Digi ConnectCore 6 Plus Quick user guide

ConnectCore 6 Plus
Hardware Reference Manual

Revision history—90002278
Revision Date Description
G August 2020 Revised MCA pinout comments, added MCA
functionality note.
H October 2021 Added safety instructions and UKCA labeling
requirements.
J December 2021 Listed new Bluetooth IDs.
K January 2022 Added Japan certifications.
L July 2022 Added additional FCC-approved antennas.
M November 2023 Added Heatsink topic with maximum perpendicular
pressure value.
Trademarks and copyright
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States and other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the
property of their respective owners.
© 2023 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
Customer support
Gather support information: Before contacting Digi technical support for help, gather the following
information:
Product name and model
Product serial number (s)
Firmware version
Operating system/browser (if applicable)
Logs (from time of reported issue)
Trace (if possible)
Description of issue
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
2

Steps to reproduce
Contact Digi technical support: Digi offers multiple technical support plans and service packages.
Contact us at +1 952.912.3444 or visit us at www.digi.com/support.
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ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
3

Contents
About the ConnectCore 6 Plus
Features and functionality 7
Safety instructions 8
Block diagram 9
Power supply architecture 9
Bootstrap 13
Wireless interfaces 15
WLAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 16
Modulation and data rates 16
RF channels 18
Receive sensitivity 21
Transmit power 21
Bluetooth 22
MCA hardware 22
Supported devices 22
MCA pinout 23
Shared I2C bus 31
Shared SPI bus 32
CryptoAuthentication device 33
Module pinout 34
Pinout differences between ConnectCore 6 and ConnectCore 6 Plus 85
Signal use limitations 86
Specifications for the ConnectCore 6 Plus
Electrical characteristics 89
Voltage supplies 89
Power consumption 89
Power consumption use cases 89
Global power consumption 90
Environmental specifications 90
Heatsink 91
Linux - Android users 91
Assembly instructions
Moisture sensitivity and shelf life 93
Mounting 93
Coplanarity 93
Solder paste print 93
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
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ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
5
Stencil 93
SMT pick and place 94
SMT process parameter reference 94
Reflow profile 94
Regulatory information and certifications
United States FCC 97
Labeling requirements 97
Maximum power and frequency specifications (FCC) 98
FCC notices 99
FCC-approved antennas 99
RF exposure 100
Canada (ISED) 100
Maximum power and frequency specifications 100
Labeling requirements 101
Transmitters with detachable antennas 101
Europe ETSI and UKCA 101
Maximum power and frequency specifications (Europe ETSI) 102
CE and UKCA OEM labeling requirements 104
Declarations of Conformity 105
Approved antennas 105
Bluetooth SIG-qualified hardware and firmware 105
Japan 106
Approval Label (MIC Marking) 107

About the ConnectCore 6 Plus
The ConnectCore 6 Plus is an integrated platform solution with processor speed up to 1.2 GHz and
pre-certified dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac) with Bluetooth 5.0 dual mode connectivity.
Cloud Connector integration, as part of the Digi Linux and Android software platform support, offers
secure remote management and web services capabilities through Digi Remote Manager. Digi
also offers custom Remote Manager hardware and wireless design services as well as end-to-end
solutions for cloud integration and app development.
Features and functionality 7
Safety instructions 8
Block diagram 9
Power supply architecture 9
Bootstrap 13
Wireless interfaces 15
MCA hardware 22
CryptoAuthentication device 33
Module pinout 34
Signal use limitations 86
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
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About the ConnectCore 6 Plus Features and functionality
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
7
Note To serve our customers most effectively, Digi International Inc. is consolidating its cloud
services, Digi Device Cloud and Digi Remote Manager®, under the Remote Manager name. This
phased process does not affect device functionality or the functionality of the web services and
other features. However, you will find instances of both Device Cloud and Digi Remote Manager in
some documentation, firmware, and user interfaces.
Features and functionality
The ConnectCore 6 Plus module is based on the i.MX6QP processor from NXP. This processor
offers a high number of interfaces. Most of these interfaces are multiplexed and are not available
simultaneously. The module has the following features:
ni.MX6QP ARM Cortex-A9 cores operating at speed up to 1.0 GHz
l32 Kbytes L1 instruction cache
l32 Kbytes L1 data cache
lUp to 1 MB unified instruction/data L2 cache
lNEON MPE (Media Processing Engine) co-processor
nGraphical hardware accelerators:
lIPU (Image Processing Unit)
lVPU (Video Processing Unit)
l3D GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) version 6
l2D GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) version 3
lGPU (OpenVG 1.1 Graphics Processing Unit)
lPrefetch and resolve engine
lPrefetch and resolve gasket
lASRC (Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter)
n64-bit DDR3-1066 memory interface with a density up to 2 GBytes
n8-bit eMMC support
nDialog DA9063 power management IC (PMIC)
l6x DC/DC buck converters
l11x LDO regulators
lRTC with rechargeable coin cell battery support
l10-bit ADC channels
lGPIO pins
nIEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WLAN interface
nBluetooth version 4.2 dual mode
nCortex-M0+/Cortex-M4 MCA (Microcontroller Assist) subsystem
nDebug interfaces:
lStandard JTAG controller IEEE 1149.1
lETM/ETB support

