Digi ConnectCore 8X Quick user guide

ConnectCore 8X
System-on-module
Hardware Reference Manual

ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 2
Revision history—90002295
Revision Date Description
4P March 2020 Added North American certifications; added power consumption section;
updated frequency value, variants information, and some graphics;
updated MCA to trademarked name.
5P May 2020 Added operating temperature statement.
A August
2020
Added Canada, Europe, and Japan certifications; FCC notices; RF table;
and antenna port section.
B December
2020
Added ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM features; added power rails distribution
note; modified power interfaces; replaced electrical characteristics table;
added pin name for LGA pad B6; removed incorrect image from external
voltage reference section; added new Keypad and LEDcontroller
chapters to MCA section; removed KS3 power consumption use case;
revised Transmit power section.
C June 2021 Added MTBF section; expanded Keypad and LEDcontroller sections;
added mechanical specifications reference; designated pads C3 and C27
as reserved; updated AH13; added RTC mode power consumption use
case; fix error in Japan radio marking label; combined pinout tables;
clarified power domains; comment pad F2.
Trademarks and copyright
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and other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of
their respective owners.
© 2021 Digi International Inc. All rights reserved.
Disclaimers
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Digi International. Digi provides this document “as is,” without warranty of
any kind, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of fitness or
merchantability for a particular purpose. Digi may make improvements and/or changes in this manual
or in the product(s) and/or the program(s) described in this manual at any time.
Warranty
To view product warranty information, go to the following website:
www.digi.com/howtobuy/terms
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Product name and model

ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 3
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Trace (if possible)
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Contents
About the ConnectCore® 8X
Features and functionality 6
Module variants 9
Block diagrams 9
ConnectCore 8X module 10
NXP i.MX 8X application processor 11
SOM revisions 11
Identify the SOC revision of your SOM 11
The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module
Power interfaces 13
Reference power architecture scheme 13
System-on-module power rails distribution 14
Electrical characteristics 17
System power-up sequence 19
RTC power and coin cell charger 19
Bootstrap 20
Wireless interfaces 21
WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 21
Bluetooth 28
PCI Express 28
Antenna ports 30
CryptoAuthentication device 31
The Digi Microcontroller Assist™ hardware 31
Reset control 32
MCA IOs 33
Watchdog 36
Real-time clock 36
Pulse width modulation 36
Keypad 37
LED controller 38
Power management 38
MCA firmware update 41
IOMUX
Module pinout 43
External signals and pin multiplexing 44
Castellated pad signals and multiplexing 44
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 4

ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 5
LGA signals and multiplexing 61
Module specifications
Power consumption 98
Power consumption use cases 98
Complex power consumption use cases 98
Results 99
Environmental specifications 100
Mechanical specifications 100
MTBF 100
Assembly instructions
Moisture sensitivity and shelf life 103
Mounting 103
Coplanarity 103
Solder paste print 103
Stencil 103
SMT pick and place 104
SMT process parameter reference 104
Reflow profile 104
Regulatory information and certifications
United States FCC 107
Labeling requirements 107
Maximum power and frequency specifications (FCC) 107
FCC notices 108
FCC-approved antennas 108
RF exposure 110
Operating frequency 111
Europe 111
CE mark 111
OEM labeling requirements 111
CE labeling requirements 111
Declarations of Conformity 112
Approved antennas 112
Canada (IC) 113
Canadian Notice 113
Labeling requirements 113
Transmitters with detachable antennas 114
RF exposure 114
Approved antennas 115
Japan 115
Approval Label (MIC Marking) 115

About the ConnectCore® 8X Features and functionality
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 6
About the ConnectCore® 8X
The ConnectCore 8X is a secure and extremely cost-effective connected System-on-Module platform.
Its innovative Digi SMTplus™ (patent-pending) surface mount form factor allows you to choose
simplified design integration leveraging proven and easy-to-use edge-castellated SMT technology, or a
versatile LGA option for ultimate design flexibility with access to virtually all interfaces.
Built on the NXP i.MX 8X application processor, the module is the intelligent communication engine
for today’s secure connected devices. It integrates dual-Ethernet and pre-certified dual-band Wi-Fi
(802.11a/b/g/n/ac) with dual mode Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
Features and functionality
The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module is based on the i.MX 8X processor from NXP. This processor
offers a number of interfaces, some of them multiplexed and not available simultaneously. The
module has the following features:
ni.MX 8X dual/quad Arm Cortex-A35 and single Cortex-M4F cores:
lCortex-A35 cores operate up to 1.0 GHz and support Arm virtualization extensions.
lCortex-M4F core operates up to 266 MHz.
Note The ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM does not support Cortex-M4F core.
lAArch64 for 64-bit support.
lAArch32 for backward compatibility with Armv7.
nSystem Control Unit (SCU):
lPower control, clocks, and reset.
lBoot ROMs.
lPMIC interface.
lResource Domain Controller.
nGraphics Processing Unit (GPU):
l4x Vec4 shaders with 16 execution units.
Note The ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM only supports 2x shaders running at 250 MHz.
lSupports OpenGL 3.0, 2.0; OpenGL EX 3.1, 3.0, 2.0 and 1.1: OpenCL 1.2 FP and 1.1; OpenVG
1.1; and Vulkan.
lHigh-performance 2D Blit Engine.
nVideo Processing Unit (VPU):
lH.265 decode (4Kp30).
lH.264 decode (1080p60).
lVP6/VP8 decode (1080p60).
lMPEG-2 decode (1080p60).

