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Compulab SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS Internet of Things SBC

Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-1

Product Information

Specifications

  • Model: SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS
  • Manufacturer: CompuLab
  • Address: 17 Ha Yetzira St., Yokneam Illit 2069208, Israel
  • Contact:

Product Usage Instructions

Introduction
This document provides information necessary to operate and program the Compulab SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS.

Overview

  • Highlights: The product offers high performance and advanced features.
  • Specifications: Detailed specifications can be found in the manual.

Interfaces and Connectors
The manual provides details about connector locations including panel connectors.

Mechanical
Information on heat plate, cooling solutions, and mechanical drawings is available in the manual.

Operational Characteristics
The manual includes absolute maximum ratings, recommended operating conditions, and typical power consumption details.

FAQ

  • Is there a warranty for the product?
    No warranty of accuracy is given concerning the contents of the information contained in this publication.
  • Can the product details change without notice?
    CompuLab reserves the right to change details in this publication without notice.

© 2023 CompuLab

  • No warranty of accuracy is given concerning the contents of the information contained in this publication. To the extent permitted by law, no liability (including a liability to any person because of negligence) will be accepted by CompuLab, its subsidiaries or employees for any direct or indirect loss or damage caused by omissions from or inaccuracies in this document.
  • CompuLab reserves the right to change details in this publication without notice.
  • Product and company names herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
    • CompuLab
    • 17 Ha Yetzira St., Yokneam Illit 2069208, Israel
    • Tel: +972 (4) 8290100
    • www.compulab.com
    • Fax: +972 (4) 8325251

INTRODUCTION

About This Document
This document is part of a set of documents providing information necessary to operate and program Compulab SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS.

Related Documents
For additional information not covered in this manual, please refer to the documents listed in Table 2.
Table 2 Related Documents

DocumentLocation
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS resourceshttps://www.compulab.com/products/sbcs/sbc-iot-imx8plus-nxp-i- mx8m-plus-internet-of-things-single-board-computer/#devres

OVERVIEW

Highlights 

  • NXP i.MX8M-Plus CPU, quad-core Cortex-A53
  • Up to 8GB RAM and 128GB eMMC
  • LTE/4G modem, WiFi 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.3
  • 2x LAN, USB3.0, 2x USB2.0 and CAN bus
  • Up-to 3x RS485 | RS232 and digital I/O
  • Secure boot and Hardware Watchdog
  • Designed for reliability and 24/7 operation
  • Wide temperature range of -40C to 80C
  • Input voltage range of 8V to 36V and PoE client
  • Debian Linux and Yocto Project
Specifications

Table 3 CPU Core, RAM, and Storage

FeatureSpecifications
CPUNXP i.MX8M Plus Quad, quad-core ARM Cortex-A53, 1.8GHz
NPUAI/ML Neural Processing Unit, up to 2.3 TOPS
Real-Time Co-processorARM Cortex-M7, 800Mhz
RAM1GB – 8GB, LPDDR4
Primary storage16GB – 128GB eMMC flash, soldered on-board

Table 4 Network

FeatureSpecifications
LAN2x 1000Mbps Ethernet portx, RJ45 connectors
WiFi and Bluetooth802.11ax WiFi and Bluetooth 5.3 BLE Implemented with Intel WiFi 6E AX210 module 2x 2.4GHz / 5GHz rubber duck antennas
 

Cellular

4G/LTE CAT4 cellular module, Quectel EC25-E/A Cellular rubber duck antenna
SIM card socket
GNSSGPS

Implemented with Quectel EC25 module

Table 5 Display and Graphics

FeatureSpecifications
Display OutputDVI-D, up to 1080p60
 

GPU and Video

GC7000UL GPU

1080p60 HEVC/H.265, AVC/H.264

* only with C1800QM CPU option

Table 6 I/O and System

FeatureSpecifications
USB2x USB2.0 ports, type-A connectors (back panel)
1x USB3.0 port, type-A connector (front panel)
 

RS485 / RS232

Up-to 3x RS485 (half-duplex) | RS232 ports Isolated, terminal-block connector
 

CAN bus

Up to 2x CAN bus port

Isolated, terminal-block connector

 

Digital I/O

4x digital outputs + 4x digital inputs

Isolated, 24V compliant with EN 61131-2, terminal-block connector

 

