NavQPlus is a standalone embedded linux device. There are many peripherals that will attach and interface with it, or can be made to interface with the correct drivers. In addition, the Mobile Robotics team works with several complimentary devices and boards which work with the NavQPlus:

• MR-B3RB (Buggy3 RevB): a robotics platform in the form of an ackermann steering small car

• iRobot Create3: AKA Turtlebot 4, ROS development platform

• RDDRONE-T1ADAPT: Adapter board from 100BaseT1 to RJ45

• MR-T1ETH8: T1+RJ45 Ethernet Switch

• MR-CANHUBK344: MCU board with S32K344, 6 CAN , T1 Ethernet

  • CANHUB-ADAP: plug on board with IMU and GPS connectors

• MR-VMU-RT1176

  • Pixhawk V6X standard Vehicle Manangement Unit, with IMU

    • Note both NuttX and Zephyr Supported on this platform

• RDDRONE-BMS772: Battery Management 6S

• UCANS32K146: CAN Node board

• HDMI displays (Many off the shelf small displays)

Connecting the Innowave OV5645 Camera

<todo> add more detail

The innowave camera comes pre-installed with the latest revision (2024) of the NavQPlus. It is a fixed focus camera unlike the autofocus google coral camera. The installation and removal is very similar to the the instructions below for the Google coral camera.

The flex cable has marking on it "this side up" that should be visible when looking at the connector side of the board. i.e you can read "this side up" and also read the silkscreen "CSI 1"on the bottom of the board at the same time.

Connecting the Google Coral Camera

Pin 1 (P1) on the Google Coral Camera should be connected to the pin with the arrow on the MIPI-CSI port. Please see the images below. The sides with the red box should line up. You should see the blue on the flex cable when connecting to the MIPI-CSI port.

Camera Mount

Depending on your kit, there may be a tall or short camera mount included. The short version typically ships with the NavQPlus or drone itself, while a tall version may come with an MR-Buggy3 development kit. Please refer to the image below for information on how to assemble.

The camera mount is provided unassembled.

Introduction

This page will go through a simple example using ROS on the NavQPlus. More examples and details can be found on the ROS webpage linked bellow. This example is a shortened version of the Publisher Subscriber for Python tutorial. You will need to have ROS2 installed already before trying this example.

ROS2 Publisher Subscriber in Python example

Step 1 - Create workspace

mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src

Then move into the /src directory:

cd ~/ros2_ws/src

Step 2 - Create package

Now we want to create a package inside the directory we just created.

ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_python py_pubsub

Your terminal will return a message verifying the creation of your package py_pubsub and all its necessary files and folders.

Step 3 - Publisher code

Navigate to the new directory location created.

cd ~/ros2_ws/src/py_pubsub/py_pubsub

Now download the example publisher code:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros2/examples/humble/rclpy/topics/minimal_publisher/examples_rclpy_minimal_publisher/publisher_member_function.py

Step 4 - Subscriber code

For the subscriber code stay in the same directory and download the following:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros2/examples/humble/rclpy/topics/minimal_subscriber/examples_rclpy_minimal_subscriber/subscriber_member_function.py

With this done you will have both publisher_member_function.py and subscriber_member_function.py files in your directory. Plus, the __init__.py.

Step 5 - Add dependencies

The next step is to modify some of the files created to support the code we just downloaded. We will be adding the dependencies. Navigate one level back to ~/ros2_ws/src/pubsub.

Open the package.xml file with a text editor. We will be using nano for this tutorial.

nano package.xml

After the <license> line add the following lines of code:

<exec_depend>rclpy</exec_depend>
<exec_depend>std_msgs</exec_depend>

Your new file now should look something similar to this:

Exit the file editor and save.

Step 6 - Add entry point

The next file you will have to modify is the setup.py file.

nano setup.py

Add the following line within the console_scripts brackets of the entry_points field:

entry_points={
        'console_scripts': [
                'talker = py_pubsub.publisher_member_function:main',
                'listener = py_pubsub.subscriber_member_function:main',
        ],
},

Don't forget to save!

Step 7 - Building and running

First, go back to the root of your workspace:

cd ~/ros2_ws

Then, check if you have any missing dependencies in your code by running:

rosdep install -i --from-path src --rosdistro humble -y

If everything is installed successfully you can build your package with colcon:

colcon build --packages-select py_pubsub

With the build finished we need to source the setup files.

source install/setup.bash

Finally, we can run the code. You will need two terminals to run both the publisher and subscriber.

In one terminal run the publisher:

ros2 run py_pubsub talker

You should see that the code starts running and prints:

[INFO] [minimal_publisher]: Publishing: "Hello World: 0"
[INFO] [minimal_publisher]: Publishing: "Hello World: 1"
[INFO] [minimal_publisher]: Publishing: "Hello World: 2"
[INFO] [minimal_publisher]: Publishing: "Hello World: 3"
[INFO] [minimal_publisher]: Publishing: "Hello World: 4"
...

On the other terminal run the subscriber:

ros2 run py_pubsub listener

When you run the listener, you will start to see the message from the publisher:

[INFO] [minimal_subscriber]: I heard: "Hello World: 10"
[INFO] [minimal_subscriber]: I heard: "Hello World: 11"
[INFO] [minimal_subscriber]: I heard: "Hello World: 12"
[INFO] [minimal_subscriber]: I heard: "Hello World: 13"
[INFO] [minimal_subscriber]: I heard: "Hello World: 14"

Use Ctlr + C in each terminal to stop the code.

Summary

You created two nodes to publish and subscribe to data over a topic. Before running them, you added their dependencies and entry points to the package configuration files.