About the ConnectCore® 8X Features and functionality
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 7
lMPEG4, H263, Sorenson Spark decode (1080p).
lRealVideo decode (1080p).
lJPEG dec (64Kx64K image size).
lH.264 encode (1080p30).
Note The ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM doesn’t support a VPU.
nUp to 4 GB, 32-bit LPDDR4-1200 memory (16-bit LPDDR4-1200 for ConnectCore 8X Dual SOMs).
n16 GB, 8-bit eMMC memory. Higher density available depending on product variant.
nNXP PF8100 Power Management IC (PMIC):
l7x DC/DC buck converters.
l4x LDO regulators.
lOTP (one-time-programmable) memory.
lCoin cell charger.
nCryptoAuthentication device.
nSecurity accelerators:
lEnhanced High Assurance Boot (HAB) secure and encrypted boot.
lRandom Number Generator with a high-quality entropy source generator and NIST
certifiable HMAC-based DRBG.
lRSA up to 4096, Elliptic Curve up to 1023.
lAES-128/192/256, DES, 3DES, ARC4, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-224/256/384/512.
lDedicated Security Controller for Flashless SHE and HSM support, Trustzone, RTIC.
lBuilt-in ECDSA/DSA protocol support.
l10x tamper pins: up to 5 active or 10 passive.
lVoltage and temperature tamper detection to help prevent against side-channel style
attacks.
l64 kB Secure RAM (can be erased via tamper detection).
n2x2 MIMO IEEE802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
nBluetooth 5.0.
nDebug interfaces:
lSystem JTAG controller.
lSingle Wired Debug (SWD) interface for the MCA.
ni.MX 8X interfaces:
Note The ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM doesn’t support USBOTG 3.0, but has 2x USBOTG 2.0
ports with PHY.
The ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM doesn’t support 2xGb Ethernet with AVB, but has 1x Gb
Ethernet and 1x10/100M Ethernet interface.
lPCIe 3.0 with L1 substate support. In wireless modules, this interface is used by the
Wireless MAC and is not available for general purposes.

About the ConnectCore® 8X Features and functionality
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 8
l1x USBOTG 3.0 with PHY - USB 3.0 can be used as USB 2.0.
l1x USBOTG 2.0 (with PHY).
l2x Gb Ethernet with AVB.
l3x CAN/CAN-FD.
lMedia Local Bus (MLB25/50).
l6x UARTs:
o4x UARTs, three of which support hardware flow control. (One of the UARTs with
hardware flow control is used by the Bluetooth and is not available for general purposes
in wireless variants.)
o1x UART tightly coupled with Cortex-M4F cores.
o1x SCU (not available for general use).
l10x I2C. Note that I2C ports associated with a specific PHY (e.g. MIPI DSI) can be used
generally but require the PHY to be powered on even if the PHY itself is not used:
o4x I2C: High Speed, DMA support. One of them (I2C0) is used internally in the SOM and is
not available for general purposes.
o4x I2C: Low Speed, no DMA support.
o1x I2C: PMIC control (dedicated).
o1x I2C: Cortex M4F (dedicated).
l4x SAI:
oSAI0 and SAI1 are transmit/receive.
oSAI2 and SAI3 are receive-only.
l2x Quad SPI or 1x Octal SPI (FlexSPI).
l1x SD 3.0 card interface.
lDisplays:
o2x MIPI-DSI/LDVS. For LVDS, VESA and JEIDA standards supported.
oThe ConnectCore 8X Dual SOM only supports 1x MIPI-DSI/LVDS interface.
o1x 24-bit parallel display up to WVGA.
lCameras:
o1x MIPI-CSI camera with 4 lanes.
o1x 8-bit parallel CSI.
l1x Enhanced Serial Audio Interface (ESAI).
l2x ASRC (Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter).
l1x SPDIF.
lMPEG-2 Transport Stream.
l1x 12-bit, 6 channel ADC converter.
l3.3 V/1.8 V GPIO.
l4x PWM channels.
l1x 4x4 KPP (Key Pad Port).
l1x MQS (Medium Quality Sound).
l4x SPI.

