KaRo QS Series User manual

Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52076 Aachen, Germany - Tel. [phone] (FAX -10)
www.karo-electronics.de
2-lane MIPI Display Connector
Expansion Header
QSCOM QS8M
All 100 pins on 0.1” pitch solder pads
Debug UART
QS8M Solder-Down Computer-on-Module
NXP i.MX 8M Mini 1.6GHz Quad Cortex-A53
1GB DDR3L
4GB eMMC
27mm square, 2.3mm total height
QFN type lead style
1mm pitch
100 pads
Evalkit
Gb Ethernet
4 port USB
MIPI display and camera connectors
USB power supply
4-layer PCB, single sided assembly
Size 56mm x 85mm
QS8M Evalkit
QS8M Evalkit
MIPI Camera Connector
QS Family - QFN Style Solder-Down Computer-on-Modules
Gb Ethernet
4 port USB
Micro USB client & power supply
Getting Started: https://www.karo-electronics.com/qs8m

QS8M
QFN Style Solder-Down Computer On Module
•Solder-down version
•27mm square
•2.3mm total height
•QFN type lead style
◦1mm pitch
◦1 pads
◦Thermal pad
•Visual solder joint inspection possible after soldering
•Single-sided assembly
•3.3V power supply
Key Features
•NXP i.MX 8M Mini Quad Cortex-A53 up to 1.6GHz
Cortex-M4 up to 4 MHz
NXP i.MX 8M Nano Dual Cortex-A53 up to 1.4GHz
Cortex-M7 up to 6 MHz
•RAM 512MB/1GB DDR3L
•ROM 4GB eMMC
•Grade Industrial
•Temperature -25°C to 85°C
•Display support
1x MIPI DSI (4-lane) display interface
i.MX 8M Mini: GC328 2D GPU,
GCNanoUltra 3D GPU,
1 8 p6 Video de-/encode
i.MX 8M Nano: GC7 UltraLite 3D GPU
•Connectivity
◦1x MIPI CSI (4-lane) camera interface
◦1x Gb Ethernet, 1x/2x USB2. , 1x eMMC/SD
◦4x UART, 3x I²C, 2x SPI, 4x PWM, SAI, SPDIF
◦Up to 7 x 3.3V General Purpose I/O
OS Support
•Linux
•Windows 1 IoT
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de
Dual/Quad
Dual/Quad
Cortex
Cortex®
®-A53
-A53

QS8M
i.MX 8M Nano lock Diagram
QS8M – i.MX 8M Mini and Nano – Differentiated Features and Ordering Information
QS8M - i.MX 8M Mini QS8M - i.MX 8M Nano
Primary Arm® Core 4x Cortex®-A53 up to 1.6 GHz 2x Cortex®-A53 up to 1.4 GHz
Secondary Arm® Core 1x Cortex-M4F up to 4 MHz 1x Cortex-M7 up to 6 MHz
RAM 1 GB 512 MB
ROM 4 GB
GPU GC328 2D GPU, GCNanoUltra
3D GPU (1x shader, OpenGL ES 2. )
GC7 UltraLite (2x shader, OpenGL
ES 2. /3. /3.1 OpenCL 1.2, Vulkan)
Video Decode
1 8 p6 VP9 Profile , 2
(1 -bit), HEVC/H.265, AVC/H.264
Baseline, Main, High decoder, VP8
None
Video Encode 1 8 p6 H.264, VP8 None
Connectivity 2x USB 2. 1x USB 2.
Grade / Temperature Industrial / -25°C to 85°C
Ordering Information QS8M/MQ/1GS/4GF/E85 QS8M/ND/512S/4GF/E85
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de
2 2 - 7-23

QS8M
QFN Style Computer On Module
Advantages
Defined Return Path
The reason PCB layout becomes more and more important is
because of the trend to faster, higher integrated, smaller
formfactors, and lower power electronic circuits. The higher
the switching frequencies are, the more radiation may occur
on a PCB. With good layout, many EMI problems can be
minimized to meet the required specifications.
When a module or component is used in a design, the
supplier specifies the basis for such a layout. It‘s not only
the pinout which should lead to an easy wiring without the
need for crossings. He also has to provide a proper solution
for the signal path back to the module. If this return path,
mostly the ground plane, cannot be connected near the
signal pin, the return current has to take another way and
this may result in a loop area. The larger the area, the more
radiation and EMI problems may occur.
