VIA Technologies VAB-820 User manual

1.00-02202017-110700
QUICK START GUIDE
VAB-820
Android BSP v4.0.3

Copyright
Copyright © 2017 VIA Technologies Incorporated. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise without the prior written
permission of VIA Technologies, Incorporated.
Trademarks
All brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective holders.
Disclaimer
VIA Technologies makes no warranties, implied or otherwise, in regard to this document and to the products described in this
document. The information provided in this document is believed to be accurate and reliable as of the publication date of this
document. However, VIA Technologies assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of the information (including use or
connection of extra device/equipment/add-on card) in this document and for any patent infringements that may arise from the use of
this document. The information and product specifications within this document are subject to change at any time, without notice
and without obligation to notify any person of such change.
VIA Technologies, Inc. reserves the right the make changes to the products described in this manual at any time without prior notice.

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
iii
Revision History
Version Date Remarks
1.00 2/9/2017 Initial release

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
iv
Table of Contents
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Package Contents............................................................................................................................ 1
1.1.1. BSP Folder Contents .................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1.2. Document Folder Contents ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.3. EVK Folder Contents ................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Version Information and Supported Features .......................................................................... 2
2. Image Development ................................................................................................................... 3
2.1. Booting from the SPI ROM with an eMMC ............................................................................... 3
2.2. Setting Up U-Boot Parameters ..................................................................................................... 5
2.3. Restoring Default U-Boot Parameters ........................................................................................ 6
2.4. Using the Android Console ......................................................................................................... 7
3. Build Environment Setup ........................................................................................................... 8
3.1. Configuring Ubuntu ........................................................................................................................ 8
4. Image Build ................................................................................................................................... 9
4.1. Extract the VAB-820 BSP............................................................................................................... 9
4.2. Downloading the Source Code of Android 5.0.0 ................................................................... 9
4.3. Installing the Source Code Patch ................................................................................................ 9
4.4. Building the Android Image ......................................................................................................... 9
5. Hardware Functions .................................................................................................................. 10
5.1. Setting Up Display Device .......................................................................................................... 10
5.1.1. Setting Up the HDMI U-Boot Display Parameter .............................................................................. 10
5.1.2. Setting Up the LVDS U-Boot Display Parameter............................................................................... 11
5.1.3. Setting Up the Dual Display U-Boot Display Parameter ................................................................. 12
5.2. Setting Up the Video-in .............................................................................................................. 13
5.3. Configuring the VNT9271 USB Wi-Fi Dongle / EMIO-1533 USB Wi-Fi Module ............ 14
5.4. Configuring the EMIO-1541 miniPCIe Wi-Fi Module ............................................................ 16
5.5. Configuring the EMIO-2531 miniPCIe / EMIO-5531 USB Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Module...... 17
5.5.1. Connecting to the Internet ..................................................................................................................... 17
5.5.2. Enabling Bluetooth .................................................................................................................................. 18
5.5.2.1. Using the Bluetooth A2DP Profile ............................................................................................. 18
5.5.2.2. Using the Bluetooth SPP Profile ................................................................................................. 19
5.6. Configuring the EMIO-2550 miniPCIe Mobile Broadband Module ................................... 21
5.6.1. Connecting to the Internet ..................................................................................................................... 21
5.6.2. Enable GPS ................................................................................................................................................ 23
5.7. Smart ETK ....................................................................................................................................... 24
5.7.1. Testing Watchdog Timer Function ....................................................................................................... 25
5.7.2. Testing GPIO Function ............................................................................................................................ 26
5.7.3. Testing UART Function ............................................................................................................................ 28
5.7.4. Testing FlexCAN Function ..................................................................................................................... 29

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
1
1. Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of getting started with the VAB-
820 board using Android 5.0.
The VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 is developed based on the NXP android_l5.0.0_1.0.0-ga
(Android 5.0 Lollipop) and it enables hardware features that are defined on the VAB-820 board.
1.1. Package Contents
There are three folders in the package as listed below.
BSP folder Description
VAB-820_Android_source_code_patch.zip Android source code patch files and Image building
script files
Smart_ETK_Demo_Program _Source_Code.zip Smart ETK demo program source code
Document folder Description
VAB-820_Android_BSP_v4.0.3_Quick_Start_Guide
_v1.00_20170209.pdf Quick Start Guide
VAB820_Android_EVK_v4.0.3_Image_Installation_
Guide_v1.00_20170209.pdf Image Installation Guide
EVK folder Description
Images_autoinstall_sd.zip Android EVK system image and installation script files
OTA.zip OTA upgrade packages
VAB-820_Smart_ETK_Demo_v0.0.16.apk Smart ETK demo program
BluetoothSPPTest.apk Bluetooth SPP testing program
VAB-820 Android BSP contents
1.1.1. BSP Folder Contents
VAB-820_Android_source_code_patch.zip: includes NXP Android patch file
android_L5.0.0_1.0.0-ga_core_source.tar.gz, the VAB-820 Android source code patch file
and Image building script files.
Smart_ETK_Demo_Program_Source_Code.zip: Smart ETK demo program source code.
1.1.2. Document Folder Contents
VAB-820_Android_BSP_v4.0.3_Quick_Start_Guide _v1.00_20170209.pdf: The Quick Start
Guide provides an overview of getting started with the VAB-820 system using Android.
VAB-820_Android_EVK_v4.0.3_Image_Installation_Guide_v1.00_20170209.pdf: The Image
Installation Guide explains how to boot the Android EVK image on the VAB-820 system in
order to begin evaluating the platform.
1.1.3. EVK Folder Contents
Images_autoinstall_sd.zip: The Android EVK system image and installation script files.
OTA.zip: OTA testing upgrade packages.
VAB-820_ETK_Demo_v0.0.16.apk: The Smart ETK demo program.
BluetoothSPPTest.apk: The Bluetooth SPP testing program.