About the ConnectCore® 8X Module variants
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 9
nArm Cortex-M0+ Digi Microcontroller AssistTM (MCA) subsystem:
lCortex-M0+ core operates up to 48MHz.
lPower and reset control.
lReal time clock (RTC).
l19 general purpose IOs (GPIOs), all IRQ capable with debouncing configuration.
l9 analog to digital converters (ADCs), all with comparator capabilities.
lWatchdog.
lTamper detection, both digital and analog.
l8 bytes of non volatile storage (NVRAM).
l3 UARTs, with optional hardware handshake.
l10 pulse width modulators (PWMs).
Module variants
See the ConnectCore 8X product page for information on available variants.
Block diagrams
The following figures show block diagrams of the ConnectCore 8X module and of the NXP i.MX 8X
application processor.

About the ConnectCore® 8X Block diagrams
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 10
ConnectCore 8X module

About the ConnectCore® 8X SOM revisions
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 11
NXP i.MX 8X application processor
SOM revisions
The ConnectCore 8X SOM uses an NXP i.MX8X system-on-chip (SOC). NXP released two revisions of the
system-on-chip (SOC) silicon:
nRevision B0
nRevision C0
On the C0 revision of the i.MX8X, NXP fixed most of the errata that were reported on B0. For a full list
of fixes, see NXP Application Note AN12770.
Identify the SOC revision of your SOM
The label on the ConnectCore 8X SOM looks like this:

About the ConnectCore® 8X SOM revisions
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 12
The red circle denotes Digi's revision of the ConnectCore 8X SOM. The following table correlates the
ConnectCore 8X SOM revision with the i.MX8X SOC revision:
SOM revision Description i.MX8X SOC revision
1P, 2P, ... Pre-production series B0
A, B, ... Mass production series C0
Note See the SOC revisions section of the ConnectCore 8X software documentation portal for more
information.

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 13
The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module
This section describes the functionality of the ConnectCore 8X System-on-module.
Power interfaces
Reference power architecture scheme
The following diagram represents the full power architecture distribution of the ConnectCore 8X
module in a typical application with the coin cell charger functionality supported:

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 14
System-on-module power rails distribution
The ConnectCore 8X requires three primary power supply inputs: VSYS, VSYS2, and VCC_MCA:
nVSYS and VSYS2 are the input power supplies to the on-module NXP PF8100 Power
Management IC (PMIC), as well as to most of its regulators. Some PMIC regulators are internally
dedicated to powering the module, while others power external circuitry.
nVCC_MCA is the input power supply of the on-module Digi Microcontroller Assist.
Two additional linear dropout regulators (LDO3 and LDO4), which have a dedicated input power line,
are available to power carrier board external circuitry. These additional regulators are not mandatory.
The following table summarizes the PMIC regulators of the ConnectCore 8X SOM:
PMIC
regulator
SoM power
rail name
Input
power
supply
Internally
used
Externally
available Comments
SW1 - VSYS2 YES NO
SW2 - VSYS2 YES NO
SW3 - VSYS2 YES NO
SW4 - VSYS2 YES NO
SW5 - VSYS2 YES NO
SW6 1V8 VSYS2 YES YES General purpose 1.8V
power rail for external
circuitry. Also used
internally in the SOM.
SW7 3V3 VSYS YES YES General purpose 3.3V
power rail for external
circuitry. Also used
internally in the SOM.
LDO1 VCC_SCU_1V8 VSYS2 YES YES Power supply for the i.MX
8X System Control Unit
(SCU). Digi recommends
not using this power rail
externally unless
otherwise noted.
LDO2 VDD_EMMC0 VSYS2 YES YES Used for powering the
internal eMMC memory
chip. Digi recommends
not using this power rail
externally unless
otherwise noted.
LDO3 LDO3 LDO3IN NO YES
LDO4 LDO4 LDO4IN NO YES

