CALAO SYSTEMS SKY-S9500-ULP-CXX Quick user guide
SKY-S9500-ULP-CXX
(aka Snowball PDK-SDK)
Hardware Reference Manual
Revision 1.0
July 1, 2011
SKY-S9500-ULP-CXX
(aka Snowball PDK-SDK)
2
Calao-Systems provides the enclosed product(s) under the following conditions: This evaluation board/kit is intended for use for
ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, OR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY and is not considered by calao-systems
to be a finished end-product fit for general consumer use. Persons handling the product(s) must have electronics training and observe good
engineering practice standards. As such, the goods being provided are not intended to be complete in terms of required design-, marketing-, and/
or manufacturing-related protective considerations, including product safety and environmental measures typically found in end products that
incorporate such semiconductor components or circuit boards. This evaluation board/kit does not fall within the scope of the European Union
directives regarding electromagnetic compatibility, recycling (WEEE), FCC, CE or UL, and therefore may not meet the technical requirements
of these directives or other related directives.
Should this evaluation board/kit not meet the specifications indicated in the User’s Guide, the board/kit may be returned within 30 days from the
date of delivery for a full refund. THE FOREGOING WARRANTY IS THE EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY MADE BY SELLER TO BUYER
AND IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
The user assumes all responsibility and liability for proper and safe handling of the goods. Further, the user indemnifies calao-systems from
all claims arising from the handling or use of the goods. Due to the open construction of the product, it is the user’s responsibility to take any
and all appropriate precautions with regard to electrostatic discharge.
EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT OF THE INDEMNITY SET FORTH ABOVE, NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER FOR
ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.
Calao-systems currently deals with a variety of customers for products, and therefore our arrangement with the user is not exclusive. Calao-
systems assumes no liability for applications assistance, customer product design, software performance, or infringement of patents or services
described herein.
Please read the User’s Guide and, specifically, the Warnings and Restrictions notice in the User’s Guide prior to handling the product. This
notice contains important safety information about temperatures and voltages.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
2. Change History ......................................................................................................... 3
3. Definitions ............................................................................................................... 4
3.1. Definitions ..................................................................................................... 4
4. Snowball board Overview ........................................................................................... 7
4.1. Snowball board Usage scenarios ........................................................................ 7
5. SnowBall board Specification ...................................................................................... 9
5.1. Snowball board Features .................................................................................. 9
5.2. A9500 Processor ........................................................................................... 10
5.3. Memory ....................................................................................................... 10
5.4. Power Management ....................................................................................... 10
5.5. HS USB 2.0 OTG Port .................................................................................. 11
5.6. Stereo Audio Output Connector ....................................................................... 11
5.7. Stereo Audio Input Connector ......................................................................... 11
5.8. CVBS Output Connector ................................................................................ 11
5.9. HDMI Connector .......................................................................................... 11
5.10. LCD Connector ........................................................................................... 12
5.11. Ethernet 10/100M ........................................................................................ 12
5.12. Wifi Bluetooth and GPS ............................................................................... 12
5.13. Sensors ...................................................................................................... 12
5.14. microSD™ Card Connector ........................................................................... 12
5.15. Reset Button ............................................................................................... 12
5.16. User button ................................................................................................ 12
5.17. Indicators ................................................................................................... 12
5.18. Power Connectors ........................................................................................ 13
5.19. JTAG Connector ......................................................................................... 13
5.20. MIPI Debug Connector ................................................................................. 13
5.21. RS232 ....................................................................................................... 13
5.22. Expansion connector .................................................................................... 13
5.23. Electrical Specifications ................................................................................ 14
6. Product Contents ..................................................................................................... 15
6.1. Snowball board In The Box ............................................................................ 15
6.2. Software On the Snowball board ...................................................................... 16
7. Snowball board Connections ...................................................................................... 17
7.1. Connecting USB OTG ................................................................................... 17
7.2. Connecting DC Power ................................................................................... 18
7.3. Connecting Li-ion battery ............................................................................... 19
7.4. Connecting JTAG ......................................................................................... 20