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
2
1.2. Version Information and Supported Features
•U-Boot version: 2014.04
•Kernel version: 3.10.53
•Evaluation image: Android Lollipop 5.0
•Development based on NXP android_l5.0.0_1.0.0-ga (Android 5.0 Lollipop)
•Supports SPI with eMMC boot
•Supports HDMI and LVDS display
•Supports HDMI audio output
•Supports AUO LVDS capacitive touch panels (through USB interface)
oAUO 10.4” G104XVN01.0 (1024×768)
oAUO 7” G070VW01 V0 (800×480)
•Supports S-Video and CVBS
•Supports COM1 DTE mode, COM2 as debug port
•Supports 2 FlexCAN TX/RX
•Supports Gigabit Ethernet
•Supports Line-in, Line-out and Mic-in
•Supports VNT9271 USB Wi-Fi dongle
•Supports EMIO-1533 USB Wi-Fi Module
•Supports EMIO-5531 USB Wi-Fi & BT module
oSupports Bluetooth A2DP and SPP profile
•Supports EMIO-1541 miniPCIe Wi-Fi module
•Supports EMIO-2531 miniPCIe Wi-Fi & BT module
oSupports Bluetooth A2DP and SPP profile
•Supports EMIO-2550 miniPCIe Mobile Broadband module
•Supports Smart ETK v0.0.16: Watchdog timer, GPIO, UART and CAN bus
•Support OTA (Over-the-Air technology)
•Support shutdown option in Quick Settings
•Support Ethernet configuration in Settings

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
3
2. Image Development
This section explains the setup requirements for booting from the SPI ROM with an eMMC.
A precompiled image is provided in the “EVK” folder of the BSP.
2.1. Booting from the SPI ROM with an eMMC
The Images_autoinstall_sd.zip includes the Android EVK system image and the installation
scripts files.
The first step is to extract Images_autoinstall_sd.zip file to make the bootable Micro SD
card. Insert a card into your Linux host machine and make sure it is not mounted. Open the
terminal on your host machine, and run the script mk_install_sd.sh as shown below,
replacing <device name> with the correct value for the card, for example “sdb”.
Important: Make sure you are writing to the correct device or the host system environment
could be damaged.
$ sudo ./mk_install_sd.sh /dev/<device name>
Next, on the VAB-820, set the boot select jumper (J11) to the Micro SD position as shown
below.
Micro SD / SPI boot select jumper diagram
Insert the prepared Micro SD card into the VAB-820, connect an HDMI display, and power
on the VAB-820 to initiate the boot process. When the boot process is completed, you
will see the Linux environment command line.
To install the U-Boot and Android EVK image into SPI ROM and eMMC, use the following
command:
$ ./fsl-eMMC-partition.sh –f imx6q /dev/mmcblk0
VAB - 820
J11
2
3
1
Micro SD
SPI
1
1
1
2
3

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
4
In order to boot from the SPI ROM make sure the boot select jumper (J11) is set to SPI
ROM boot.
Micro SD/SPI boot select jumper diagram
Next, power on the device to initiate the boot process. When the boot process is
completed, you will see the Android desktop.
VAB - 820
J11
2
3
1
Micro SD
SPI
1
1
1
2
3

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
5
2.2. Setting Up U-Boot Parameters
The first step is to connect the host machine and the VAB-820 through the COM2
connector (J5). Use a serial port communication program such as PuTTY, GtkTerm, or
Minicom, to configure the serial port setting and connect to the debug console. There you
will be able to see the U-Boot boot log and adjust settings in the U-Boot console.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| A - Serial Device : /dev/ttymxc0 |
| B - Lockfile Location : /var/lock |
| C - Callin Program : |
| D - Callout Program : |
| E - Bps/Par/Bits : 115200 8N1 |
| F - Hardware Flow Control : No |
| G - Software Flow Control : No |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Serial port setting of host machine
COM2 connector (J5) diagram
Next, power on the VAB-820 to initiate the boot process. When prompted, press any key
to stop the boot process, and enter the U-Boot console as illustrated by the screenshot
below.
1
J5
1