Ka-Ro QSCOM modules uses a large ground pad on the
bottom side. With this a defined ground plane connection is
available for all signals. In addition to have a good return
path for all signals this large ground pad can be used for
cooling.
Easy Wiring - Even 2-layer printed circuit
boards can be used.
With a solid ground plane on the bottom layer, high speed
signals can be routed on the top layer at a defined
impedance. However, this is only possible if a peripheral or
plug can be connected directly without crossing other
routes.
Advanced Soldering
Using a large solder pad underneath the component has not
only electrical and thermal advantages. It is also used to
hold the component at a defined height during soldering,
without the solder being compressed by the weight of the
components, which could result in short circuits.
Standard Contact Assignments
Package Information
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
Layout Guidelines
Land pattern
See figure above for the suggested module layout. The five
1mm pads in the square GND pad cutout can be omitted if
no JTAG Boundary Scan test is used. The solder mask
openings are shown below.
The ground pad solder mask on the bottom side of the
QSCOM module is divided into sections for a better reliability
of the solder joint and self-alignment of the component.
If the via holes used on the application board have a
diameter larger than .3 mm, it is recommended to mask
the via holes to prevent solder wicking through the via
holes. Solders have a habit of filling holes and leaving voids
in the thermal pad solder junction, as well as forming solder
balls on the other side of the application board which can in
some cases be problematic. The .7mm wide solder mask
stripes can be used to arrange the vias as shown here:
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
Soldering Recommendations
Ka-Ro QSCOM modules are compatible with industrial
standard reflow profile for Pb-free solders. Ka-Ro will give
following recommendations for soldering the module to
ensure reliable solder joint and operation of the module
after soldering. Since the profile used is process and layout
dependent, the optimum profile should be studied case by
case. Thus following recommendations should be taken as a
starting point guide.
•Refer to technical documentations of particular
solder paste for reflow profile configurations
•Avoid using more than one flow.
•A 15 μm stencil thickness is recommended.
•Aperture size of the stencil should be 1:1 with the
pad size.
•A low residue, “no clean” solder paste should be
used due to low mounted height of the component.
Recommended stencil design
Aperture size of the stencil is 1:1 with the pad size. Four
1.7mm diameter bumps are used for each of the 4.3mm
square GND pads sections giving a 5 % solder paste
padding. The lower component settling with this ensures
that the pads at the edge are always soldered even at
vertical misalignment by distortion or warping.
Thermal Considerations
The QSCOM module consume more than 1 W of DC power.
In any application where high ambient temperatures for
more than a few seconds can occur, it is important that a
sufficient cooling surface is provided to dissipate the heat.
The thermal pad at the bottom of the module must be
connected to the application board ground planes by
soldering. The application board should provide a number of
vias under and around the pad to conduct the produced
heat to the board ground planes, and preferably to a copper
surface on the other side of the board in order to conduct
and spread the heat. The module internal thermal resistance
should in most cases be negligible compared to the thermal
resistance from the module into air, and common equations
for surface area required for cooling can be used to estimate
the temperature rise of the module. Only copper planes on
the circuit board surfaces with a solid thermal connection to
the module ground pad will dissipate heat. For an
application with high load the maximum allowed ambient
temperature should be reduced due to inherent heating of
the module, especially with small fully plastic enclosed
applications where heat transfer to ambient air is low due to
low thermal conductivity of plastic. The module measured
on the evaluation board exhibits a temperature rise of about
2 °C above ambient temperature. An insufficiently cooled
module will rapidly heat beyond operating range in ambient
room temperature.