Debug

1x serial console via UART-to-USB bridge, micro-USB connector
Support for NXP SDP/UUU protocol, micro-USB connector
ExpansionExpansion connector for add-on boards LVDS, SDIO, USB, SPI, I2C, GPIOs
SecuritySecure boot, implemented with i.MX8M Plus HAB module
LEDs2x general purpose dual-color LEDs
RTCReal time clock operated from on-board coin-cell battery
WatchdogHardware watchdog
PoESupport for PoE (powered device)

Table 7 Electrical, Mechanical and Environmental

Supply VoltageUnregulated 8V to 36V
Dimensions132 x 84 x 25mm
Heat-plateAluminum heat-plate, 130mm x 80mm

* only with “H” configuration option

CoolingPassive cooling, fanless design
Weight450 gram
MTTF200,000 hours
Operation temperatureCommercial: 0° to 60° C

Extended: -20° to 60° C

Industrial: -40° to 80° C

CORE SYSTEM COMPONENTS

NXP i.MX8M Plus SoC
The i.MX8M Plus processors feature advanced implementation of a quad ARM® Cortex®-A53 core, which operates at speeds of up to 1.8 GHz. A general purpose Cortex®-M7 core processor enables low-power processing.

Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-2

System Memory
  • DRAM 
    SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is available with up to 8GB of on-board LPDDR4 memory.
  • Primary Storage
    SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features up to 128GB of soldered on-board eMMC memory for storing the bootloader and operating system (Kernel and root filesystem). The remaining eMMC space is used to store general-purpose (user) data.

WiFi and Bluetooth

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS can be optionally assembled with the Intel WiFi 6 AX210 module providing 2×2 WiFi 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.3 interfaces.
  • AX210 module is installed into M.2 socket (P22).
  • WiFi and Bluetooth antenna connections are available via two on-board MHF4 connectors.
  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is supplied with two MHF4-to-RP-SMA cables and two 2.4GHz / 5GHz rubber duck antennas.

Cellular and GPS

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS cellular interface is implemented with a mini-PCIe cellular modem module and a nano-SIM socket. To set up SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS for cellular functionality, install an active SIM card into nano-SIM socket U10. The cellular module should be installed into mini-PCIe socket P3.
  • The cellular modem module also implements GNNS / GPS.
  • Modem antenna connections are available via on-board MHF connectors. SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is supplied with two MHF-to-SMA cables and one cellular rubber-duck antenna.
  • CompuLab supplies SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS with the following cellular modem options:
    • 4G/LTE CAT4 cellular module, Quectel EC25-E (EU bands)
    • 4G/LTE CAT4 cellular module, Quectel EC25-A (US bands)

      Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-3

Ethernet

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS incorporates two Ethernet ports implemetned with i.MX8M Plus internal MACs and two Realtek RTL8211 PHYs
  • ETH1 is available on connector P13; ETH2 is available on connector P14.
  • ETH2 port features optional POE 802.3af powered device capability.
    NOTE: ETH2 port features PoE powered device capability only when the unit is ordered with the ‘POE’ configuration option.
USB
  • USB3.0
    SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features one USB3.0 host port routed to front panel USB connector J8. USB3.0 port is implemented directly with the native i.MX8M Plus port.
  • USB2.0
    SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features two external USB2.0 host ports. The ports are routed to back panel USB connectors P17 and P18. All USB2.0 ports are implemented with MicroChip USB2514 USB hub.

CAN bus

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features up to 2 CAN 2.0B ports implemented with i.MX8M Plus CAN controller.
  • CAN bus signals are routed to industrial I/O connector P8. For pin-out details please refer to section 5.4.
    NOTE: One CAN bus port is always available. Additional (2nd) CAN bus port occupies one of the industrial I/O (IE) slots and is only available when SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is ordered with the FCCAN ordering option.

Serial Debug Console
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features a serial debug console via UART-to-USB bridge over micro USB connector. CP2104 UART-to-USB bridge is interfaced with i.MX8M Plus UART port. CP2104 USB signals are routed to micro USB connector P20, located on the front panel.

Display Output
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features DVI-D interface routed to standard HDMI connector. Display output interface support resolutions of up-to 1920 x 1080.

USB Programming Port

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features a USB programming interface that can be used for device recovery using the NXP UUU utility.
  • USB programming interface is routed to the front panel connector P16.
  • When a host PC is connected with a USB cable to the USB programming connector, SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS disables normal boot from eMMC and enters Serial Downloader boot mode.

