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i.MX Processors Knowledge Base

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Streaming different use case pipelines between i.MX 95 and i.MX 8M Plus LF-6.12.20
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based on customer's issue when use PTF pins of imx8ulp as GPIO or gpio hog
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The purpose of this document is to provide supportive information for selection of suitable LPDDR4, DDR4 and DDR3L devices that are supported by i.MX 8M family of processors to aid project feasibility assessment capabilities of customers that are evaluating the SoCs for usage in their products.  It is strongly recommended to consult with NXP and the memory vendor the final choice of the memory part number to ensure that the device meets all the compatibility, availability, longevity and pricing requirements. Please note that some of the LPDDR4 devices may not support operation at low speeds and in addition, DQ ODT may not be active, which can impact signal integrity at these speeds. If low speed operation is planned in the use case, please consult with the memory vendor the configuration aspects and possible customization of the memory device so correct functionality is ensured. In all cases, it is strongly recommended to follow the DRAM layout guidelines outlined in the NXP Hardware Developer's Guides for the specific SoCs available on NXP.com Memory devices with binary densities (e.g., 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB) are preferred because they simplify memory management by aligning with system addressing schemes and reducing software complexity. For any questions related to specific DRAM part numbers please contact the respective DRAM vendor. For any questions regarding the i.MX SoC please contact your support representative or enter a support ticket.  LPDDR4 - maximum supported densities Please note that the SoCs only support memory devices that support either the LPDDR4 mode or support both LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X modes. Memory devices that support only the LPDDR4X mode are not supported. SoC Max data bus width Maximum density Assumed memory organization Notes i.MX 8M Quad 32-bit 32Gb/4GB dual rank, dual-channel  device with 16-row addresses (R0-R15) 1, 2, 4 i.MX 8M Mini  32-bit 64Gb/8GB dual rank, dual-channel  device with 17-row addresses (R0-R16) 1, 2 i.MX 8M Nano  16-bit 32Gb/4GB dual rank, single-channel  device with 17-row addresses (R0-R16) 1, 2, 3, 12 i.MX 8M Plus  32-bit 64Gb/8GB dual rank, dual-channel  device with 17-row addresses (R0-R16)  1, 2   LPDDR4 - list of validated memories Please note that the validation process is an ongoing effort - regular updates of the table are expected. Please contact NXP if a specific vendor or configuration is required. SoC Density Validated part number  Vendor Notes i.MX 8M Quad  24Gb/3GB MT53B768M32D4NQ-062 WT:B     Micron 15 32Gb/4GB MT53D1024M32D4DT-046 AAT:D  Micron 14 4Gb/512MB IS43LQ16256B-062BLI  ISSI 5, 14 8Gb/1GB IS43LQ32256B-062BLI  ISSI 5, 14 i.MX 8M Mini 16Gb/2GB MT53D512M32D2DS-053 WT:D  Micron 15 16Gb/2GB M56Z16G32512A     ESMT 5, 14 32Gb/4GB MT53E1G32D2FW-046 WT:A  Micron 5, 14 64Gb/8GB MT53E2G32D4DT-046 AIT:A  Micron 5, 14 32Gb/4GB B3221PM3BDGUI -U Kingston 5 i.MX 8M Nano  16Gb/2GB C1612PC2WDGTKR-U   Kingston 15 16Gb/2GB  D1611PM3BDGUI-U  Kingston 5,14 32Gb/4GB MT53E2G32D4DT-046 AIT:A  Micron 5, 13, 15 16Gb/2GB IMAG16L4KBB Intelligent Memory (IM) 5,14 4Gb/512MB NT6AN256M16AV-J2 Nanya 5,14 4Gb/512MB W66CP6RBQAHJ  Winbond 5,14 8Gb/1GB MT53D512M32D2DS-053 WT:D  Micron 13, 15   i.MX 8M Plus 48Gb/6GB MT53E1536M32D4DT-046 WT:A   Micron 15 64Gb/8GB MT53E2G32D4DE-046 AUT:C   Micron 5, 14 32Gb/4GB K4FBE3D4HB-KHCL  Samsung 5, 14              8Gb/1GB  W66DP2RQQAHJ Winbond       5, 14 32Gb/4GB D1611PM3BDGUI-U  Kingston 5, 14 64Gb/8GB Q6422PM3BDGVK-U  Kingston 5, 14   LPDDR4 - list of incompatible devices Given the limitations mentioned in this document, the following memory devices were identified as incompatible with the particular SoCs as detailed in the following table:   Memory vendor Part Number Density Incompatible SoCs Incompatibility reason Samsung K4FHE3S4HA-KU(H/F)CL 24Gb/3Gb i.MX 8M Quad  The memory device requires 17th row address bit to function. Samsung K4UHE3S4AA-KU(H/F)CL K4UJE3D4AA-KU(H/F)CL 24Gb/3Gb 48Gb/6GB i.MX 8M Quad i.MX 8M Mini i.MX 8M Nano i.MX 8M Plus The memory device only supports the LPDDR4X mode. Samsung K4FCE3Q4HB-KU(H/F)CL K4UCE3Q4AB-KU(H/F)CL 64Gb/8GB i.MX 8M Quad i.MX 8M Mini i.MX 8M Nano i.MX 8M Plus A byte mode memory device. The memory device only supports the LPDDR4X mode.    