7.5. Connecting MIPI Debug ................................................................................. 21
7.6. Connecting Serial Cable ................................................................................. 22
7.7. Connecting CVBS -Video ............................................................................... 24
7.8. Connecting HDMI Cable ................................................................................ 25
7.9. Connecting Stereo Out Cable .......................................................................... 26
7.10. Connecting Stereo In Cable ........................................................................... 27
7.11. Indicator Locations ...................................................................................... 28
7.12. Button Locations ......................................................................................... 29
7.13. microSD Connection .................................................................................... 30
7.14. Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS Combo Module Connections ....................................... 31
8. Snowball board System Architecture and Design ........................................................... 32
8.1. System Block Diagram ................................................................................... 32
8.2. Input Power ................................................................................................. 36
8.2.1. USB DC Source ................................................................................. 36
8.2.2. Wall Supply Source ............................................................................ 37
8.2.3. DC Source Control ............................................................................. 37
8.2.4. Li-ion Battery Source .......................................................................... 37
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8.3. VBAT Power Conditioning ............................................................................. 38
8.4. AB8500 Reset and Power Management ............................................................. 38
8.4.1. Main core Voltages ............................................................................. 38
8.4.2. Processor I2C Control ......................................................................... 39
8.4.3. VARM .............................................................................................. 39
8.4.4. VAPE ............................................................................................... 39
8.4.5. VSMPS1 ........................................................................................... 39
8.4.6. VSMPS2_1V8 .................................................................................... 40
8.4.7. VSMPS3 ........................................................................................... 40
8.4.8. VBBN/VBBP ..................................................................................... 40
8.5. Peripheral Voltages ....................................................................................... 40
8.5.1. VPLL ............................................................................................... 40
8.5.2. VANA .............................................................................................. 41
8.5.3. VAUX1 ............................................................................................ 41
8.5.4. VAUX2 ............................................................................................ 41
8.5.5. VAUX3 ............................................................................................ 41
8.5.6. RTC Backup Batttery .......................................................................... 41
8.5.7. Power sequencing ............................................................................... 41
8.5.8. Reset signals ...................................................................................... 43
8.6. A9500 Nova Processor ................................................................................... 44
8.6.1. DDR2-SDRAM Bus ............................................................................ 44
8.6.2. FSM Bus ........................................................................................... 44
8.6.3. LCD Bus ........................................................................................... 45
8.6.4. MSP Buses ........................................................................................ 45
8.7. PoP Memory Device ...................................................................................... 46
8.8. System Clocks .............................................................................................. 46
8.8.1. 32Khz Clock ...................................................................................... 46
8.8.2. 38.4Mhz Clock ................................................................................... 46
8.9. USB OTG Port ............................................................................................. 47
8.9.1. USB OTG Overview ........................................................................... 47
8.9.2. USB OTG Design ............................................................................... 47
8.9.3. OTG ULPI Interface ........................................................................... 47
8.9.3.1. A9500 Interface ....................................................................... 48
8.9.3.2. AB8500 Interface ..................................................................... 49
8.9.4. OTG Charge Pump ............................................................................. 49
8.9.5. OTG USB Connector .......................................................................... 49
8.9.6. OTG USB Protection .......................................................................... 49
8.10. Ethernet ..................................................................................................... 50
8.11. WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS combo Module .......................................................... 51
8.12. Sensors ...................................................................................................... 52
8.13. microSD .................................................................................................... 53
8.13.1. microSD Power ................................................................................ 53
8.13.2. Write Protect .................................................................................... 53
8.13.3. Card Detect ...................................................................................... 53
8.14. Audio Interface ........................................................................................... 54
8.14.1. A9500 Audio Interface ....................................................................... 54
8.14.2. AB8500 Audio Interface ..................................................................... 54
