Toradex’s “Apalis i.MX8X” module runs Linux on NXP’s up to quad -A35 i.MX8X and offers ECC RAM support. The company also announced that its Torizon Linux distro is available for both the Apalis i.MX8X and smaller Colibri iMX8X.
In February while reporting on Toradex’s new Verdin form-factor and Verdin iMX8M Mini and Verdin iMX8M Nano modules, we noticed a teaser page for an Apalis iMX8X. Now Toradex has posted full specs for the module, which like the previously announced and now available Colibri iMX8X, runs Linux on NXP’s power-efficient, Cortex-A35 based i.MX8X.
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Apalis i.MX8X, front and back
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We revisited the Apalis iMX8X today when Toradex announced that its Torizon Linux distribution was now available for its i.MX8X modules including the Apalis iMX8X and Colibri iMX8X. Both modules also provide reference images for Yocto Project and support Android and QNX.
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Torizon architecture
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Torizon supports both mainline and downstream kernels, as well as other services such as an optional Debian container with a Docker runtime. The distribution is built on Foundries.io’s continuously managed Linux microPlatform IoT service, which is in turn based on OE/Yocto and Docker container code. Last November, Torizon gained OTA updates.
 Colibri iMX8X |
Toradex also announced today that Amazon’s AWS Device Qualification Program has certified the Colibri iMX8X for AWS, based on certification requirements for Amazon IoT Greengrass (AWS Greengrass). The Colibri iMX8X is now available in the AWS Partner Device Catalog.
Apalis i.MX8X
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Toradex’s 82 x 45mm, pin-compatible Apalis modules, such as its i.MX8 QuadMax based Apalis iMX8, are larger than the similarly SODIMM-style, 67.6 x 36.7mm Colibri. Like the Colibri iMX8X, the new Apalis i.MX8X offers two quad-core QuadXPlus SKUs, but it only offers a single dual-core DualX model instead of two. They all have Cortex-A35 cores clocked to 1.2GHz and error-correcting ECC L1 and L2 caches. The i.MX8X is accompanied by a Vivante GC7000Lite GPU with 2D/3D acceleration and a 266MHz Cortex-M4 chip for real-time duties.
Apalis i.MX8X (left) and NXP i.MX8X block diagrams
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The DualX model lacks the 640MHz HiFi4 DSP found on the QuadXPlus and has a -25 to 85°C temperature range instead of -40 to 85°C on the quad-core models. The DualX SKU ships with 1GB DDR3L and 4GB flash while the QuadXPlus models have 2GB DDR3L.
The “2GB Wi-Fi / Bluetooth” QuadXPlus module has 16GB flash while the quad-core “2GB ECC” has 8GB flash. As the name suggests, it is also the only model that supports ECC RAM. The 2GB Wi-Fi / Bluetooth SKU meanwhile, is the only model with a wireless module: dual-band 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO with Bluetooth 5.
The 2GB ECC QuadXPlus model is the only model without an HD-ready HDMI 1.4b interface. Like the other models, however, it offers 2x Quad Lane MIPI-DSI and LVDS at up to 1920 x 1200 pixels (24bpp) or 1366 x 768 when running dual displays. It also similarly provides a 1280 x 720 (18bpp) RGB interface. The module supplies 4-wire resistive touch support, single-lane 4-lane MIPI CSI-2, and an 8-bit parallel camera interface.
By comparison, the Colibri iMX8X lacks a 16GB flash SKU. However, both of its QuadXPlus models offer 4K video decode.
The Apalis iMX8X is equipped with a GbE controller with support for a second GbE port available via RGMII/RMII. Interfaces expressed via its dual MXM3 connectors include single USB 3.0 host and USB 2.0 OTG and support for 2x USB 2.0 host ports. Other I/O includes SDIO/SD/MMC and PCIe Gen 3 x1 interfaces, as well as 7x I2C, 3x SPI, 4x UART, 5x PWM, 4x analog inputs, 3x CAN, and up to 90x GPIO.
Analog audio interfaces include line-in, mic-in, and headphone-out connections and digital audio features include 3x AC97 or 3x I2S plus a single ESAI link. S/PDIF in and out are also available. The 82.0 x 45.0 x 6.0mm module offers EN 60068-2-6 compliant shock and vibration resistance of 50g, 20ms. Toradex guarantees a product commitment through 2030 at a minimum.
The Apalis iMX8X supports the same Apalis Evaluation Board and smaller Ixora Carrier Boards available with the Apalis iMX8.
Further information
No pricing or availability information was provided for the “in development” and “coming soon” Apalis iMX8X. More information may be found on Toradex’s Apalis iMX8X product page, which points to a detailed datasheet.
More on the Apalis iMX8X and Colibri iMX8X Torizon support and the AWS support for the Colibri iMX8X may be found in this press release.
This article originally appeared on LinuxGizmos.com on May 14, 2020.
Toradex | www.toradex.com
