Verdin Carrier Board Design Guide
Preliminary
– Subject to Change
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Features of Verdin modules are split into three distinct groups: "Always Compatible"
,
"Reserved"
and "Module-specific"
.
"Always Compatible" interfaces are features that shall be present on each SoM in the Verdin
Family. Customers can expect on upgradeability and maximum scalability.
"Reserved" interfaces are features that are defined and reserved, but possibly missing on some
Verdin SoMs. The reason for that could be that a certain SoC does not feature an interface or there
is an assembly option which omits certain interfaces for cost optimization purposes. Replacement
pins must be electrically compatible with the functionality specified. This means that any Verdin
SoM can be inserted into any Verdin carrier board without risking damage to the module or to the
carrier board (caused by electrically not compatible pins).
A "Module-specific" feature is a feature which is not guaranteed to be functionally or electrically
compatible across Verdin modules. If a carrier board design uses such features, then it is possible
that other modules in the Verdin module family do not provide these features and instead provide
other features on the associated pins. In this case, Verdin modules which are suitable for being
used together with the carrier board design may need to be restricted. An incompatible
SoM/carrier board combination may disable any/all functionalities or even possibly damage the
SoM and/or the carrier board. Using or relying on functionalities provided on "Module-specific"
pins or interfaces in the context of a carrier board could make upgrades to other Verdin modules
impossible.
2.1.1
"Always Compatible" Interfaces
The table below shows the "Always Compatible" interfaces that are provided by each and every
Verdin module. The “GPIO Capable” column indicates whether, for a specific interface, the
assigned pins can be used as GPIOs.
The “Instances” column indicates the number of interfaces that the Verdin specification defines for
the "Always Compatible" interfaces. Even though the "Always Compatible" interfaces shall be
available on all Verdin modules, customers should consult the datasheet for specific Verdin module
variants to check for special features or restrictions of the interface.
Description
Instances
Note
GPIO
Capable
Gigabit Ethernet
1
Media dependent interface (PHY on module), backward
compatible with Fast Ethernet.
No
USB 2.0 Host
1
High-Speed USB, backward compatible with Full and Low
Speed USB.
No
USB 2.0 OTG
1
Can be configured for host or client usage. SoC usually
use this port in recovery mode.
No
I
2
C
1
General Purpose
Yes*
SPI
1
Single chip select pin
Yes*
UART (RX, TX)
2
General Purpose
Yes*
UART (RX, TX)
1
Primary operating system debug port (console)
Yes*
PWM
1
General Purpose
Yes*
SDIO
1
4-bit interface, I/O voltage might be switchable between
1.8V and 3.3V for UHS-I support
Yes*
GPIO
4
General Purpose
Yes
JTAG
1
No*
Table 2: "Always Compatible" Interfaces
*May differ on some modules. Please check the datasheet of the respective module or the Pinout
Designer tool.
