to ensure that your systems (and any Kontron
hardware or software components incorporated in your systems) meet all applicable requirements. Unless
otherwise stated in the product documentation, the Kontron device is not provided with error-tolerance capabilities
and cannot therefore be deemed as being engineered, manufactured or setup to be compliant for implementation or
for resale as device in High Risk Applications. All application and safety related information in this document
(including application descriptions, suggested safety measures, suggested Kontron products, and other materials) is
provided for reference only.
Customer Support
Find Kontron contacts by visiting: http://www.kontron.com/support.
Customer Service
As a trusted technology innovator and global solutions provider, Kontron extends its embedded market strengths
into a services portfolio allowing companies to break the barriers of traditional product lifecycles. Proven product
expertise coupled with collaborative and highly-experienced support enables Kontron to provide exceptional peace
of mind to build and maintain successful products.
For more details on Kontron’s service offerings such as: enhanced repair services, extended warranty, Kontron
training academy, and more visithttp://www.kontron.com/support-and-services/services
.
Customer Comments
If you have any difficulties using this user guide, discover an error, or just want to provide some feedback, contact
Kontron support
revised user guide on our website.
www.kontron.com // 4
. Detail any errors you find. We will correct the errors or problems as soon as possible and post the
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
www.kontron.com // 5
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
Terms and Conditions
Kontron warrants products in accordance with defined regional warranty periods. For more information about
warranty compliance and conformity, and the warranty period in your region, visit http://www.kontron.com/termsand-conditions.
Kontron sells products worldwide and declares regional General Terms & Conditions of Sale, and Purchase Order
Terms & Conditions. Visit http://www.kontron.com/terms-and-conditions.
For contact information, refer to the corporate offices contact information on the last page of this user guide or visit
our website CONTACT US.
www.kontron.com // 6
Symbols
The following symbols may be used in this manual
DANGER indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
will result in death or serious injury.
WARNING indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injury.
CAUTION indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
may result in minor or moderate injury.
NOTICE indicates a property damage message.
Electric Shock!
This symbol and title warn of hazards due to electrical shocks (> 60 V) when touching
products or parts of them. Failure to observe the precautions indicated and/or prescribed by
the law may endanger your life/health and/or result in damage to your material.
Please refer also to the "High-Voltage Safety Instructions" portion below in this section.
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
ESD Sensitive Device!
This symbol and title inform that the electronic boards and their components are sensitive
to static electricity. Care must therefore be taken during all handling operations and
inspections of this product in order to ensure product integrity at all times.
HOT Surface!
Do NOT touch! Allow to cool before servicing.
This symbol indicates general information about the product and the user manual.
This symbol also indicates detail information about the specific product configuration.
This symbol precedes helpful hints and tips for daily use.
www.kontron.com // 7
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
For Your Safety
Your new Kontron product was developed and tested carefully to provide all features necessary to ensure its
compliance with electrical safety requirements. It was also designed for a long fault-free life. However, the life
expectancy of your product can be drastically reduced by improper treatment during unpacking and installation.
Therefore, in the interest of your own safety and of the correct operation of your new Kontron product, you are
requested to conform with the following guidelines.
High Voltage Safety Instructions
As a precaution and in case of danger, the power connector must be easily accessible. The power connector is the
product’s main disconnect device.
Warning
All operations on this product must be carried out by sufficiently skilled personnel only.
Electric Shock!
Before installing a non hot-swappable Kontron product into a system always ensure that
your mains power is switched off. This also applies to the installation of piggybacks. Serious
electrical shock hazards can exist during all installation, repair, and maintenance operations
on this product. Therefore, always unplug the power cable and any other cables which
provide external voltages before performing any work on this product.
Earth ground connection to vehicle’s chassis or a central grounding point shall remain
connected. The earth ground cable shall be the last cable to be disconnected or the first
cable to be connected when performing installation or removal procedures on this product.
Special Handling and Unpacking Instruction
ESD Sensitive Device!
Electronic boards and their components are sensitive to static electricity. Therefore, care
must be taken during all handling operations and inspections of this product, in order to
ensure product integrity at all times.
Do not handle this product out of its protective enclosure while it is not used for operational purposes unless it is
otherwise protected.