DDR4 - maximum supported densities SoC Max data bus width Maximum density Assumed memory organization Notes i.MX 8M Quad  32-bit 32Gb/4GB x16, 16Gb device with 1 bank group address, 17-row addresses and 10 column addresses 1, 6 i.MX 8M Mini  32-bit 64Gb/8GB x16, 16Gb device with 1 bank group address, 17-row addresses and 10 column addresses 1, 7 i.MX 8M Nano  16-bit 64Gb/8GB x8, 16Gb device with 2 bank group addresses, 17-row addresses and 10 column addresses 1, 8 i.MX 8M Plus  32-bit 64Gb/8GB x16, 16Gb device with 1 bank group address, 17-row addresses and 10 column addresses 1, 7   DDR4 - list of validated memories Please note that the validation process is an ongoing effort - regular updates of the table are expected. Please contact NXP if a specific vendor or configuration is required.   SoC Density Validated part number (vendor) Notes i.MX 8M Quad 32Gb/4GB 4x MT40A512M16JY-083EAAT (Micron) 15 i.MX 8M Mini  16Gb/2GB 2x MT40A512M16LY-075:E (Micron) 15 i.MX 8M Nano 16Gb/2GB 1x MT40A1G16RC-062E:B (Micron) 15 i.MX 8M Plus 64Gb/8GB 4x MT40A1G16RC-062E:B (Micron) 15 16Gb/2GB NT5AD512M16C4-JRI (Nanya) 14   DDR3L - maximum supported densities SoC Max data bus width Maximum density Assumed memory organization Notes i.MX 8M Quad  32-bit 32Gb/4GB x16, 8Gb device with 16-row addresses and 10 column addresses 1, 9 i.MX 8M Mini  32-bit 64Gb/8GB x8, 8Gb device with 16-row addresses and 11 column addresses 1, 10 i.MX 8M Nano  16-bit 32Gb/4GB x8, 8Gb device with 16-row addresses and 11 column addresses 1, 11 i.MX 8M Plus  i.MX 8M Plus does not support DDR3L   DDR3L - list of validated memories Please note that the validation process is an ongoing effort - regular updates of the table are expected. Please contact NXP if a specific vendor or configuration is required. SoC Density Validated part number (vendor) Notes i.MX 8M Quad  16Gb/2GB 4x MT41K256M16TW-107 AAT (Micron) 14 i.MX 8M Mini  16Gb/2GB 4x MT41K256M16TW-107 AAT (Micron) 14              i.MX 8M Nano 8Gb/1GB MT41K512M16VRN-107 (Micron) 15   Note 1: The numbers are based purely on the IP vendor documentation for the DDR Controller and the DDR PHY, on the settings of the implementation parameters chosen for their integration into the SoC, and on the JEDEC standards JESD209-4/JESD209-4A (LPDDR4), JESD279-4/JESD279-4A (DDR4), and JESD79-3E/JESD79-3F/JESD79-3-1A (DDR3/DDR3L). Therefore, they are not backed by validation, unless said otherwise and there is no guarantee that an SoC with the specific density and/or desired internal organization is offered by the memory vendors. Should the customers choose to use the maximum density and assume it in the intended use case, they do it at their own risk. Note 2: Byte-mode LPDDR4 devices (x16 channel internally split between two dies, x8 each) of any density are not supported therefore, the numbers are applicable only to devices with x16 internal organization (referred to as "standard" in the JEDEC specification). Note 3: The memory vendors often do not offer so many variants of single-channel memory devices. As an alternative, a dual-channel device with only one channel connected may be used. For example: A dual-rank, single-channel device with 16-row address bits has a density of 16Gb. If such a device is not available at the chosen supplier, a dual-rank, dual-channel device with 16-row address bits can be used instead. This device has a density of 32 Gb however since only one channel can be connected to the SoC, only half of the density is available (16 Gb). Usage of more than one discrete memory chips to overcome market constraints is not supported since only point-to-point connections are assumed for LPDDR4. Note 4: Devices with 17-row addresses (R0-R16) are not supported by the DDR Controller Note 5: The memory part number did not undergo full JEDEC verification however, it passed all functional testing items. Note 6: The density can be achieved by connecting 2 single-rank discrete devices with one 16Gb die each. Since the SoC supports x8 devices and also has connectivity for a