Using Lothron with DIMM-MX6

Attention: Only use Lothron with DIMM-MX6 if you need to test a device that can not be connected to the Cadun baseboard!

Power supply issue

The high CPU/GPU performance of DIMM-MX6 compared to the previous core modules from emtrion leads to higher power consumption. The DIMM-MX6 module can demand more power under certain circumstances than the Lothron base board can deliver. The Lothron base can handle at most 5Volts@2Ampère=10Watt. This limit is already surpassed if you have the UMSH8272 display power plug connected to Lothron and start the GPU demo available in our launcher.
So we recommend the following precautions:

  1. Limit the power supply to 10 Watts
    Instead of using a standard power supply use one where you can limit the current to 2A. If the board will demand more than 2A, this will result in a reset of the board since the breakdown of the power, but it will help to prevent damaging the DC/DC converters of Lothron. The Lothron also has an on-board polyfuse which will cause a reset if a high current is drawn for a longer time, but limiting the current with the power supply is better because the power supply immediately causes a reset.
  2. USB Host: Use a self-powered HUB
    Only connect a self-powered USB-Hub to Lothron and connect all USB devices you want to use to this hub. This prevents USB devices using additional power from Lothron.
  3. Use a separate power supply for the 5V display power connector
    The small 2-pin plug coming from the display attached to the developer kit delivers 5V power to the display's backlight. If it is possible for you to connect this plug to a separate power supply it saves power which has to be delivered by Lothron.

 

If and how many of above measures you have to apply highly depends on your application. If your application doesn't use the GPU at all, you should even be fine with the standard Lothron developer kit and the attached display. If you are experiencing hard resets while testing your application it is an indicator that you use more power than Lothron can deliver. Then you have to apply one or more of above-mentioned workarounds.


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