Whenever possible, unpack or pack this product only at EOS/ESD safe work stations. Where a safe work station is
not guaranteed, it is important for the user to be electrically discharged before touching the product with his/her
hands or tools. This is most easily done by touching a metal part of your system housing.
It is particularly important to observe standard anti-static precautions when changing piggybacks, ROM devices,
jumper settings etc. If the product contains batteries for RTC or memory backup, ensure that the product is not
placed on conductive surfaces, including anti-static plastics or sponges. They can cause short circuits and damage
the batteries or conductive circuits on the product.
www.kontron.com // 8
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
General Instructions on Usage
In order to maintain Kontron’s product warranty, this product must not be altered or modified in any way. Changes
or modifications to the product, that are not explicitly approved by Kontron and described in this User Guide or
received from Kontron’s Technical Support as a special handling instruction, will void your warranty.
This product should only be installed in or connected to systems that fulfill all necessary technical and specific
environmental requirements. This also applies to the operational temperature range of the specific board version,
that must not be exceeded. If batteries are present, their temperature restrictions must be taken into account.
In performing all necessary installation and application operations, only follow the instructions supplied by the
present User Guide.
Keep all the original packaging material for future storage or warranty shipments. If it is necessary to store or ship
the product then re-pack it in the same manner as it was delivered.
Special care is necessary when handling or unpacking the product. See Special Handling and Unpacking Instruction.
Environmental Protection Statement
This product has been manufactured to satisfy environmental protection requirements where possible. Many of the
components used (structural parts, printed circuit boards, connectors, batteries, etc.) are capable of being recycled.
Final disposition of this product after its service life must be accomplished in accordance with applicable country,
state, or local laws or regulations.
Environmental protection is a high priority with Kontron.
Kontron follows the WEEE directive
You are encouraged to return our products for proper disposal.
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive aims to:
Reduce waste arising from electrical and electronic equipment (EEE)
Make producers of EEE responsible for the environmental impact of their products, especially when the product
become waste
Encourage separate collection and subsequent treatment, reuse, recovery, recycling and sound environmental
disposal of EEE
Improve the environmental performance of all those involved during the lifecycle of EEE
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
List of Tables ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
3/ System Specifications ....................................................................................................................................................................... 16
3.1. Component Main Data ............................................................................................................................................................................. 16
4/Board and Connectors ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.2. Mainboard view and I/O locations .................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.3. Bottom Side ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21
5.1. Processor Support ................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
5.2. System Memory Support ...................................................................................................................................................................... 23
5.4. Pinout of SMARC sAMX7 Connector .................................................................................................................................................. 24
5.4.1. Pinout of SMARC sAMX7 Topside Connector............................................................................................................................... 24
5.4.2. Pinout of SMARC sAMX7 Bottom Side Connector ..................................................................................................................... 33
6.5. Power Control ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 47
6.5.1. Power Supply ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 47
6.5.2. Power Button (POWER_BTN#) ........................................................................................................................................................ 47
6.5.3. Power Bad Signal (VIN_POWER_BAD#) ....................................................................................................................................... 47
7.1. Copyrights and Licensing of U-Boot .................................................................................................................................................. 48
7.4.3. Watchdog – CPU Watchdog Control .............................................................................................................................................. 50
7.7.2. SD Card and eMMC Devices .............................................................................................................................................................. 52
7.7.3. USB Storage Device.............................................................................................................................................................................. 53
www.kontron.com // 10
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
7.8. Bootloader File System Support ........................................................................................................................................................ 53
7.8.1. EXT4 File System Write Support ...................................................................................................................................................... 53
7.9. Bootloader Network Support .............................................................................................................................................................. 53