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
6
U-Boot 2014.04 (May 31 2016 - 18:49:13)VAB820 ver:4.0.3
CPU: Freescale i.MX6Q rev1.2 at 996 MHz
CPU: Temperature 30 C, calibration data: 0x5894f169
Reset cause: POR
Board: iMX6Q-VAB820
I2C: ready
DRAM: 1 GiB
MMC: FSL_SDHC: 0, FSL_SDHC: 1
SF: Detected W25Q32BV with page size 256 Bytes, erase size 4 KiB, total 4 MiB
*** Warning - bad CRC, using default environment
No panel detected: default to Hannstar-XGA
Display: Hannstar-XGA (1024x768)
In: serial
Out: serial
Err: serial
Net: FEC [PRIME]
Warning: failed to set MAC address
Normal Boot
Hit any key to stop autoboot: 0
=>
Debug console view of boot process
To list the current U-Boot parameters, use the following command:
=> printenv
Make sure the printout message is as follows:
=> printenv
baudrate=115200
boot_emmc_root=mmc dev ${root_media_uboot};ext2load mmc ${root_media_uboot}:${root_partition} ${loadaddr}
uImage;ext2load mmc ${root_media_uboot}:${root_partition} ${dtbaddr} imx6q-vab820.dtb;bootm ${loadaddr} - ${dtbaddr};
boot_media=booti mmc1
2.3. Restoring Default U-Boot Parameters
If the U-Boot parameters have been modified, the “destroyenv” command in the U-Boot
console can restore the factory default settings.
To restore the default U-boot settings, use the following command:
=> destroyenv
=> saveenv
=> reset

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
7
2.4. Using the Android Console
The first step is to connect the host machine and the VAB-820 through the COM2
connector (J5). Use a serial port communication program such as PuTTY, GtkTerm, or
Minicom, to connect to the debug console. There you will be able to see the U-Boot boot
log and adjust settings in the U-Boot console.
Next, power on the VAB-820 to initiate the boot process. When the boot process is
completed, you will be prompted to login.
COM2 connector (J5) diagram
When the boot process is completed, you will automatically log in to an Android console.
root@vab820_6dq:/ #

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
8
3. Build Environment Setup
This section guides you through setting up the build environment for development. All
instructions are based on using Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
To make sure that the build process completes successfully, we recommend at least
120GB of disk space and 15GB of combined memory and swap space on the host machine.
3.1. Configuring Ubuntu
The following packages are required for the Android development environment. The
required packages can be installed using the commands below. To get more information,
please visit Google Android website at http://source.android.com/source/initializing.html.
OpenJDK 7 is not included in the Ubuntu 14.04 default installation. The first step is to add
a new server manually by using the following command:
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
$ sudo apt-get update
To install the OpenJDK 7, use the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jre
$ sudo apt-get install openjdk-7-jdk
The following packages are required for the Android development environment. To install
the required packages on the Ubuntu 14.04, use the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install git gnupg flex bison gperf build-essential zip curl zlib1g-dev libc6-dev libncurses5-dev x11proto-core-dev
libx11-dev:i386 libreadline6-dev:i386 libgl1-mesa-glx:i386 libgl1-mesa-dev g++-multilib mingw32 tofrodos python-markdown
libxml2-utils xsltproc zlib1g-dev:i386 uuid-dev liblzo2-dev libz-dev libc6-dev-i386 lib32z1

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
9
4. Image Build
4.1. Extract the VAB-820 BSP
Use the following command to extract the contents of the BSP.
$ unzip VAB-820_Android_source_code_patch.zip
4.2. Downloading the Source Code of Android 5.0.0
Downloading the sourced code of Android 5.0.0 to BSP/src folder will take several hours.
Use the following commands to download the source code of Android 5.0.0:
$ cd VAB-820_Android_source_code_patch/script
$ ./download_source.sh
4.3. Installing the Source Code Patch
Use the following commands to install the NXP and VAB-820 patch source code:
$ ./patch_fsl.sh
$ ./patch_via.sh
4.4. Building the Android Image
Use the following commands to build the Android image; the compiling process will take
several hours
$ cd ../src
$ ./build_bsp.sh
After the compilation, the src/out/target/product/VAB_820 directory will contain the
resulting binaries, as shown in the table below.
Binary Description
u-boot.imx U-Boot boot loader for iMX6Q
boot-image6q.img Kernel for iMX6Q
system.img Android system image
recovery-imx6q.img Recovery image for iMX6Q
Binary files generated

