Toradex Launches New Verdin Arm SoM Family Starting with iMX8M Mini/Nano Modules

So far, Toradex had two Arm-based system-on-module families with the smaller, lower-power Colibri and more powerful Apalis modules. The Colibri form factor was first defined in 2005, and the company is still maintaining it, but since then new interfaces have emerged, so Toradex has now designed a new low-power module family called Verdin.

Toradex Verdin modules offer more I/Os with a 260-pin edge connector, include a battery-ready design with a wide input voltage range (3.3 to 5V), low power 1.8V IOs, the ability to easily extend power management to carrier board peripherals, and off-the-shelf thermal solutions.

The modules are also tested for EMC, shock and vibration tolerance, and “Toradex Direct Breakout” is said to simplify signal routing on carrier boards as high speed, impedance critical signals are routed from the source IC to the edge connector on the Verdin module in such a ways to limit complexity on the carrier board.

Verdin iMX8M Mini/Nano Modules

The first Verdin SoM’s are powered by NXP i.MX 8M Mini Arm Cortex-A53/M4 and i.MX 8M Nano Arm Cortex-A53/M7 processors.

Verdin iMX8M Mini and Verdin iMX8M Nano share many of the same specifications:

SoC
- Verdin iMX8M Mini – NXP i.MX 8M Mini Quad/ DualLite 4x/2x Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.8 GHz with Arm Cortex-M4F real-time core @ 400 MHz, Vivante GCNanoUltra 3D GPU, Vivante GC320 2D GPU; Quad only: H.265/H.264/VP8 1080p60 video decode and H.265/VP8/VP9 1080p60 video encode
- Verdin iMX8M Nano – NXP i.MX 8M Mini 4x Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.5 GHz with Arm Cortex-M7F real-time core @ 750 MHz, Vivante GC7000UL 2D/3D GPU; No video decoder/encoder
System Memory – Up to 4GB LPDDR4 (32-bit)
Storage – Up to 128GB eMMC flash
On-module Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet transceiver with AVB, optional dual-band 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n WiFI 5 2×2 MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5 module
260-pin SO-DIMM “DDR4” edge connector:
- Networking – Gigabit Ethernet with AVB
- Multimedia
  - Video Output – 1x Quad Lane MIPI DSI
  - Audio – 4x SAI: I2S or AC97, S/PDIF input and output
  - Camera Input – Quad-lane MIPI CSI-2 interface
- USB – 1x USB Host, 1x USB OTG
- PCIe – Single Lane Gen 2
- 3x I2C, 2x SPI, 1x QSPI, 4x UART
- Up to 109x GPIO, 4x PWM
- 4x Analog Input
- Up to 2x SDIO/SD/MMC
- Up to 2x CAN bus
- JTAG interface
Security – Optional NXP EdgeLock SE050 secure element
Dimensions – 69.6 x 35.00 x 6.0 mm
Temperature Range – Commercial: 0° to +70° C; industrial: -40° to +85°C
Shock / Vibration – EN 60068-2-6/50g 20ms
Minimum product commitment – Year 2030+

The modules come with Toradex Easy Installer pre-installed for easy one-click installation of Toradex Embedded Linux BSPs and partner demo images. The company provides Yocto Project BSP layers), Torizon Linux distribution, and Android for the modules.

Verdin Carrier Boards

Toradex will be offering two carrier boards compatible with Verdin modules. The larger Verdin Development Board exposes all the features available on Verdin and can be used to more complex systems.

Highlights:

Storage – Full-size SD card socket
Video Output – HDMI port, 4-lane MIPI DSI interface
Audio – 3x 3.5 audio jacks for Line In, Mic In, and Headphone out. I2S and S/PDIF In/Out via headers
Camera Input – 4-lane MIPI CSI-2
Connectivity – Dual Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
USB – 2x USB 3.0, 1x Micro USB OTG port, 1x Micro USB port for debugging
Serial – 1x RS232 DB9 connector, 1x RS485 DB9 connector
Expansion
- 1x mini PCIe socket
- Headers with 4x I2C, 1x SPI, 1x QSPI, 4x UART, 3x PWM, up to 109x GPIO
  4x Analog Inputs, 2x CAN
Power Supply – 6-27V DC
Dimensions – 250 x 200mm
Temperature Range – 0° to 70°C

Dahlia carrier board coming in a more compact 120mm x 120mm form factor focuses on the most popular features, and ease of use thanks to for example a USB-C power option and full debugging over USB.

Key features:

Storage – MicroSD card socket
Video Output – 4-lane MIPI DSI interface; HDMI via included DSI to HDMI adapter
Audio – Line In, Mic In, and Headphone out
Camera Input – 4-lane MIPI CSI-2
Connectivity – 1x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
USB – 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB-C dual-role port, 1x USB-C port for debugging
Serial – 1x RS232 DB9 connector, 1x RS485 DB9 connector
Expansion
- 1x mini PCIe socket
- Headers with 3x I2C, 1x SPI, 1x QSPI, 4x UART, 3x PWM, up to 47x GPIO
  4x Analog Inputs, 1x CAN
Power Supply – 5-27V DC via a power barrel jack or USB-C (PD and BC)
Dimensions – 120 x 120mm
Temperature Range – 0° to 70°C

Availability, Pricing and More Resources

The Verdin iMX8M Mini module and carrier boards will launch in March 2020, while the Verdin iMX8M Nano module will come later and will be made to order. Pricing is shown as coming soon.

There’s no information about the new Verdin family on the developer site, but it should come soon enough, and in the meantime, you can also find more details on the product page.

Toradex will showcase their new Verdin Family at Embedded World 2020 in Nuremberg in Germany on February 25-27, at booth 4-410 in Hall 4. F. If you can’t attend, Charbax interview the company in their Seattle office in the US where they introduced the new Verdin SoM and carrier boards.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.