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
Packaging
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
Pinout
PINOUT
PIN QS
STANDARD i.MX8M Pad Name Alternate functions GPIO Description (refer to i.MX8M manuals for details)
1st SPI
1 SPIA_NSS ECSPI2_SS UART4_RTS_B GPIO5[13]
2SPIA_MISO ECSPI2_MISO UART4_CTS_B GPIO5[12]
3SPIA_MOSI ECSPI2_MOSI UART4_TX GPIO5[11]
4SPIA_SCK ECSPI2_SCLK UART4_RX GPIO5[1 ]
I2C
5 I2CA_SCL I2C2_SCL ENET1_1588_EVENT1_IN
USDHC3_CD_B GPIO5[16]
6I2CA_SDA I2C2_SDA ENET1_1588_EVENT1_OUT
USDHC3_WP GPIO5[17]
7INTA I2C4_SCL PWM2_OUT
PCIE1_CLKREQ_B GPIO5[2 ]
8 I2CB_SCL I2C3_SCL PWM4_OUT
GPT2_CLK GPIO5[18]
9I2CB_SDA I2C3_SDA PWM3_OUT
GPT3_CLK GPIO5[19]
1 INTB I2C4_SDA PWM1_OUT GPIO5[21]
SPDIF
11 CANA_RX SPDIF_TX SPDIF1_OUT
PWM3_OUT GPIO5[ 3]
12 CANA_TX SPDIF_RX SPDIF1_IN
PWM2_OUT GPIO5[ 4]
13 CANB_RX SPDIF_EXT_CLK PWM1_OUT GPIO5[ 5]
14 CANB_TX SAI2_MCLK SAI5_MCLK GPIO4[27]
SAI
15 SAI_TX SAI2_TXD SAI2_TX_DATA
SAI5_TX_DATA3 GPIO4[26]
16 SAI_RX SAI2_RXD
SAI2_RX_DATA
SAI5_TX_DATA
UART1_RTS_B
GPIO4[23]
17 SAI_SCK SAI2_TXC SAI2_TX_BCLK
SAI5_TX_DATA2 GPIO4[25]
18 SAI_FS SAI2_TXFS
SAI2_TX_SYNC
SAI5_TX_DATA1
SAI2_TX_DATA1
UART1_CTS_B
GPIO4[24]
ETHERNET
19 ENET_RST SAI2_RXC
SAI2_RX_BCLK
SAI5_TX_BCLK
UART1_RX
GPIO4[22]
2 ENET_CK125 GPIO1_IO
CCM_ENET_PHY_REF_CLK_R
OOT
XTALOSC_REF_CLK_32K
CCM_EXT_CLK1
GPIO1[ ]
21 ENET_INT GPIO1_IO1 USB1_OTG_ID GPIO1[1 ]
22 ENET_MDIO ENET_MDIO ENET1_MDIO
IOMUXC_ENET1_MDIO_ GPIO1[17]
23 ENET_MDC ENET_MDC ENET1_MDC GPIO1[16]
24 ENET_RXC ENET_RXC ENET1_RGMII_RXC
ENET1_RX_ER GPIO1[25] For RMII—ENET_RXC works as RMII.RX_ERR For RGMII—ENET_RXC works as RGMII.RX_CLK
25 ENET_RX_CTL ENET_RX_CTL ENET1_RGMII_RX_CTL GPIO1[24] RMII.RX_EN (CRS_DV); RGMII.RC_CTL
26 ENET_RXD ENET_RD ENET1_RGMII_RD GPIO1[26] RMII and RGMII.RD
27 ENET_RXD1 ENET_RD1 ENET1_RGMII_RD1 GPIO1[27] RMII and RGMII.RD1
28 ENET_RXD2 ENET_RD2 ENET1_RGMII_RD2 GPIO1[28] Only used for RGMII
29 ENET_RXD3 ENET_RD3 ENET1_RGMII_RD3 GPIO1[29] Only used for RGMII
3 ENET_TX_CTL ENET_TX_CTL ENET1_RGMII_TX_CTL GPIO1[22] RMII.TX_EN; RGMII.TX_CTL
31 ENET_TXC ENET_TXC ENET1_RGMII_TXC
ENET1_TX_ER GPIO1[23] For RMII—ENET_TXC works as RMII.TX_ERR For RGMII—ENET_TXC works as RGMII.TX_CLK
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
PIN QS
STANDARD i.MX8M Pad Name Alternate functions GPIO Description (refer to i.MX8M manuals for details)
32 ENET_TXD3 ENET_TD3 ENET1_RGMII_TD3 GPIO1[18] Only used for RGMII
33 ENET_TXD2 ENET_TD2
ENET1_RGMII_TD2
INPUT=ENET1_TX_CLK
OUTPUT=CCM_ENET_REF_C
LK_ROOT
GPIO1[19]
Used as RMII clock and RGMII data, there are two RGMII clock
schemes.