second rank, usage of more discrete devices is possible. However, this advantage cannot be used to get higher density since this SoC has only 32Gb/4GB of address space dedicated for the DDR. Two x16 16Gb devices giving 32Gb/4GB in total is, therefore, the optimal choice that balances the maximum density aspects, the signal integrity aspects (only two discrete devices used), and bandwidth aspects (full data bus width used). Note 7: The density can be achieved by connecting 4 single rank discrete devices with one 16Gb die each, 2 devices connected to each chip select. Since the SoC supports x8 devices, the usage of more discrete devices is possible. However, this advantage cannot be used to get higher density since this SoC has only 64Gb/8GB of address space dedicated for the DDR. Four x16 16Gb devices giving 64Gb/8GB in total is the optimal choice that balances the maximum density aspects, the signal integrity aspects (only four discrete devices used), and the bandwidth aspects (full data bus width used). Note 8: The density can be achieved by connecting 4 single rank discrete devices with one 16Gb die each, 2 devices connected to each chip select.  Note 9: The density can be achieved by connecting 4 single rank discrete devices with one 8Gb die each, 2 devices connected to each chip select, or by connecting 2 dual rank discrete devices with two 8Gb dies each. Since the SoC supports x8 devices, the usage of more discrete devices is possible. However, this advantage cannot be used to get higher density since this SoC has only 32Gb/4GB of address space dedicated for the DDR. Four x16 8Gb devices giving 32Gb/4GB in total is, therefore, the optimal choice that balances the maximum density aspects, the signal integrity aspects (four discrete devices used), and bandwidth aspects (full data bus width used). Note 10: The density can be achieved by connecting 8 single rank discrete devices with one 8Gb die each, 4 devices connected to each chip select or by connecting 4 dual rank discrete devices with two 8Gb dies each. Note that the first option significantly exceeds the number of devices used on the validation board (4 discrete devices) therefore, it is not guaranteed that the i.MX would be able to drive the signals with margin to the required voltage levels due to increased loading on the traces. A significant effort would be required in terms of PCB layout and signal integrity analysis. Practically, it is not recommended to use more than 4 discrete DDR3L devices. This corresponds to the maximum density of 32Gb/4GB in the case of the single rank devices containing one 8Gb die or 64Gb/8GB in case of the dual-rank devices, each containing two 8Gb dies. Note 11: The density can be achieved by connecting 4 single rank discrete devices with one 8Gb die each, 2 devices connected to each chip select or by connecting 2 dual rank discrete devices with two 8Gb dies each. Note 12: For single-channel (x16) memory devices, the current maximum available density in the market is 16Gb/2GB (Q1 2022). Note 13: Only one channel of the device (and hence, half of its density) was utilized due to the reduced data bus width (x16) of the SoC. Note 14: Part is active. Reviewed July 2025 Note 15: Part will either EoL or is not recommended for new designs by the respective vendor.   Additional Links https://community.nxp.com/t5/iMX-and-Vybrid-Support/i-MX-8-8X-8XL-maximum-supported-LPDDR4-and-DDR3L-densities/ta-p/1152715          
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This post contains a guide of how to use SDMA1 on Cortex M7 in parallel of Linux on A53. For i.MX 8M Plus, SDMA1 is a general-purpose DMA engine which can be used by low speed peripherals including UART, SPI and other peripherals. But some customers found issues when they are using SDMA1 on M7 core in parallel of Linux on A53. For example, if you try to run the sdma_uart_transfer example on the i.MX8M Plus EVK, the example works correctly when interfacing through the JLink debugger.  However, you will find that you can not run it from both the remoteproc interface and U-Boot.  It exits without error from the UART_SendSDMA function,  but the callback is never called and it seems to hang waiting for the information to be sent. On the i.MX 8MP EVK board,  uart4 is used for Cortex-M7 core. This article tries to provide an example to establish communication using UART3 and SDMA1 on the i.MX 8MP EVK, while Linux is running on Core A53.  