8.14.3. Audio output jack ............................................................................. 54
8.14.4. Audio input jack ............................................................................... 54
8.15. HDMI Interface ........................................................................................... 55
8.15.1. Processor MIPI-DSI Interface .............................................................. 55
8.15.2. AV8100 Power ................................................................................. 56
8.15.3. AV8100 Transmitter .......................................................................... 56
8.15.4. AV8100 Control Pins ........................................................................ 57
8.15.4.1. POWERDOWN ...................................................................... 57
8.15.4.2. INT ...................................................................................... 57
8.15.5. HDMI Connector .............................................................................. 57
8.15.5.1. Shield Wire ........................................................................... 57
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8.15.5.2. TMDSTX-/+ [0..2] Data Lanes .................................................. 57
8.15.5.3. TMDSCK-/+ Clock Lane ......................................................... 57
8.15.5.4. DDC Channel ........................................................................ 57
8.15.5.5. CEC ..................................................................................... 58
8.15.5.6. HPD ..................................................................................... 58
8.16. CVBS ........................................................................................................ 59
8.17. RS-232 PORT ............................................................................................. 59
8.18. Indicators ................................................................................................... 60
8.18.1. Power LED ...................................................................................... 60
8.18.2. User LED ........................................................................................ 60
8.18.3. PM LED ......................................................................................... 60
8.18.4. Li-ion charger Status LED .................................................................. 61
8.19. JTAG ........................................................................................................ 61
8.19.1. A9500 Interface ................................................................................ 61
8.19.2. JTAG Connector ............................................................................... 61
8.20. Expansion headers ....................................................................................... 62
8.20.1. Prototyping Header ............................................................................ 62
8.20.2. 60 pins Top Expansion Connector ........................................................ 62
8.20.3. 120 pin Bottom Expansion Connector ................................................... 64
9. Connnector Pinouts and Cables .................................................................................. 68
9.1. Power Connector ........................................................................................... 68
9.2. USB OTG .................................................................................................... 68
9.3. CVBS-Video ................................................................................................ 69
9.4. HDMI ......................................................................................................... 69
9.5. Audio Connections ........................................................................................ 70
9.6. Audio Out .................................................................................................... 71
9.7. JTAG .......................................................................................................... 72
9.8. MIPI Debug Connector .................................................................................. 73
9.9. RS232 ......................................................................................................... 74
9.10. RS232 over USB ......................................................................................... 76
9.11. Expansion connector .................................................................................... 77
9.12. Backup Battery Installation ........................................................................... 78
10. Snowball board Accessories ..................................................................................... 81
10.1. DC Power Supply ........................................................................................ 81
10.2. LI-ION Battery ........................................................................................... 81
10.3. Serial Ribbon Cable ..................................................................................... 81
10.4. USB HUBS ................................................................................................ 81
10.5. HDMI Cables ............................................................................................. 81
10.6. WIFI/BT Antenna ........................................................................................ 81
10.7. GPS Antenna .............................................................................................. 81
10.8. Micro SD Card ........................................................................................... 81
11. Mechanical Information .......................................................................................... 82
11.1. Snowball board Dimensions .......................................................................... 82
12. Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................... 84
12.1. TBD .......................................................................................................... 84
13. Known Issues ........................................................................................................ 85
14. PCB Component Locations ...................................................................................... 86
15. Schematics ............................................................................................................ 88
16. PCB Information .................................................................................................. 102
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List of Figures
4.1. Snowball board Usage Scenarios ............................................................................... 7
4.2. Snowball board Usage Scenarios ............................................................................... 8