I/O Expansion Socket
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS expansion interface is available on M.2 Key-E socket P12. The expansion connector allows integration of custom I/O add-on boards into SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS. The expansion connector features embedded interfaces such as LVDS, I2C, SPI, USB and SDIO.

Industrial I/O (IE modules)
  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features 4 industrial I/O (IE) slots that can be fitted with up-to 4 different I/O modules. Each IE slot is isolated from SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS.
  • I/O slots A,B,C can be fitted with RS232 or RS485 I/O modules. I/O slot D can only be fitted with a digital I/O (4x DI, 4x DO) module.
    Table 8 Industrial I/O – functions and ordering codes
     I/O slot AI/O slot BI/O slot CI/O slot D
    RS-232 (2-wire)FARS2FBRS2FCRS2
    RS-485 (half-duplex)FARS4FBRS4FCRS4
    Digital I/O(4x DI, 4x DO)FDIO
  • Combination examples:
    • For 2x RS485 the ordering code will be SBC-IOTIMX8PLUS-…-FARS4-FBRS4-…
    • For 1x RS232 + 1x RS485 + digital I/O the ordering code will be SBC-IOTIMX8PLUS-…-FARS2-FBRS4-FDIO-…
  • Certain I/O combinations may also be implemented with on-board SMT components.
  • Industrial I/O signals are routed to a 2×11 terminal block on the SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS back panel. For connector pin-out please refer to section 5.4.

IE-RS485
RS485 function is implemented with MAX13488 transceiver interfaced with i.MX8M Plus UART ports. Key characteristics:

  • 2-wire, half-duplex
  • Galvanic isolation from the main unit
  • Programmable baud rate of up to 3Mbps
  • Software controlled 120ohm termination resistor

IE-RS232
RS232 function is implemented with MAX3221 (or compatible) transceiver interfaced with i.MX8M Plus UART ports. Key characteristics:

  • RX/TX only
  • Galvanic isolation from the main unit
  • Programmable baud rate of up to 250kbps

Digital inputs and outputs
Four digital inputs are implemented with the CLT3-4B digital termination following EN 61131-2. Four digital outputs are implemented with the VNI4140K solid-state relay following EN 61131-2. Key characteristics:

  • External supply voltage up to 24V
  • Galvanic isolation from the main unit and other I/O modules
  • Digital outputs maximal output current – 0.5A per channel

    Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-4

SYSTEM LOGIC

Power Subsystem

Power Rails

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is powered with a single power rail with an input voltage range of 8V to 36V.
  • When SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is assembled with the “POE” option it can also be powered through ETH2 connector from a 802.3at Type 1 PoE source.

Power Modes
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS supports three hardware power modes.
Table 9 Power modes

Power ModeDescription
ONAll internal power rails are enabled. Mode entered automatically when the main power supply is connected.
OFFCPU core power rails are off. All peripheral power rails are off.
SleepDRAM is maintained in self-refresh. Most CPU core power rails are off. Most of the peripheral power rails are off.

RTC Back-Up Battery
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features a 120mAh coin cell lithium battery, which maintains the on-board RTC whenever the main power supply is not present.

Real-Time Clock
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS RTC is implemented with the AM1805 real-time clock (RTC) chip. The RTC is connected to the i.MX8M Plus SoC using I2C interface at address 0xD2/D3. SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS back-up battery keeps the RTC running to maintain clock and time information whenever the main power supply is not present.

Hardware Watchdog
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS watchdog function is implemented with the i.MX8M Plus watchdog.

Trusted Platform Module
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS can be optionally (ordering code “FXTPM”) assembled with a TPM add-on board installed into the expansion connector. TPM implemented with Infineon SLB9670.
NOTE: TPM add-on uses the expansion connector and cannot be combined with any other addon board.

INTERFACES AND CONNECTORS

Connector Locations

Panel Connectors

Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-5

Internal Connectors

Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-6

DC Power Jack (J7)
DC power input connector.
Table 10 DC jack connector pin-out

Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-7

Table 11 DC jack connector data

ManufacturerMfg. P/N
Contact TechnologyDC-081HS(-2.5)

The connector is compatible with the SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS AC PSU and IOTG-ACC-CABDC DC cable available from CompuLab.