• MAC generate output 5 M reference clock for PHY,
and MAC also use this 5 M clock.
• MAC use external 5 M clock.
34 ENET_TXD1 ENET_TD1 ENET1_RGMII_TD1 GPIO1[2 ] RMII and RGMII.TD1
35 ENET_TXD ENET_TD ENET1_RGMII_TD GPIO1[21] RMII and RGMII.TD
SD
36 SD_CD SD2_CD_B USDHC2_CD_B GPIO2[12]
37 SD_D1 SD2_DATA1 USDHC2_DATA1 GPIO2[16]
38 SD_D SD2_DATA USDHC2_DATA GPIO2[15]
39 SD_CLK SD2_CLK USDHC2_CLK GPIO2[13]
4 SD_CMD SD2_CMD USDHC2_CMD GPIO2[14]
41 SD_D3 SD2_DATA3 USDHC2_DATA3 GPIO2[18]
42 SD_D2 SD2_DATA2 USDHC2_DATA2 GPIO2[17]
US
43 USBH_VBUS USB2_VBUS
i.MX8M Nano: Not connected
44 USBH_DN USB2_DN
i.MX8M Nano: Not connected
45 USBH_DP USB2_DP
i.MX8M Nano: Not connected
46 USBOTG_VBUS USB1_VBUS
47 USBOTG_DN USB1_DN
48 USBOTG_DP USB1_DP
POWER SUPPLY & RESET
49
VIN 3.3V Module power supply input.
5
51 #POR POR_B 1 K-PU to
1V8
Power On Reset — 1.8V active low input / open drain output
signal.
Also connected to PMIC RESETO. Leave unconnected, if not
used.
52 BOOT_MODE Boot mode select L: Boot from eMMC / H: Boot from UART/USB
MIPI-CSI
53 LCD_DE MIPI_CSI_DATA3_P
54 LCD_VSYNC MIPI_CSI_DATA3_N
55 LCD_HSYNC MIPI_CSI_DATA2_P
56 LCD_CLK MIPI_CSI_DATA2_N
57 LCD_R1 MIPI_CSI_DATA1_P
58 LCD_R2 MIPI_CSI_DATA1_N
59 LCD_R3 MIPI_CSI_DATA _P
6 LCD_R4 MIPI_CSI_DATA _N
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
PIN QS
STANDARD i.MX8M Pad Name Alternate functions GPIO Description (refer to i.MX8M manuals for details)
61 LCD_R5 MIPI_CSI_CLK_P
62 LCD_R6 MIPI_CSI_CLK_N
GPIO
63 LCD_R7 GPIO1_IO 2
WDOG1_WDOG_B
WDOG1_WDOG_ANY
SJC_DE_B
GPIO1[ 2]
64 LCD_G2 GPIO1_IO 4 USDHC2_VSELECT
SDMA1_EXT_EVENT1 GPIO1[ 4]
65 LCD_G3 GPIO1_IO 5 M4_NMI
CCM_PMIC_READY GPIO1[ 5]
66 LCD_G4 GPIO1_IO 6
ENET1_MDC
USDHC1_CD_B
CCM_EXT_CLK3
GPIO1[ 6]
67 LCD_G5 GPIO1_IO 7
ENET1_MDIO
USDHC1_WP
CCM_EXT_CLK4
GPIO1[ 7]
68 LCD_G6 GPIO1_IO 8 ENET1_1588_EVENT _IN
USDHC2_RESET_B GPIO1[ 8]
69 LCD_G7 GPIO1_IO 9
ENET1_1588_EVENT _OUT
USDHC3_RESET_B
SDMA2_EXT_EVENT
GPIO1[ 9]
7 LCD_B1 GPIO1_IO11
USB2_OTG_ID
USDHC3_VSELECT
CCM_PMIC_READY
GPIO1[11]
71 LCD_B2 GPIO1_IO12 USB1_OTG_PWR
SDMA2_EXT_EVENT1 GPIO1[12]
72 LCD_B3 GPIO1_IO13 USB1_OTG_OC
PWM2_OUT GPIO1[13]
73 LCD_B4 GPIO1_IO14
USB2_OTG_PWR
USDHC3_CD_B
PWM3_OUT
CCM_CLKO1
GPIO1[14]
74 LCD_B5 GPIO1_IO15
USB2_OTG_OC
USDHC3_WP
PWM4_OUT
CCM_CLKO2
GPIO1[15]
75 LCD_B6 SD2_RESET_B USDHC2_RESET_B
SRC_SYSTEM_RESET GPIO2[19]
76 LCD_B7 SD2_WP USDHC2_WP GPIO2[2 ]
Display Control
77 DISP_EN SAI2_RXFS
SAI2_RX_SYNC
SAI5_TX_SYNC
SAI5_TX_DATA1
SAI2_RX_DATA1
UART1_TX