5.1. USB Y-cable ........................................................................................................ 11
6.1. The Box .............................................................................................................. 15
6.2. Box Contents ....................................................................................................... 16
7.1. USB OTG Connection ........................................................................................... 17
7.2. DC Power Connection ........................................................................................... 18
7.3. Li-ion battery Connection ....................................................................................... 19
7.4. JTAG Connection ................................................................................................. 20
7.5. MIPI Debug Connection ......................................................................................... 21
7.6. Mini-b USB connector ........................................................................................... 22
7.7. Serial Cable Connection ......................................................................................... 23
7.8. CVBS Connection ................................................................................................. 24
7.9. HDMI Connection ................................................................................................. 25
7.10. Audio Out Cable Connection ................................................................................. 26
7.11. Audio In Cable Connection ................................................................................... 27
7.12. Indicator Locations .............................................................................................. 28
7.13. Button Location .................................................................................................. 29
7.14. microSD Card Location ........................................................................................ 30
7.15. uFL connectors Location ...................................................................................... 31
8.1. Block diagram ...................................................................................................... 32
8.2. PDK Top side Components ..................................................................................... 33
8.3. PDK Bottom side Components ............................................................................... 34
8.4. SDK Top side Components ..................................................................................... 35
8.5. Input Power Section .............................................................................................. 36
8.6. VBAT Power Conditioning ..................................................................................... 38
8.7. VBAT Power Conditioning ..................................................................................... 39
8.8. Peripheral Voltages ............................................................................................... 40
8.9. Power Sequencing ................................................................................................. 42
8.10. Reset Circuitry .................................................................................................... 43
8.11. A9500 Block Diagram .......................................................................................... 44
8.12. MSP Block diagram ............................................................................................. 45
8.13. PoP Memory ...................................................................................................... 46
8.14. System clocks ..................................................................................................... 46
8.15. USB OTG Design ............................................................................................... 47
8.16. Ethernet 10/100 ................................................................................................... 50
8.17. AW-NH580 Block Diagram .................................................................................. 51
8.18. Micro SD Card ................................................................................................... 53
8.19. HDMI interface design ......................................................................................... 55
8.20. CVBS interface ................................................................................................... 59
8.21. RS232 port ......................................................................................................... 59
8.22. RS232 Cable ...................................................................................................... 60
8.23. JTAG Interface ................................................................................................... 61
9.1. Power Connector ................................................................................................... 68
9.2. USB OTG Connector ............................................................................................. 68
9.3. CVBS-Video Connector ......................................................................................... 69
9.4. HDMI Connector .................................................................................................. 69
9.5. Audio in Plug ....................................................................................................... 70
9.6. Audio in Receptacle .............................................................................................. 70
9.7. Audio Out Plug .................................................................................................... 71
9.8. Audio Out Receptacle ............................................................................................ 71
9.9. JTAG Connector Pinout ......................................................................................... 72
9.10. MiPi Debug Connector ......................................................................................... 73
9.11. RS232 Header ..................................................................................................... 74
9.12. RS232 Cable ...................................................................................................... 75
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9.13. mini-B USB Connector ........................................................................................ 76
9.14. Prototyping Header .............................................................................................. 77
9.15. Optional Backup battery ....................................................................................... 78
9.16. Optional Backup battery Location ........................................................................... 79
