NXP Semiconductors i.MX 8M Quick Start Manual

Quick Start Guide

i.MX 8M Quad Evaluation Kit

2

GET TO KNOW THE i.MX 8M QUAD EVK

Figure 1: Front side of i.MX 8M Quad EVK (top)

ON/OFF Button

Debug port

Debug port LEDs

BOOT MODE switch

BOOT DEVICE
switch

RESET Button

MIPI-CSI1
Connector

MIPI-CSI2
Connector

MIPI-DSI

Connector

Power Switch

USB Type-C

Connector

DC Jack for

12V power

input

USB Type-A

Connector

1 Gbps

Ethernet

Connector

HDMI

Connector

3.5 mm
Audio

Jack

Infrared

Receiver

JTAG

Connector

SD Card

Connector

Power

Indication LED

3

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Figure 2: Back side of i.MX 8M Quad EVK (bottom)

M.2 Connector

FPC Connector

used to connect

Audio Board

4

ABOUT THE i.MX 8M QUAD EVK

The Evaluation Kit (EVK) based on i.MX 8M Quad introduces developers to the
i.MX 8M Quad applications processor. To speed development, hardware design files
are provided, tools and board support packages (BSPs) for Linux®, FreeRTOS™ and
Android are available.

FEATURES

• i.MX 8M Quad applications processor
with 5 cores (4×Arm® Cortex®-A53 and
1× Cortex-M4)

• 3 GB, 32-bit LPDDR4 with 1.6 GHz
clock

• eMMC 5.0, 16 GB

• 32 MB Octal SPI NOR flash

• Micro SD card connector

• USB3.0 Type-C connector with PD
support

• USB3.0 Type-A connector

• HDMI2.0a Type-A connector

• 1 Gbps Ethernet

• Mini-SAS MIPI-DSI connector

• 2x mini-SAS MIPI-CSI connectors for
camera

• USB to serial convertor for debug

• Infrared receiver

• On-board MIMO 2x2 WiFi and BT4.2

• LEDs for power indication and general­purpose use

• M.2 connector for WiFi/BT (PCIe, USB,
UART, I2C and I2S)

• 3.5 mm audio jack for amplified
speakers

• JTAG 10-pin connector

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GETTING STARTED

ITEM DESCRIPTION

CPU board

CPU board with i.MX 8M Quad applications processor,
memory and PMIC

Power supply Output: DC 12V/5A, Plug: 1.65 mm x 5.15 mm

USB Type-C Cable

Cable -Assembly, USB 3.0 Type-A Male, USB micro-B
Male, Shielded, 1m

USB micro-B Cable

Cable -Assembly, USB 2.0 Type-A Male, USB Type-C
Male, Shielded, 1m

Documentation Quick Start Guide

1

Unpack
the Kit

The EVK is shipped with the items listed in Table 1. Ensure the items are available in
the i.MX 8M Quad EVK.

Table 1: Contents of the i.MX 8M Quad Evaluation Kit

6

GETTING STARTED CONTINUED

ITEM DESCRIPTION

HDMI display

HDMI display that supports 1080p resolution or higher
is required to run the HDMI

HDMI cable

HDMI cable that is used to connect the board and the
HDMI display

Mouse Mouse with USB interface

2

Prepare
Accessories

The following items in Table 2 are required to run the i.MX 8M Quad EVK.

Table 2: Necessary equipment provided by customer

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GETTING STARTED CONTINUED

ITEM DESCRIPTION

Documentation

• Schematics, layout and Gerber files

• i.MX 8M EVK Board Hardware User’s Guide

• Quick Start Guide

Software Development Linux BSPs, Android BSPs

Demo Images

Copy of the latest Linux BSP images and Android
images that are available to program on to the eMMC

3

Download Software
and Tools

Download installation software and documentation at www.nxp.com/imx8mquadevk

The following documents are available on the website:

Table 3: Software and documentation available on NXP website

8

SETTING UP THE SYSTEM

1

Connect USB
Debug Cable

Connect the micro-B end of a USB cable
into debug port J1701. Connect the other
end of the cable to a PC acting as a host
terminal. 2 UART connections will appear
on the PC. The console print will output
on “Enhanced COM port,” which can be
found in “Device Manager” of the PC.

Open the terminal window (i.e., Hyper
Terminal or Tera Term), choose the COM
port number that corresponds to the
“Enhanced COM port” and apply the
following configuration.

• Baud rate: 115200

• Data bits: 8

• Stop bit: 1

• Parity: None

• Flow control: None

2

Connect HDMI
Display

Connect an HDMI cable to the HDMI
connector Jack J1001. Connect the other
end of the cable to a HDMI display panel.

3

Connect
Mouse

Connect the mouse to the USB host
connector J903.

4

Connect Power
Supply

Connect the plug of the 12V power
supply to the DC power jack J902.

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BOOT PROCESS FOR ANDROID IMAGE

Boot Process

• Switch SW801 to OFF, OFF, ON, OFF (from 1-4 bit) to boot from the eMMC, as
shown in Figure 3. After the board images are loaded into the eMMC and the boot
switches are correctly configured, the system is ready to run.

• Note: The board is shipped with Android image programmed in the eMMC. If
you want to use Linux image, see the documentation provided in the EVK website
(www.nxp.com/imx8mquadevk) on how to load the image. Power on the EVK
board by sliding power switch SW701 to ON.

• During the boot process, the Android logo will appear on the HDMI display.
Note that the HDMI output resolution is 1080P fixed—to change it, check the
documentation in the EVK website.

• The Android UI can be seen after the boot process is finished. You can start
operating with the mouse.

Figure 3: BOOT DEVICE Switch

10

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:

(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may

cause undesired operation.

Attention that changes or modification not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Note: This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This product generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this product does cause harmful interference to
radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off
and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:

—Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
— Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
— Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the

receiver is connected.
— Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance 20cm

between the radiator and your body.

SUPPORT

Visit the i.MX community at
www.imxcommunity.org.

WARRANTY

Visit www.nxp.com/warranty for
complete warranty information.

www.nxp.com/iMX8MQuadEVK

NXP and the NXP logo are trademarks of NXP B.V. All other product or service names are the property of
their respective owners. Arm and Cortex are registered trademarks of Arm Limited (or its subsidiaries) in the
EU and/or elsewhere. All rights reserved. © 2018 NXP B.V.

Document Number: IMX8MQUADEVKQSG REV 0
Agile Number: 926-29615 REV A