High-Performance Board Support Package for PHYTEC

PHYTEC was preparing a new SoM based on the Freescale/NXP i.MX6 processor family and needed to make the platform ready for customer development. The hardware had strong potential, but it required reliable board-level software support before it could be introduced as a production-ready product.

SaM Solutions was expected to help PHYTEC accelerate product readiness, reduce technical risk during board bring-up, and deliver a practical software base that customers could use to start embedded application development faster.

The team’s experience with Freescale i.MX platforms was an important advantage. SaM Solutions had been recognized through the Freescale Connect Partner Program as a recommended software solutions provider for i.MX applications processors.

SaM Solutions assembled an embedded software team to manage BSP development from analysis and board bring-up to driver support, OS adaptation, and testing.

Working with early board prototypes and technical documentation, the team reviewed hardware requirements, planned the software architecture, and built the board-level software foundation for PHYTEC’s i.MX6-based SoM.

The Linux BSP was developed first, including the core components required for embedded development. The Android BSP followed as the next stage. SaM Solutions used the Linux BSP and the Freescale reference-board Android version as the base, adapting the system to

PHYTEC’s custom hardware and enabling the required platform-specific behavior.

Key implementations

• Board bring-up and hardware enablement: The team analyzed the first board prototypes, reviewed the technical specifications, and prepared the BSP to support the custom phyFLEX-i.MX6 hardware configuration.
• Linux BSP development: SaM Solutions created a Linux-based software package that included bootloader support, kernel configuration, root file system, source BSP, build environment (PTXdist), and cross-development toolchain (GCC C/C++).
• Android BSP porting: The team ported and adapted Android to PHYTEC’s hardware, using the Linux BSP foundation and Freescale reference implementation where appropriate.
• Driver and peripheral support: Kernel modules and drivers were developed or adjusted for display, storage, networking, communication, audio, camera, graphics, GPIO, and thermal components.
• Processor family support: The BSP covered Freescale i.MX6 Solo, Dual, and Quad variants, helping PHYTEC standardize software support across the phyFLEX product family.
• Developer-ready package: The final BSP was prepared as a practical development foundation, giving PHYTEC and its customers access to a complete source-level software package.

The resulting solution helped PHYTEC offer a high-performance, low-power platform suitable for demanding industrial environments as well as consumer electronics use cases.

PHYTEC received a complete board support package that made its new i.MX6-based system-on-module ready for development and product launch. The Linux and Android packages provided broad hardware support, stable board-level functionality, and the software foundation customers required to start building applications on top of PHYTEC’s hardware.

Key results

• Delivered Linux and Android BSPs for the phyFLEX-i.MX6 SoM
• Supported i.MX6 Solo, Dual, and Quad processor variants
• Enabled more than 20 hardware modules, interfaces, and peripheral groups
• Helped PHYTEC keep a tight product-release schedule
• Strengthened PHYTEC’s ability to offer a ready-to-use, high-performance, low-power embedded platform
• Contributed to long-term cooperation between PHYTEC and SaM Solutions

The project allowed PHYTEC to focus on hardware design and manufacturing while SaM Solutions handled complex embedded software development. For end customers, the new BSP reduced the effort needed to start development on the platform and improved confidence in the product’s reliability.

The project also reinforced SaM Solutions’ position as a trusted embedded software partner for companies building products on Freescale/NXP i.MX platforms.