9.17. Location of R77 .................................................................................................. 80
11.1. Board Mechanical drawing .................................................................................... 82
11.2. Board Mechanical drawing .................................................................................... 83
14.1. Snowball board Top Side Components .................................................................... 86
14.2. Snowball board Bottom Side Components ................................................................ 87
15.1. AB8500 (1/2) ..................................................................................................... 88
15.2. AB8500 (2/2) ..................................................................................................... 89
15.3. Power circuitry and serial port ............................................................................... 90
15.4. AP9500 (1/4) ...................................................................................................... 91
15.5. AP9500 (2/4) ...................................................................................................... 92
15.6. AP9500 (3/4) ...................................................................................................... 93
15.7. AP9500 (4/4) ...................................................................................................... 94
15.8. Reset circuitry and Audio in/out ............................................................................. 95
15.9. HMDI circuitry ................................................................................................... 96
15.10. Sensors ............................................................................................................ 97
15.11. WLAN Bluetooth GPS ....................................................................................... 98
15.12. eMMC and microSD .......................................................................................... 99
15.13. Expansion connector ......................................................................................... 100
15.14. Ethernet 10/100M ............................................................................................. 101
SKY-S9500-ULP-CXX
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List of Tables
2.1. Change History ...................................................................................................... 3
5.1. SnowBall board Features .......................................................................................... 9
5.2. Snowball board Electrical Specifications ................................................................... 14
8.1. A9500 ULPI Interface ............................................................................................ 48
8.2. AB8500 ULPI Interface ......................................................................................... 49
8.3. I2C Sensors ......................................................................................................... 52
8.4. microSD A9500 Signals ......................................................................................... 53
8.5. A9500 Audio Signals ............................................................................................. 54
8.6. AB8500 Audio Signals .......................................................................................... 54
8.7. Processor MIPI-DSI Interface .................................................................................. 56
8.8. AV8100 Interface Signals ....................................................................................... 57
8.9. JTAG Signals ....................................................................................................... 61
8.10. 60 pin Expansion Connector Signals ....................................................................... 62
8.11. 120 pin Expansion Connector Signals ..................................................................... 64
9.1. HDMI Pinout ....................................................................................................... 69
9.2. JTAG Signals ....................................................................................................... 72
9.3. JTAG Signals ....................................................................................................... 73
9.4. RS232 Signals ...................................................................................................... 75
9.5. RS232 configuration .............................................................................................. 76
9.6. Prototyping Header ................................................................................................ 77
16.1. PCB features ..................................................................................................... 102
Introduction
1
Chapter 1. Introduction
This document is the hardware reference manual for the Snowball board, a low cost A9500 based
board supported through the Igloocommunity.org. This document provides a lot of information on
the overall design and usage of the Snowball board.
The key sections in this document are:
Change History
Provides tracking for the changes made to the Hardware Reference Manual
Definitions and References
Provides definitions for commonly used terms and acronyms
Overview
Provides a high level overview of the Snowball board
Specifications
Provided here are the features and electrical specifications of the Snowball board
Product Contents
Describes what the Snowball board package looks like and what is included in the box
Hookup
Describes how to connect the various cables to the Snowball board
System Architecture and Design
Provides information on the overall architecture and design of the Snowball board. This is a very
detailed section that goes into the design of each circuit on the board
Connectors pinouts and Cables
Describeseachconnectorandcableusedinthesystem.Thisallowstheusertocreatecablesorpurchase
cables or to perform debugging as needed
Snowball board Accessories
This section describes a few of accessories that may be used with the Snowball board
Mechanical
Information is provided here on the dimensions of the Snowball board
Troubleshooting
Describes tips on troubleshooting the setup of the Snowball board
Known issues
Describes the known issues with the current version of the Snowball board
Snowball board Components
Describes the top and bottom side silkscreen of the Snowball board showing the location of the
components
Definitions
4
Chapter 3. Definitions
3.1. Definitions
• A9500 - The cortex A9 based system on a chip from ST-Ericsson
• AD - Analog-To-Digital
• ADC - Analog-To-Digital Converter
• APE - Application Processor Engine
• CDM - Charged Device Model
• CEC - Consumer Electronic Control
• CMOS - Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor
• CODEC - Coder/Decoder
• CPU - Central Processing Unit
• CVBS - Composite Video, Blanking, and Sync.
