Cost- and Energy-Efficient Multi-Purpose Board Support Package

The development of a board support package based on Linux and Android

Client Profile

PHYTEC Technologie Holding AG is an international IT service company with more than 30 years of industry expertise. The Company provides a wide range of services such as system integration, hardware and software design and development, mechanical design and manufacturing. Also, the Customer produces end-to-end products that are widely used in numerous systems and in various industries: systems on modules, single-board computers, industrial cameras and CAN network solutions.

Headquartered in Germany, the Company has its subsidiaries in the US, France, China and India, as well as an extensive network of distributors.

Challenge

The Customer was extending the product line with a brand-new hardware product based on the latest version of i.MX6 CPU. The product required a robust board support package (BSP) so that a full-fledged and seamless performance could be enabled.

The project deadline was tight, as the Customer needed to launch the product within a short timeframe.

SOLUTION

Based on the initial board prototypes and technical specifications, SaM Solutions’ embedded development team performed end-to-end development of a full board support package to make it meet the product requirements.

The team created a ready-to-use Linux-based BSP that has all the essential drivers and board-level feature support. Android BSP was created as a second phase, based on both the initially created Linux BSP and the Android version from the Freescale reference board. The resulting solution — PHYTEC phyFLEX-i.MX6 SOM — is cost-effective and provides high performance at low power, allowing universal use either in consumer electronics or intense industrial environments. Its key characteristics are:

• The support of the Freescale™ i.MX6 Solo, i.MX6 Dual, and i.MX6 Quad application processors
• Standardization across the phyFLEX product family
• Comprehensive Linux package with GCC C/C++ cross-development toolchain, PTXdist build system, Bootloader (Barebox/U-Boot), kernel, root file system and source BSP
• Full-featured Android BSP with complete hardware peripherals support and memory management
• 64-bit DDR3, USB, Gigabit Ethernet, integrated FlexCAN and MLB busses, PCIe, SATA-II, multiple simultaneous displays, camera interface and HDMI

The project included the following phases:

• Linux package development
• Android porting
• The development and adjustment of kernel modules for various peripheral hardware components, such as LVDS, HDMI, touch controllers, SPI NOR, NAND, SATA, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB OTG, I2C, CAN, PCI Express, audio, PEB interfaces, camera interface, GPU, GPIO, thermal sensors and other

Technologies

SUCCESS

The SaM Solutions team has performed all of the project-related works in a time-sensitive manner, which allowed the Customer to successfully meet the product’s short time-to-market. The solution’s robust performance contributed greatly to an efficient and smooth operations of the new hardware product.

The project’s success, as well as SaM Solutions’ extensive expertise in embedded development, resulted in a long-standing partnership between SaM Solutions and the Customer.