This example is based on sdma_uart_transfer demo. The steps are verified with i.MX Linux 6.12.20_2.0.0  release and SDK_25.06.00. The software is compiled on an Ubuntu 22.04 host machine. This article is structured as follows:  1  Hardware requirements 2  Software Requirements 3  Modification in application      3.1 Pin changes     3.2 Clock changes     3.3 Application specific changes     3.4 Memory Region Control change 4  ATF changes     4.1 Download ATF source and change it      4.2 build ATF 5   U-BOOT change     5.1 build u-boot     5.2 make imx-boot image by using imx-mkimage     5.3 flash imx-boot image into i.MX 8MP EVK board 6  Running and Debugging     6.1    Debugging Cortex-M while Cortex-A is in U-BOOT     6.2   Debugging Cortex-M while Cortex-A is in Linux 7  Summary   1  Hardware requirements   -PC Host with MCUXpresso for VS Code installed -i.MX 8M Plus EVK (i.MX 8M Plus Power Evaluation Kit | NXP Semiconductors) -12V power supply -Micro USB Cable -J-Link Debug Probe. -USB To TTL( serial ) Converter   connect J21 (Pin6_GND  Pin8_UART3-TXD  Pin10_UART3-RXD) to Host PC via a USB to TTL converter.       2  Software Requirements   SDK_25_06_00_EVK-MIMX8MP This package can be download from https://mcuxpresso.nxp.com/ Next I will describe the detailed steps.   3  Modification in application     3.1 Pin changes   evkmimx8mp_iuart_sdma_transfer\pin_mux.c    3.2 Clock changes   evkmimx8mp_iuart_sdma_transfer\clock_config.c In function BOARD_BootClockRUN     3.3 Application specific changes   evkmimx8mp_iuart_sdma_transfer\board.h      app.h   Till now, we have completed all the changes for change uart4 to uart3. Compile , and debug with J-LINK, we can get the correct result.   Board receives 8 characters then sends them out.   However, if we try to load code on Cortex-M from U-Boot or Linux,  we can not get the expected results.   Below steps is a workaround to fix this issue. 3.4 Memory Region Control change   hardware_init.c In function BOARD_InitHardware ..... Then compile the application, the output are  iuart_sdma_transfer.bin and iuart_sdma_transfer_cm7.elf   4  ATF (ARM Trust Firmware)changes   4.1  Download ATF source and Change it  The RDC configuration in default BSP assign UART2 to domain 0 for A53,  and Domain 0 can read/write RDC,  and Domain 1 (M7) only can read it. $ git clone https://github.com/nxp-imx/imx-atf -b lf-6.12.3-1.0.0   GitHub - nxp-imx/imx-atf: i.MX ARM Trusted firmware plat/imx/imx8m/imx8mp/imx8mp_bl31_setup.c We need to assign UART3 to domain 1 so Cortex M7 can access   4.2 build ATF      $ git clone https://github.com/nxp-imx/imx-atf -b lf-6.12.3-1.0.0 $ cd imx-atf $ source /opt/fsl-imx-xwayland/6.12-walnascar/environment-setup-armv8a-poky-linux $ export ARCH=arm64 $ unset LDFLAGS $ make PLAT=imx8mp bl31   This builds the bl31.bin binary, the location is : build/imx8mp/release/bl31.bin   5   U-BOOT change   5.1 Download and build u-boot please refer to chapter 4.5.13 How to build imx-boot image by using imx-mkimage ,   $ git clone https://github.com/nxp-imx/uboot-imx -b lf_v2025.04 $ cd uboot-imx/ $ source /opt/fsl-imx-xwayland/6.12-walnascar/environment-setup-armv8a-poky-linux $ export ARCH=arm64 $ make distclean $ make imx8mp_evk_defconfig $ make   The compiled u-boot.bin location uboot-imx/u-boot.bin   5.2 make imx-boot image by using imx-mkimage   My work folder The following steps allow you to build the bootable image for i.MX 8M Plus EVK, there are 9 files needed to generate a bootable image: ├── u-boot-spl.bin ├── u-boot-nodtb.bin   ├── imx8mp-evk.dtb ├── bl31.bin ├── signed_hdmi_imx8m.bin ├── lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_dmem_202006.bin ├── lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_imem_202006.bin ├── lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_dmem_202006.bin └── lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_imem_202006.bin   Once you have the nine files , use imx-mkimage tool. 5.2.1  Download source : $ git clone https://github.com/nxp-imx/imx-mkimage.git -b lf-6.12.20-2.0.0   5.2.2  Copy and rename mkimage from u-boot/tools/mkimage to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/mkimage_uboot. $ cp uboot-imx/tools/mkimage imx-mkimage/iMX8M/mkimage_uboot   5.2.3 Copy u-boot-spl.bin from u-boot/spl/u-boot-spl.bin to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ $ cp uboot-imx/spl/u-boot-spl.