USB Host Connectors (J8, P17, P18)

  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS USB3.0 host port is available through standard type-A USB3 connector J8.
  • SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS USB2.0 host ports are available through two standard type-A USB connectors P17 and P18.
  • For additional details, please refer to section 3.6 of this document.

Industrial I/O Connector (P8)
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS industrial I/O signals are routed to terminal block P8. Pin-out is determined by the I/O modules configuration. For additional details please refer to section 3.12.
Table 12 Industrial I/O add-on connector pin-out

I/O modulePinSingal NameIsolation Power Domain
A1RS232_TXD / RS485_POS1
2CAN_L1
A3RS232_RXD / RS485_NEG1
4CAN_H1
A5ISO_GND_11
B6RS232_RXD / RS485_NEG2
B7RS232_TXD / RS485_POS2
B8ISO_GND_22
D9IN03
D10IN13
D11IN23
C12RS232_TXD / RS485_POS / CAN_H3
D13IN33
C14RS232_RXD / RS485_NEG / CAN_L3
D15OUT03
D16OUT13
D17OUT33
D18OUT23
D1924V_IN3
D2024V_IN3
C/D21ISO_GND_33
C/D22ISO_GND_33

Table 13 Industrial I/O add-on connector data

Compulab-SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS-Internet-of-Things-SBC-FIG-8

Serial Debug Console (P5)
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS serial debug console interface is routed to micro USB connector P20. For additional information, please refer to section 3.8 of this documents.

RJ45 Ethernet Connectors (P13, P14)
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS Ethernet port ETH1 is routed to RJ45 connector P13. SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS Ethernet port ETH2 is routed to RJ45 connector P14. For additional details, please refer to section 3.5 of this document.

Mini-PCIe socket (P3)
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features one mini-PCIe socket P3 mainly intended for cellular modem modules. P3 implements USB and SIM interfaces. Socket P3 does not implement PCIe signals.

Nano-SIM socket (U10)
The nano-uSIM socket (U10) is connected to mini-PCIe socket P3.

Expansion Connector (P19)
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS expansion interafce is available on M.2 Key-E socket with a custom pin-out P19. The expansion connector allows to integrate custom I/O add-on boards into SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS. The following table outlines the connector pin-out and available pin functions.
Table 14 Expansion connector pin-out

PinSingal nameDescriptionPinSignal nameDescription
2VCC_3.3VPower output 3.3V1GND 
4VCC_3.3VPower output 3.3V3USB_DPOptional multiplexed USB2 from USB Hub
6VCC_5VPower output 5V5USB_DNOptional multiplexed USB2 from USB Hub
8VCC_5VPower output 5V7GND 
 

10

 

VBATA_IN

 

Power input (8V – 36V)

 

9

 

I2C6_SCL

I2C6_SCL / PWM4_OUT / GPIO3_IO19

(1.8V voltage level)

 

12

 

VBATA_IN

 

Power input (8V – 36V)

 

11

 

I2C6_SDA

I2C6_SDA / PWM3_OUT / GPIO3_IO20

(1.8V voltage level)

14VBATA_INPower input (8V – 36V)13GND 
16EXT_PWRB

TNn

ON/OFF input15ECSPI2_SS0ECSPI2_SS0 / GPIO5_IO13

(3.3V voltage level)

18GND 17ECSPI2_MISOECSPI2_MISO / GPIO5_IO12

(3.3V voltage level)

20EXT_RESETReset input19GND 
22RESERVED 21ECSPI2_SCLKECSPI2_SCLK / GPIO5_IO10

(3.3V voltage level)

24NCKey E notch23ECSPI2_MOSIECSPI2_MOSI / GPIO5_IO11

(3.3V voltage level)

26NCKey E notch25NCKey E notch
28NCKey E notch27NCKey E notch
30NCKey E notch29NCKey E notch
32GND 31NCKey E notch
 

34

 

I2C5_SDA

I2C5_SDA / PWM1_OUT / GPIO3_IO25

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

 

33

 

GND

 
 

36

 

I2C5_SCL

I2C5_SCL / PWM2_OUT / GPIO3_IO21

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

 

35

 

JTAG_TMS

 

SoC JTAG

38GND 37JTAG_TDISoC JTAG
40JTAG_TCKSoC JTAG39GND 
42GND 41JTAG_MODSoC JTAG
44RESERVED 43JTAG_TDOSoC JTAG
46SD2_DATA2SD2_DATA2 / GPIO2_IO17