• DA - Digital-to-Analog
• DC - Direct Current
• DDR - Double Data Rate
• DDRSDRAM - Double Data Rate Synchronous Dual Access Memory
• DENC - Digital ENCoder
• DSI - Display Serial Interface
• eMMC - Embedded Multimedia Card
• ESD - Electrostatic Discharge
• FCC - Federal Communications Commission
• FET - Field-effect Transistor
• FIFO - First-in, First-out (storage policy)
• FM - Frequency Modulation
• GND - Ground
• GPIO - General Purpose Input and Output
• GPRS - General Packet Radio Service
• GPS - Global Positioning System
• GPU - Graphics Processing Unit
• GPU - Graphics Processing Unit
• GSM - Global System for Mobile Communication
Definitions
5
• HDCP - High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection
• HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface
• HDTV - High Definition Television
• HS - High Speed
• I/O - Input/Output
• IC - Integrated Circuit
• ID - Identification
• IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• IMS - IP Multimedia Subsystem
• IP - Intermodulation Point or Intercept Point
• JTAG - Debug interface for ARM™ processors
• LAN - Local Area Network
• LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
• LDO - Low Drop-out regulator
• LED - Light-emitting Diode
• LP - Low-pass
• MiPi - Mobile Industry Processor Interface
• MP3 - MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3
• MPEG - Moving Picture Experts Group
• MSP - Multichannel serial port.
• MUX - Multiplexer
• NAND - Not AND
• NOR - Not OR (electronic logic gate)
• NTSC - National Television Standards Committee (TV standard in North America and Japan)
• OBEX - Object Exchange
• OTG - USB On-The-Go
• OTP - One Time Programming Memory
• PC - Printed Circuit
• PCB - Printed Circuit Board
• PCM - Pulse Code Modulation
• PDK - Product Development Kit
• PHY - Physical Level Software for WCDMA
Definitions
6
• PLL - Phase-locked Loop
• PM - Phase Modulation
• PoP - Package on Package
• PSRAM - Pseudo-static Random Access Memory
• ROM - Read-only Memory
• RTC - Real-time Clock
• RX - Receiver
• SCL - Serial Clock
• SD - Secure Digital
• SDIO - Secure Digital Input/Output
• SDK - Software Development Kit
• SOC - System on a Chip
• SRAM - Static RAM
• SWTX - Switched TX. An operation mode in the ITP software.
• TMDS - Transition Minimized Differential Signaling
• TX - Transmitter
• UART - Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter
• UL - Uplink
• ULPI - UTMI+ Low Pin Interface
• USB - Universal Serial Bus
• UTMI - USB 2.0 Transceiver Macrocell Interface
• VBAT - Voltage coming from the battery, or from dummy battery
• WCDMA - Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
• WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
Snowball board Overview
7
Chapter 4. Snowball board Overview
TheSnowball board is anA9500 platform designed toaddress the Open Sourcecommunity. It has been
equipped with a minimum set of features to allow the user to experience the power of the ST-Ericssons
NovaTMA9500 dual-core ARM® registered trademark of ARM Limited application processor (Dual
Cortex A9 + Mali 400 GPU). Snowball board targets hobbyists and professional developers wanting
to prototype new embedded designs. It will help developers to create applications for Android, Meego
and Ubuntu.
4.1. Snowball board Usage scenarios
Figure 4.1 and Figure 4.2 provides two examples of the various scenarios in which the Snowball
board can be used.
Figure 4.1. Snowball board Usage Scenarios
Snowball board Overview
8
Figure 4.2. Snowball board Usage Scenarios
SnowBall board Specification
9
Chapter 5. SnowBall board
Specification
This section covers the specifications of the Snowball board and it also provides a high level
description of the major components and interfaces that make up the Snowball board. The Snowball
board is available in two versions : SDK and PDK.
5.1. Snowball board Features
Table 5.1 provides a features list of the two Snowball versions.