GPIO4[21]
78 DISP_ L GPIO1_IO 1
PWM1_OUT
XTALOSC_REF_CLK_24M
CCM_EXT_CLK2
GPIO1[ 1]
MIPI-DSI
79
LCD_R
DSI_DP3
LVDS_TX3P
MIPI_DSI_DATA3_P
8
LCD_G
DSI_DN3
LVDS_TX3N
MIPI_DSI_DATA3_N
81
LCD_G1
DSI_DP2
LVDS_TX2P
MIPI_DSI_DATA2_P
82
LCD_B
DSI_DN2
LVDS_TX2N
MIPI_DSI_DATA2_N
83 DSI_DP1
LVDS_TX1P MIPI_DSI_DATA1_P
84 DSI_DN1
LVDS_TX1N MIPI_DSI_DATA1_N
85 DSI_DP0
LVDS_TX P MIPI_DSI_DATA _P
86 DSI_DN0
LVDS_TX N MIPI_DSI_DATA _N
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

QS8M
PIN QS
STANDARD i.MX8M Pad Name Alternate functions GPIO Description (refer to i.MX8M manuals for details)
87 DSI_CKP
LVDS_CLKP MIPI_DSI_CLK_P
88 DSI_CKN
LVDS_CLKN MIPI_DSI_CLK_N
UART
89 UARTA_RXD UART1_RXD UART1_RX
ECSPI3_SCLK
9 UARTA_TXD UART1_TXD UART1_TX
ECSPI3_MOSI
91 UARTB_RXD UART3_RXD
UART3_RX
UART1_CTS_B
USDHC3_RESET_B
92 UARTB_TXD UART3_TXD
UART3_TX
UART1_RTS_B
USDHC3_VSELECT
93 UARTC_RXD UART2_RXD UART2_RX
ECSPI3_MISO GPIO5[24]
94 UARTC_TXD UART2_TXD UART2_TX
ECSPI3_SS GPIO5[25]
95 UARTC_RTS UART4_TXD UART4_TX
UART2_RTS_ GPIO5[29] NXP: Request to Send input signal
96 UARTC_CTS UART4_RXD
UART4_RX
UART2_CTS_
PCIE1_CLKREQ_B
GPIO5[28] NXP: Clear to Send output signal
2nd SPI
97 SPIB_NSS ECSPI1_SS UART3_RTS_B GPIO5[ 9]
98 SPIB_MISO ECSPI1_MISO UART3_CTS_B GPIO5[ 8]
99 SPIB_MOSI ECSPI1_MOSI UART3_TX GPIO5[ 7]
1 SPIB_SCK ECSPI1_SCLK UART3_RX GPIO5[ 6]
Pins used for manufacturing and debugging – leave unconnected
PIN PIN PIN
C1 JTAG_TDI C3 JTAG_TCK
B2 JTAG_TDO
A1 JTAG_TRST_B A3 JTAG_TMS
Ka-Ro electronics GmbH - Pascalstr. 22, D-52 76 Aachen, Germany - Tel.: [phone]- (FAX -1 )
www.karo-electronics.de

FCC NOTICE: This kit is designed to allow product developers to
evaluate electronic components, circuitry, or software associated
with the kit to determine whether to incorporate such items in a
finished product and software developers to write software
applications for use with the end product. This kit is not a finished
product and when assembled may not be resold or otherwise
marketed unless all required FCC equipment authorizations are first
obtained. Operation is sub ect to the condition that this product not
cause harmful interference to licensed radio stations and that this
product accept harmful interference. Unless the assembled kit is
designed to operate under part 15, part 18 or part 95 of this
chapter, the operator of the kit must operate under the authority of
an FCC license holder or must secure an experimental authorization
under part 5 of this chapter.