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
10
5. Hardware Functions
5.1. Setting Up Display Device
The VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 supports the following display devices:
•HDMI monitor
•AUO 10.4” G104XVN01.0 LVDS panel (1024x768)
• AUO 7” G070VW01 V0 LVDS panel (800x480)
5.1.1. Setting Up the HDMI U-Boot Display Parameter
To set the HDMI monitor as the display output, use the following command:
=> setenv display ‘run hdmi’
=> saveenv
The HDMI only supports CEA modes as shown in the table below.
Width Height Frame rate
640 480 60
720 480 60
1280 720 60
1440 240 60
1440 480 60
1920 1080 60
720 576 50
1280 720 50
1440 288 50
1440 576 50
1920 1080 50
1920 1080 24
1920 1080 25
1920 1080 30
1280 720 100
1280 720 120
HDMI CEA mode support table
For example, if you want to change the HDMI resolution to 1280x720@60Hz, use the
following command:
=> setenv hdmi_timing ‘1280x720M@60,bpp=32’
=> saveenv

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
11
5.1.2. Setting Up the LVDS U-Boot Display Parameter
Before setting an LVDS panel as the display output make sure the LVDS backlight power
select jumper is set to +12V and the LVDS panel power select jumper is set to +3.3V as
shown below.
LVDS power select jumper diagram
To set the AUO 10.4” G104XVN01.0 LVDS panel as the display output, use the following
command:
=> setenv display ‘run lvds_auo_g104’
=> saveenv
In order to confirm the settings are correct use the following command to list the new
U-Boot parameters:
=> printenv lvds_auo_g104
lvds_auo_g104=video=mxcfb0:dev=ldb,LDB-XGA, if=RGB24 ldb=sin0
To set the AUO 7” G070VW01 V0 LVDS panel as the display output, use the following
command:
=> setenv display ‘run lvds_auo_g007’
=> saveenv
In order to confirm the settings are correct use the following command to list the new
U-Boot parameters:

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
12
=> printenv lvds_auo_g070
lvds_auo_g070=video=mxcfb0:dev=ldb,480C60,if=RGB24 ldb=sep0
5.1.3. Setting Up the Dual Display U-Boot Display Parameter
VAB-820 supports clone mode of dual display which the two display devices show the
same content. The combination is HDMI monitor and LVDS panel.
To set the HDMI monitor + AUO 10.4” G104XVN01.0 (1024x768) LVDS panel, use the
following command:
=> setenv display ‘run hdmi_lvds_g104’
=> saveenv
=> reset
To set the HDMI monitor + AUO 7”G070VW01 V0 (800 x 480) LVDS panel, use the
following command:
=> setenv display ‘run hdmi_lvds_g007’
=> saveenv
=> reset

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
13
5.2. Setting Up the Video-in
The VAB-820 supports two video inputs. The composite RCA jack is a CVBS signal input
and the S-Video pin header is an S-Video signal input.
Composite RCA jack diagram
S-Video pin header diagram
The CVBS is the default video input.
To set CVBS as video input source, use following the command:
root@vab820_6dq:/ # setprop adv7180_src 1
To set S-Video as video input source, use following the command:
root@vab820_6dq:/ # setprop adv7180_src 2
Please note that if the setting step is completed, you need to re-open the Camera program
to apply this setting.
VAB - 820
1
S-VIDEO1
1

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
14
5.3. Configuring the VNT9271 USB Wi-Fi Dongle / EMIO-
1533 USB Wi-Fi Module
The VNT9271 USB Wi-Fi dongle and EMIO-1533 module support Wi-Fi function.
The first step is to insert the VNT9271 USB Wi-Fi dongle into a USB port or connect the
EMIO-1533 module to the onboard USB pin header (J8) using the USB cable (P/N 99G3-
190042). After installing the EMIO-1533 module, the antenna must be installed as well.
Next, make sure to unplug any LAN cables or other Wi-Fi/3G modules you have installed.
Finally, power on the VAB-820.
Inserting the VNT9271 USB Wi-Fi dongle
Connecting the EMIO-1533 module

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
15
Next, from the Settings screen, click Wi-Fi -> On to enable Wi-Fi function.
When the connection is created, connect to the internet through your web browser.

VAB-820 Android BSP v4.0.3 Quick Start Guide
16
5.4. Configuring the EMIO-1541 miniPCIe Wi-Fi Module
The EMIO-1541 miniPCIe Wi-Fi module supports Wi-Fi function.
The first step is to insert the EMIO-1541 module into the miniPCIe slot. After installing the
module connect the provided antenna to the module. Next, make sure to unplug any LAN
cables or USB Wi-Fi dongles you have installed. Finally, power on the VAB-820.
Inserting the EMIO-1541 module
Next, from the Settings screen, click Wi-Fi -> On to enable Wi-Fi function.
When the connection is created, connect to the internet through your web browser.