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 15
PMIC
regulator
SoM power
rail name
Input
power
supply
Internally
used
Externally
available Comments
VSNVS VCC_SNVS_
LDO_1V8
VSYS / VCC_
LICELL
YES YES An always-on power
domain of the CPU that
powers some core
functionality of the SOM.
Do not use this power rail
externally.
Note VCC_LICELL is the input power for the PMIC VSNVS regulator, which is normally used to power
the CPU in low-power mode (RTC). This pin also supports coin cell charger functionality for Li-ion
rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. However, RTC mode in the ConnectCore 8X is supported
by the ConnectCore 8X MCA, not by the i.MX 8X. Therefore, in order to supply the RTC of the system,
do not use VCC_LICELL as an input power rail. Instead, follow the configuration explained in RTC
power and coin cell charger.
In addition to the input power supplies of the PMIC, other power domains of the SOM must also be set
externally. This allows power management flexibility so you can adapt the input voltage of the
different interfaces. The following table lists the input power rails that must be powered externally to
the SOM together with the devices/power domains they power:
Input rail
Device
being
powered
Internal power domains being
powered Description
VDD_USDHC1 i.MX 8X CPU VDD_USDHC1_1P8_3P3 Input power supply
for the USDHC1
interface. This
interface is typically
connected to a
microSD socket,
which also allows
booting from the
microSD card. Digi
recommends that
this power domain
be connected to a
flexible power
supply (LDO3/4) so
it can work at its
highest speed by
adjusting input
voltage level.
VDD_MIPI_DSI_DIG i.MX 8X CPU VDD_MIPI_DSI_DIG_1P8_3P3 Input power supply
for DSI0 and DSI1
dedicated GPIOs
and I2C buses.

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 16
Input rail
Device
being
powered
Internal power domains being
powered Description
VDD_ENET0 i.MX 8X CPU nVDD_ENET0_VSELECT_1P8_2P5_3P3
nVDD_ENET0_1P8_2P5_3P3
nVDD_ENET_MDIO_1P8_3P3
Input power supply
for the ENET0
interface, including
the MDIO bus.
Because all ENET0-
related CPU blocks
are powered from
the same power rail,
2.5V configuration is
not available. (The
MDIO bus does not
work at this
voltage.)
VDD_ESAI_SPDIF i.MX 8X CPU VDD_ESAI_SPDIF_1P8_2P5_3P3 Input power supply
for ESAI0 and
SPDIF0 interfaces.
VDD_SPI_SAI i.MX 8X CPU VDD_SPI_SAI_1P8_3P3 Input power supply
for SAI0, SAI1, SPI0
and SPI2 interfaces.
VDD_QSPI0B i.MX 8X CPU VDD_QSPI0B_1P8_3P3 Input power supply
for QSPI0B
interface.
VDD_CSI i.MX 8X CPU nVDD_TMPR_CSI_1P8_3P3
nVDD_CSI_1P8_3P3
Input power supply
for CSI interface.
USB_OTG1_VBUS i.MX 8X CPU USB_OTG1_VBUS Input power supply
for the USB1
interface VBUS.
Note The CPU input power rails on the table above power different IO rings (pads) of the processor.
They can remain unconnected and the system will be still functional, as is the case in a castellated
design where some of these supplies are not available. However, the associated pads will remain
unpowered, and therefore not available.
See the External signals and pin multiplexing for a complete description of the power group
associated to each pad of the module.
Three additional power domains of the CPU are connected to the module LGA pads, which are
associated in the SOM to the following power rails:
nVDD_PCIE_DIG: internally tied to 3V3.
n3V3_RF: internally tied to 3V3.
nNVCC_MIPI_CSI_DSI: internally tied to 1V8.
Unless otherwise noted, 3V3_RF and NVCC_MIPI_CSI_DSI must not be connected to external circuitry.
In non-wireless variants,
VDD_PCIE_DIG must be powered externally in order to use the PCIe interface.

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 17
Electrical characteristics
Input power rails
The following table lists the electrical specifications of all input power rails for the ConnectCore 8X:
Device SOM power rail Input voltage (V)
Minimum Typical Maximum
PMIC VSYS TBD (3.7) - 5.5
VSYS2 TBD (3.0) - 5.5
LDO3IN 2.51- 5.5
LDO4IN 2.51- 5.5
MCA VCC_MCA TBD (1.71) - 3.6
CPU
VDD_USDHC1
VDD_MIPI_DSI_DIG
VDD_ENET0
VDD_SPI_SAI
VDD_QSPI0B
VDD_CSI
1.8 V mode 1.65 1.8 1.95
3.3 V mode 3.00 3.30 3.60
VDD_ESAI_SPDIF
1.8 V mode 1.65 1.8 3.60
2.5 V mode 2.40 2.50 2.60
3.3 V mode 3.00 3.30 3.60
USB_OTG1_VBUS 4.4 - 5.5
RF_VBATT 2.5 - 4.75
1When VLDOx is greater than 2.5 V, minimum input voltage for the LDOs will be the nominal output
voltage plus 0.25 V.