7.10. Bootloader Boot Source Support ...................................................................................................................................................... 54
7.13. U-boot Files for the Kontron SMARC sAMX7 Module on Github.com ................................................................................... 55
List of Acronyms .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 56
About Kontron ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 57
List of Tables
Table 1: Product Variants of SMARC-sAMX7 ........................................................................................................................................... 14
Table 2: SMARC-sAMX7 Feature Set .......................................................................................................................................................... 15
Table 3: Component Main Data.................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 8: Pinout of SMARC sAMX7 Topside Connector ........................................................................................................................ 24
Table 9: Pinout of SMARC sAMX7 Bottom Side Connector ................................................................................................................ 33
Table 10: Boot Options on the carrier board ........................................................................................................................................... 43
Table 11: Minimum Supply Voltage of the RTC Module ....................................................................................................................... 44
Table 12: Mapping of SMARC SER interfaces to i.MX7 UARTs .......................................................................................................... 45
Table 13: UART interfaces for SER0 and SER2 (RX, TX, CTS#, RTS#) ............................................................................................. 45
Table 14: UART interfaces for SER1 and SER3 (RX, TX) ....................................................................................................................... 45
Table 15: UART port mapping in DCE/DTE mode................................................................................................................................... 46
Table 16: UART connections between CPU and SMARC 2.0 connector .......................................................................................... 46
Figure 3: Top View ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 4: Bottom Side from SMARC-sAMX7 ............................................................................................................................................ 21
Figure 5: Dimensions of SMARC-sAMX7 .................................................................................................................................................. 22
Figure 6: Thickness from side view ........................................................................................................................................................... 22
Figure 8: RTC current consumption with an external power supply and voltages from 2.0 V to 3.4 V ............................. 44
Figure 9: 7.13. U-boot Files on Github.com .............................................................................................................................................. 55
www.kontron.com // 11
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
1/ Introduction
This manual describes the Smart Mobility ARChitecture (SMARC) sAMX7 (SMX7) board. The Advanced RISC Machines
(ARM) based module is equipped with a NXP i.MX7 processor. The single or dual core SoC take advantage of the
optimized power consumption and performance ratio.
The use of this Users Guide implies a basic knowledge of PC hard- and software. This manual is focussed on
describing the special features and is not intended to be a standard PC textbook. New users are recommended to
study the short installation procedure stated in the following chapter before switching on the power.
All configuration and setup of the CPU board is either done automatically or manually by the user via the BIOS setup
menus.
Latest revision of this manual, datasheet, BIOS, drivers and BSP’s (Board Support Packages) can be downloaded
from Kontron Web Page.
www.kontron.com // 12
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
2/ Description
The SMARC-sAMX7 is a SMARC half-size module using the NXPs i.MX7 processor with either single or dual core
ARM. It is designed on the latest SMARC 2.0 specification and supports ARM or x86 architectures. The SMARCsAMX7 is a highly integrated, embedded computer board.
Figure 1: Half-size Card with SMARC interface
2.1. SMARC™ Computer-on-Modules
The SMARC™ standard was developed especially for new modules with ARM- and SoC-processors. Boards with this
interfaces are characterized by the extremely flat form factor. The SMARC or MXM 3.0 connector comes with 314
pins and a construction height of just 4.3 millimeters. The connector is also available in a shock- and vibrationresistant version for rough environmental conditions.
Furthermore, the standard integrates dedicated interfaces for the latest ARM, x86 and SoC processors like LVDS,
24-bit RGB and HDMI support. In addition, dedicated camera interfaces are being incorporated into a COM standard.
OEMs profit from minimized design effort and low Bill of Material (BoM) costs. SMARC™ defines two different
module sizes in order to offer a high level of flexibility regarding different mechanical requirements.
www.kontron.com // 13
SMARC-sAMX7 User Guide. Rev. 1.5
Main characteristics of the SMARC-sAMX7 are:
Single/Dual Cortex A7-Core based on NXP’s processor i.MX7 Solo with 800 MHz and 2 W max power or i.MX7
Dual with 1000 MHz and 4 W max power
Up to 2 GB DDR3L memory down
2 to 64GB eMMC (optionally)
LVDS dual channel graphics
MIPI CSI camera interface
USB 2.0 On the Go (OTG)
5x USB 2.0 Host interface
2x SPI
2x Ethernet (Solo processor 1x Ethernet)
Dual only: 1x PCIe, optional 4x PCIe via bridge
12x GPIOs
4x UART, 1x with 64 B FIFO
2x CAN Bus interface
Support for audio and common features (SPI, I2C)
APPROTECT (security chip) support on request, more information under