About the ConnectCore 6 Plus Safety instructions
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
8
nSupport of i.MX6QP typical interfaces:
l16/32-bit data/address bus
lSATA II, 3.0 Gbps (24-bit parallel bus, LVDS, HDMI, MIPI/DSI)
lDisplay support
oHDMI
o24-bit parallel bus
oDual LVDS
oMIPI/DSI
l2x camera (20-bit parallel bus, MIPI/CSI)
lMMC/SD/SDIO
l1x USB OTG with integrated PHY
l3x USB Host
lPCI Express Gen 2.0 lane
l10/100/1000 M Ethernet MAC
lUART, SPI, I2C, PWM, CAN, I2S and GPIO
nUltra-miniature SMT module (50x50mmx5mm) based on 400-LGA pads
nSecurity accelerators:
lARMTrustZone
lCAAM (Cryptographic Acceleration and Assurance Module)
lSNVS (Secure Non-volatile Storage)
lCSU (Central Security Unit)
lA-HABv4 (Advanced High-assurance Boot)
Safety instructions
nThe ConnectCore 6 Plus module cannot be guaranteed operation due to the radio link and
so should not be used for interlocks in safety critical devices such as machines or
automotive applications.
nThe ConnectCore 6 Plus module has not been approved for use in (this list is not
exhaustive):
lnuclear applications
lexplosive or flammable atmospheres
nThere are no user serviceable components inside the ConnectCore 6 Plus module. Do not
remove the shield or modify the ConnectCore 6 Plus in any way. Modifications may exclude
the module from any warranty and can cause the ConnectCore 6 Plus to operate outside of
regulatory compliance for a given country, leading to the possible illegal operation of the
radio.
nUse industry standard ESD protection when handling the ConnectCore 6 Plus module.
nTake care while handling to avoid electrical damage to the PCB and components.
nDo not expose ConnectCore 6 Plus modules to water or moisture.
nUse this product with the antennas specified in the ConnectCore 6 Plus module user guides.

About the ConnectCore 6 Plus Block diagram
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
9
nThe end user must be told how to remove power from the ConnectCore 6 Plus module or to
locate the antennas 20 cm from humans or animals.
Block diagram
The figure below shows the block diagram of the NXP i.MX6QP application processor.
Power supply architecture
The ConnectCore 6 Plus provides a primary 5 V power supply input. This supply is the main power
domain to the on-module Dialog DA9063 power management IC (PMIC), which generates all
required supply voltages for the module components as well as the carrier board.
The module provides support for a backup battery (coin-cell or super cap) powering the real-time
clock (RTC) on the module. In addition, rechargeable backup batteries (ML414, others) are also
supported.
The PMIC generates the following power domains that are available on the module pads:
nOne PMIC switching regulator:
lVGEN_3V3
nFive PMIC LDO:
lVLDO2
lVLDO3_MCA

About the ConnectCore 6 Plus Power supply architecture
ConnectCore 6 Plus Hardware Reference Manual
10
lVLDO4
lVLDO6
lVLDO8
lVDD_SD2
lVDD_WLAN_SD1
Signal
name
PMIC
regulator
Output
voltage
Output
accuracy
Maximum
current
Dropout
voltage
(MAX)
Turn
on
time
(MAX)
Turn
off
time
(MAX)
Quiescent
current in
OFF
mode
(TYP)
VGEN_
3V3
BUCKPER
I
3.3 V +/-3% 1500 mA - 1 µA 1.2 ms -
Note The maximum current consumption mentioned in the previous table is a combination of the
current consumed by the module (max 500 mA) and by the carrier board for external use (1000
mA).
The table below provides the characteristics of the optional LDO outputs:
Signal
name
PMIC
regulator
Output
voltage
Output
accuracy
Default
voltage
Maximum
current
Drop
output
voltage
(MAX)
Quiescent
current in
OFF mode
(TYP)
VLDO2 LDO2 0.6-1.86
V
+/-3% 1.8 V 200 mA 150 mV 1 µA
VLDO3_
MCA
LDO3 0.9-3.44
V
+/-3% 3.3 V 200 mA 150 mV 1 µA
VLDO4 LDO4 0.9-3.44
V
+/-3% 3.3 V 200 mA 150 mV 1 µA
VLDO6 LDO6 0.9-3.6 V +/-3% 3.3 V 200 mA 150 mV 1 µA
VLDO8 LDO8 0.9-3.6 V +/-3% 3.3 V 200 mA 150 mV 1 µA
VDD_
SD2
LDO9 0.95 -
3.6 V
+/-1% 3.3 V 200 mA 150 mV 1 µA
VDD_
WLAN_
SD1
LDO10 0.9 - 3.6
V
+/-3% 3.3 V 300 mA 150 mV 1 µA
Signal name Turn on time (MAX) Turn off time (MAX)
VLDO2 150 µs 1 ms
VLDO3_MCA 300 µs 1 ms