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 18
Output power rails
The following table lists the electrical specifications of all output power rails for the ConnectCore 8X:
Device SOM power rail
Used
internally
in the SOM
Output voltage (V) Accuracy (%) Max
output
current
(mA)1
Turn-on time (us) Turn-off time (us)
Min Typ Max Min Typ Max Min Typ Max Min Typ Max
PMIC
SW6 1V8 YES - 1.80 - -2.0 - 2.0 2500 36 160 279 - - -
SW7 3V3 YES - 3.30 - -2.0 - 2.0 2500 - - 200 - - -
LD01 VCC_SCU_1V8 YES - 1.80 - -3.0 - 3.0 400 - - 500 - - 2500
LD02 VDD_EMMC0 YES - 3.30 - -3.0 - 3.0 400 - - 500 - - 2500
LD03 LDO3 NO 1.5 - 5.0 -3.0 - 3.0 400 - - 500 - - 2500
LD04 LDO4 NO 1.5 - 5.0 -3.0 - 3.0 400 - - 500 - - 2500
VSNVS VCC_
LICELL
(coin cell
charger)
2.6 V
to
3.6 V
YES
1.8
- 3.6 -3.0 - 3.0 0.060
1.8 V
to
2.5 V
YES -4.0 - 4.0
Note For a complete description of the electrical characteristics of the different output power rails (PMIC regulators), see the NXP PF8x00 datasheet.
1The maximum output current involves both external and internal circuitry. For those regulators that are used internally in the SOM, the current
available outside it will be lower.
2Turn-on time for this regulator is specified for VSW7 = 1.8 V. In the ConnectCore 8X this regulator is configured to work at 3.3V, so a higher turn-on time
may be observed.

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Power interfaces
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 19
System power-up sequence
When the power supply is connected to the ConnectCore 8X module, the PMIC and the MCA are the
first components to be powered up. VSYS and VSYS2 are PMIC supplies, while VCC_MCA is the Digi
Microcontroller Assist input power line. The system power-up sequence is as follows:
1. The MCA starts to run as soon as it is powered up. After a certain programmable time, it will
release the PWRON line of the PMIC(PMIC power on/off).
2. Once the PMIC is switched on, it starts an initialization process as determined by its OTPs.
Finally the CPU reset line, which is controlled by both the PMIC and the MCA, is released.
The following time diagram shows the power-up sequence.
RTC power and coin cell charger
The VCC_LICELL pin supports coin cell charger functionality. This pin is also the input power supply
for an always-on regulator of the PMIC (VSNVS) that feeds the low-power mode circuitry of the CPU. In
the ConnectCore 8X module, the low-power modes of the system (RTC) are supported by the on-
module MCA, not by the i.MX 8X CPU. Therefore, in order to reduce the static power consumption of
the SOM, do not power the VSNVS regulator in low power mode. The coin cell should only power the
VCC_MCA power domain through the diode configuration as shown in the following diagrams.
If the coin-cell charger functionality is mandatory, place a reverse diode between VCC_LICELL and the
coin cell.

The ConnectCore 8X System-on-module Bootstrap
ConnectCore® 8X System-on-Module Hardware Reference Manual 20
RTC connection without coin cell charger
RTC connection with coin cell charger
Note This hardware configuration has been validated with the Panasonic DB2J31400L diode, which
has a low reverse leakage current (300nA) that is ideal for this low-power mode application.
Bootstrap
The ConnectCore 8X module can be configured to boot from different devices and interfaces as
determined by the Boot ROM. The configuration of the booting process of the CPU is done through the
SCU (System Control Unit) boot mode.
The BOOT_MODE is initialized by the SCU at the rising edge of POR_B, when it latched the SCU_
BOOT_MODE lines. Once these lines are sampled, the subsequent state does not affect the content of
the BOOT_MODE, which is tracked by the SCU.
The following table describes the eight boot modes that are supported by the ConnectCore 8X
module:
BOOT_MODE
[3]
BOOT_MODE
[2]
BOOT_MODE
[1]
BOOT_MODE
[0] Boot mode
0 0 0 0 Boot from eFuses