Open Microprocessor Module

Introduction

This page will capture the information pertaining to the design of an Open Microprocessor Module for home brew mobile phones.

Open Source

The Open Microprocessor Module will be an open source design and subject to licensing terms terms that are yet to be determined. Any suggestions? Write it here...

Preliminary Specification

PLEASE ADD YOUR SUGGESTIONS at the bottom!

• i.MX31 @ 532 MHz
• 2 x 128 MB Mobile DDR SDRAM (Micron, MT46H32M32LF)
• 32 MB Mobile NOR Flash (Spansion, S29WS256N)
• Power management controller and reset generation
• LiPoly recharger (Linear Tech, LTC4076)
• Real time clock
• Touch panel controller
• Audio Codec
• All power supplies (Core, memory, I/O, peripherals, backlight)
• USB Physicial Layer (USB 2.0 HS controller is on the i.MX31)
• Land grid array breaking out all i.MX31 signals.

Datasheets

Will link to pdf datasheets here.

Dimensions

50mm x 35mm (an educated guess)

Suggestions

Flash configuration

How about going for a 2MB NOR flash for the boot loader and a separate 64MB NAND flash for the kernel & root fs? I _think_ this is going to be cheaper and you get more flash. Uses more board space tho. - Tom

Breakout

Instead of the LGA breakout, perhaps one or maybe several FPC connectors could be used? Perhaps one FPC per additional "function", one for ATA, another for Bluetooth & WLAN, another for GSM(USB or serial or both). Would allow a more modular development & more versatile layout/connection, I.e. boards could be side-by-side or stacked. One person could work on the GSM board while another did the bluetooth/WLAN board. Could the device also include the FPC for the LCD (Once a part's been decided on)? - Tom

Power management

Not sure how you were thinking of doing the power management, a separate PIC micro? I think an accessible "wakeup" line would be useful to interface with the GSM module, allowing it to wake the application processor when there's an SMS or incoming call. - Tom

Large scale flash memory

How can we interface 8 GBytes of flash to this design? - Adrian