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/   5.2.4 Copy u-boot-nodtb.bin from u-boot/u-boot-nodtb.bin to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ $ cp uboot-imx/u-boot-nodtb.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/   5.2.5 Copy  imx8mp-evk.dtb from u-boot/arch/arm/dts/ to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/. $cp uboot-imx/u-boot.dtb imx-mkimage/iMX8M/imx8mp-evk.dtb   5.2.6 Copy bl31.bin from Arm Trusted Firmware (imx-atf) to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ $ cp imx-atf/build/imx8mp/release/bl31.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/   5.2.7 Copy the LPDDR4 Training Firmware Download LPDDR Training Firmware cd ~/work wget https://www.nxp.com/lgfiles/NMG/MAD/YOCTO/firmware-imx-8.16.bin chmod +x firmware-imx-8.16.bin ./firmware-imx-8.16.bin   copy below files from firmware/ddr/synopsys of the firmware-imx package to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_dmem_202006.bin  lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_imem_202006.bin lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_dmem_202006.bin lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_imem_202006.bin    $ cp firmware-imx-8.16/firmware/ddr/synopsys/lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_dmem_202006.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ $ cp firmware-imx-8.16/firmware/ddr/synopsys/lpddr4_pmu_train_1d_imem_202006.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ $ cp firmware-imx-8.16/firmware/ddr/synopsys/lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_dmem_202006.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/ $ cp firmware-imx-8.16/firmware/ddr/synopsys/lpddr4_pmu_train_2d_imem_202006.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/    5.2.8 Copy firmware/hdmi/cadence/signed_hdmi_imx8m.bin from the firmware-imx package to imx-mkimage/iMX8M/.   $ cp firmware-imx-8.16/firmware/hdmi/cadence/signed_hdmi_imx8m.bin imx-mkimage/iMX8M/   The folder structure after copying all the necessary files     5.2.9 Build the bootable image run make SOC=iMX8MP flash_evk to generate imx-bootimage. $ cd imx-mkimage $ make SOC=iMX8MP flash_evk The compiled file is flash.bin and its location iMX8M/flash.bin   5.3 flash imx-boot image into i.MX 8MP EVK board   In order to flash the imx-boot image,  please follow the following steps -copy  uuu.exe and flash.bin in a folder -change the board's SW4 (boot mode) to 0001 to enter serial download mode  uuu.exe -b emmc  flash.bin   uuu.exe -b emmc flash.bin -power off the board, change SW4 to switch the board back to 0010 (eMMC boot mode).    6  Running and Debugging   Download the application (iuart_sdma_transfer.bin and iuart_sdma_transfer_cm7.elf) to /run/media/boot-mmcblk1p1   6.1    Debugging Cortex-M while Cortex-A is in U-BOOT   $ fatload mmc 2:1 0x48000000 iuart_sdma_transfer.bin $ cp.b 0x48000000 0x7e0000 30000; $ bootaux 0x7e0000   $ fatload mmc 2:1 0x48000000 iuart_sdma_transfer2.bin $ cp.b 0x48000000 0x7e0000 30000; $ bootaux 0x7e0000 From M7 console, we can see the output   6.2   Debugging Cortex-M while Cortex-A is in Linux   u-boot=> setenv fdtfile 'imx8mp-evk-rpmsg.dtb' u-boot=>run prepare_mcore u-boot=>boot   u-boot=> setenv fdtfile 'imx8mp-evk-rpmsg.dtb' u-boot=>run prepare_mcore u-boot=>boot Linux system boot up:   echo /run/media/boot-mmcblk2p1/iuart_sdma_transfer_cm7.elf > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/firmware echo start > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state Then we can see the output from M7 console.   7  Summary   This is a workaround to run UART with SDMA1 enabled on Cortex-M7,  and Linux running on Cortex-A53 in parallel.  In order to do that, we need to modify the ATF, and U-BOOT, and application.   With the above modifications, I can get the expected results.   References: 1. UG10163: i.MX Linux User's Guide Rev LF6.12.20_2.0.0--26 June 2025        
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Quickly develop and deploy IoT applications with Clea on your NXP device. This guide walks you through setting up Clea, managing devices remotely, and leveraging AI-powered telemetry for industrial applications.
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