Table 5.1. SnowBall board Features
Version SDK PDK
Processor A9500 A9500
PoP Memory 8Gb Micron LPDDR2 8Gb Micron LPDDR2
eMMC 4GBytes 8GBytes
PMIC AB8500 AB8500
Debug
Support HE10-2x10 header for JTAG
and MIPI Debug Connector HE10-2x10 header for JTAG
and MIPI Debug Connector
Console Serial over USB (J21) Serial over USB (J21)
XOR HE10-2X5 Header
HS USB
OTG Mini-AB USB connector Mini-AB USB connector
Audio Audio out/in on 3.5mm jack connector Audio out/in on 3.5mm jack connector
Memory
card microSD socket microSD socket
Video
Output HDMI™ connector, CVBS HDMI™ connector, CVBS,
expansion connector with
LCD, DSI and CSI Interfaces
Connectivity 10/100 Ethernet and WIFI
Bluetooth® GPS Combo Module 10/100 Ethernet and WIFI
Bluetooth® GPS Combo Module
Sensors 3D Accelerometer/Magnetometer,
3D Gyrometer and Pressure sensor 3D Accelerometer/Magnetometer,
3D Gyrometer and Pressure sensor
Power
connector USB OTG or 2.0mm jack
connector or Li-ion battery USB OTG or 2.0mm jack
connector or Li-ion battery
Push buttons Reset and User push buttons Reset and User push buttons
Indicators 1x User LED + 1 Power
LED + 1 Charger LED 1x User LED + 1 Power
LED + 1 Charger LED
Expansion
connector 1x HE13-1x16 1x HE13-1x16 and 1x120pins and
1x60pins expansion connector
SnowBall board Specification
10
Note
HDMI™ is a trademark of HDMI Licensing LLC.
Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.
microSD™: microSD is a trademark of SD Card Association
5.2. A9500 Processor
The Snowball board uses a ST-Ericssons NovaTMA9500 and comes in a 0.4mm PoP package. PoP
(Package on Package) is a technique where the memory, DDR (and eMMC) are mounted on top of
the NovaTMA9500. For this reason, when looking at the Snowball board, there is no package marked
NovaTMA9500.
5.3. Memory
The micron PoP memory is used on the Snowball board and is mounted on top of the processor as
previously indicated. The key function of the PoP memory is to provide:
• 8Gbits Mobile LPDDR2 SDRAM x32 for the SDK version
• 8Gbits Mobile LPDDR2 SDRAM x32 for the PDK version
There is a micron eMMC populated on the Snowball. The configuration is as follows:
• 4GBytes eMMC for the SDK version
• 8GBytes eMMC for the PDK version
You can add additional memory by using a microSD card or use the USB OTG port and a powered
USB hub to drive a USB thumb drive or hard drive.
5.4. Power Management
The AB8500 is used to provide power to the Snowball board. In addition to the power it also provides:
• Stereo Audio out
• Stereo Audio in
• Power on reset
• USB 2.0 OTG PHY
• Clock management
SnowBall board Specification
11
5.5. HS USB 2.0 OTG Port
The USB OTG port can be used as the primary power source and communication link for the Snowball
board and derives power from the PC over the USB cable. The client port is limited in most cases
to 500mA by the PC. A single PC USB port is sufficient to power the Snowball board. If additional
devices are connected to the expansion connectors and the Vbat rail is used, then the power required
could exceed that supplied by a USB port or Hub. It is possible to take the current supplied by the
USB ports to 1A by using a Y cable.
Figure 5.1 shows an example of the Y-Cable for the USB.
Figure 5.1. USB Y-cable
5.6. Stereo Audio Output Connector
A 3.5mm standard stereo output audio jack is provided to access the stereo output of the onboard
audio CODEC. The audio CODEC is embedded in the AB8500. The audio output available on this
jack connector is the headset output.
5.7. Stereo Audio Input Connector
A 3.5mm standard stereo audio input jack is provided to access the stereo input of the onboard audio
CODEC. The audio input available on this jack connector is the line-in.
5.8. CVBS Output Connector
A yellow RCA jack is provided to access the CVBS video composite output signal of the Snowball
board. PAL and NTSC format are supported.
5.9. HDMI Connector
The Snowball board can drive an HDMI device. DDC2B (Display Data Channel) or EDID (Enhanced
Display ID) support over I2C® is provided in order to allow for the identification of the LCD monitor
type and settings. The Snowball board is equipped with an HDMI connector.
Note
I2C is a trademark of Philips Semiconductors Corporation
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