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

45GND 
48SD2_CLKSD2_CLK/ GPIO2_IO13

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

47LVDS_CLK_PLVDS output clock
50SD2_DATA3SD2_DATA3 / GPIO2_IO18

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

49LVDS_CLK_NLVDS output clock
52SD2_CMDSD2_CMD / GPIO2_IO14

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

51GND 
54SD2_DATA0SD2_DATA0 / GPIO2_IO15

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

53LVDS_D3_NLVDS output data
56GND 55LVDS_D3_PLVDS output data
58SD2_DATA1SD2_DATA1 / GPIO2_IO16

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

57GND 
60SD2_nRSTSD2_nRST / GPIO2_IO19

(3.3V/1.8V voltage level)

59LVDS_D2_NLVDS output data
62GND 61LVDS_D2_PLVDS output data
64RESERVED 63GND 
66GND 65LVDS_D1_NLVDS output data
68RESERVED 67LVDS_D1_PLVDS output data
70RESERVED 69GND 
72VCC_3.3VPower output 3.3V71LVDS_D0_PLVDS output data
74VCC_3.3VPower output 3.3V73LVDS_D0_NLVDS output data
   75GND 

Indicator LEDs
The tables below describe SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS indicator LEDs.
Table 15 Power LED

Main power connectedLED state
YesOn
NoOff

General purpose LEDs are controlled by SoC GPIOs.
Table 16 User LED #1

GP5_IO05 stateLED state
LowOff
HighRed

Table 17 User LED #2

GP5_IO01 stateGP4_IO28 stateLED state
LowLowOff
LowHighGreen
HighLowRed
HighHighYellow

Antenna Connectors
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS features up-to four connectors for external antennas.
Table 18 Default antenna connector assignment

Connector NameFunctionConnector Type
WLAN-A / BTWiFi/BT main antennaRP-SMA
WLAN-BWiFi auxilalry antennaRP-SMA
WWANLTE main antennaSMA
AUXGPS antennaSMA

MECHANICAL

Heat Plate and Cooling Solutions
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS is provided with an optional heat-plate assembly. The heat-plate is designed to act as a thermal interface and should usually be used in conjunction with a heat-sink or an external cooling solution. A cooling solution must be provided to ensure that under worst-case conditions the temperature on any spot of the heat-spreader surface is maintained according to the SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS temperature specifications. Various thermal management solutions can be used, including active and passive heat dissipation approaches.

Mechanical Drawings
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS 3D model is available for download at: https://www.compulab.com/products/sbcs/sbc-iot-imx8plus-nxp-i-mx8m-plus-internet-of-things-single-board-computer/#devres

OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Absolute Maximum Ratings
Table 19 Absolute Maximum Ratings

ParameterMinMaxUnit
Main power supply voltage-0.340V

NOTE: Stress beyond Absolute Maximum Ratings may cause permanent damage to the device.

Recommended Operating Conditions
Table 20 Recommended Operating Conditions

ParameterMinTyp.MaxUnit
Main power supply voltage81236V

Typical Power Consumption
Table 21 SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS Typical Power Consumption

Use caseUse case descriptionCurrentPower
Linux idle, headlessLinux up, Ethernet up, no display, no activity200mA2.4W
Linux idle, with displayLinux up, ethernet up, display connected, no activity250mA3.0W
Wi-Fi or Ethernet data transferLinux up, no display, active ethernet or Wi-Fi data transmission300mA3.6W
Cellular modem data transferLinux up, no display, active modem data transmission400mA4.8W
Heavy mixed load without cellular activityCPU and memory stress-test + Wi-Fi running + Bluetooth running + Ethernet activity + LEDs 

450mA

 

5.4W

Heavy mixed load with active cellular modem data transferCPU and memory stress-test + active modem data transmission 

650mA

 

7.8W

Power consumption has been measured with the following setup:

  1. Configuration – SBC-IOTIMX8PLUS–C1800QM-D4-N32-WB-JEC25E-FARS4-FBRS2-FDIO-POE-PS-XL
  2. Standard SBC-IOTIMX8PLUS 12VDC PSU
  3. Software stack – stock Debian for SBC-IOTIMX8PLUS v1.1

Documents / Resources

Compulab SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS Internet of Things SBC [pdf] User Guide
SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS Internet of Things SBC, SBC-IOT-IMX8PLUS, Internet of Things SBC, of Things SBC, Things SBC, SBC

References

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