NavQPlus Part numbers

PLEASE NOTE: There are currently TWO variants of the NavQPlus available the part numbers start with 8MPNAVQ:

• 8MPNAVQ-8GB-XG This variant does not include the IX Industrial gigabit ethernet Connector and PHY on board. All other components are installed including 100BaseT1 and WiFi. Ethernet over USB-C "gadget mode" is also available.

• 8MPNAVQ-8GB-G This variant includes the IX industrial connector and Gigabit Ethernet PHY

Third party manufacturers

Presently the following third party companies are able to provide commercial support for NavQPlus, including software support, prototyping derivatives, and/or volume manufacturing of the SoM or carrier board. Please contact the NXP Mobile Robotics team if you have a variant that you would like to let people know about:

Introduction

The entire design is available for companies building their own similar hardware. NavQPlus is built as a stack of boards, the top board being a SoM (System-on-Module) containing the processor, memory and other components with strict layout requirements, and where the secondary boards are relatively inexpensive (often 4 layer boards) and allows for versions with customization to be easily built.

Features

1. NXP i.MX 8M Plus SoC on a SoM with LPDDR4 DRAM and eMMC flash.

   • 4x Arm Cortex-A53 core

   • 1x Arm Cortex-M7 core

   • 1x Neural Processing Unit (2.3 TOPS)

   • 1080p60 H.265/H.264 encoder

   • Dual Camera Image Signal Processor (HDR, Dewarp)

2. A secondary board with connectors to hardware interfaces, such as:

   • Dual MIPI-CSI camera interfaces

   • Two CAN-FD interfaces

   • I2C, SPI, UART, GPIO

   • SD card slot

   • Micro-HDMI, MIPI-DSI, and LVDS for displays

   • USB-C, including power input & output

   • 1 Gigabit Ethernet with ix Industrial connector

   • JTAG BOOT

Block Diagram

Applications

The NavQPlus is suitable for many purposes, including generic robots, various vision systems, and AI/ML applications.

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

  • Such as multicopters and VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft

• Rovers and other unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs)

  • Road-going Delivery Vehicles

  • Robotic Lawn Mowers

  • Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

• Marine Vessels

• Camera and Vision Processing Modules

• Time-of-Flight (ToF) Cameras

• AI/ML Inference

• Cellular Gateway

• Vision systems in other applications

  • e.g. a hospital bed monitor that detects if a patient is sitting up or at risk of falling out of bed.

Software

The intent of the 8MPNavQ in HoverGames is to enable participants with a solution that allows them to harness common robotics packages and libraries such as:

• ROS/ROS2

• OpenCV

• GStreamer

• pyeIQ

  • TensorFlow/TFLite

  • PyTorch

  • Arm NN

  • etc.

• And more!

The 8MPNavQ runs Linux with a package manager, so you should be able to install the packages that you need to complete your projects successfully and efficiently.

Feedback

NavQPlus Enablement

Opensource Community

While our team may have used and tested this software, the enablement is under continual development and is expected to change regularly. Where this software is application level (I.e ROS2), and not hardware device level (i.e gstreamer) you should look for opensource ommunity support for that application and not directly from NXP

Guidance

Elsewhere in this "engineering notebook" GitBook you will find specific guidance on how some of this software may be used. Specific software used in these examples will be noted.

OS/Software

Example NavQPlus typical OS images may include the following. (note that this configuration changes regularly and may be updated/upgraded to newer versions.)

• NXP Yocto Linux 5.15 kernel

  • gstreamer

  • eIQ AI/ML tools

  • Ethernet over USB-C Gadget mode (SSH connection to laptop using USB cable)

• Ubuntu 22.04 built on top of NXP Yocto 5.15

  • ROS2 Humble enabled

Yocto Linux

NXP i.MX 8M Plus Linux is a Yocto build plus Desktop image layer. Refer to the NXP GIT repo and NXP documentation when building from source.

Other NXP EVK software

NavQPlus is a derivative of the NXP EVK. Refer to the NXP website for the complete variety of software support for i.MX 8M Plus

Complete overview

For a complete view of all the software available for i.MX 8M Plus please refer to the NXP website here:

The NavQPlus is an embedded Linux device. You will need terminal access via a PC or Laptop in order to interface with the board. While a Windows PC can have terminal programs, you will find that working in a Linux host environment will allow you greater flexibility, capability and being able to cross compile software more easily. Most examples will be shown assuming a linux host PC running Ubuntu 22.04 or later is attached.

Ubuntu Desktop

Learn about installing Ubuntu Desktop on a development PC using the link below:

NavQPlus is an open design and 3rd parties may create add-on modules

Contact the vendors below for more details:

Emcraft:

• TOF camera from PMD

• Several RPI camera modules

• mini PCIe adapter

Google

• Coral Cam

• Coral TPU Neural net accelerator

Refer to nxp.com/navqplus order page for the exact details on what is included in the NavQPlus version that you have ordered.

The exact contents is based on the version kit ordered, Typically the following items are included:

• 8M Plus SOM + Baseboard, flat heatsink, 3d printed enclosure

  • Wifi Antenna attached

• Communications cables

  • FTDI USB-UART Serial console cable and adapter board/Cable

  • IX-industrial to RJ45 Ethernet cable (not on -XG version)

  • 2-Pin JST-GH Cable for two wire 100BaseT1 automotive ethernet

  • 2x 4-Pin JST-GH with center wires twisted for CAN cables.

  • USBC to USB A cable

• Power Cables

  • 5-Pin JST-GH power cale to RED SYP type cable

  • RED SYP type cable to XT-60 battery connector

  • 5-Pin JST-GH power cable to 5-Pin JST-GH power Cable.

• Camera

  • Omnivision OV5645 on innowave module. (typical)

  • Several cameras are available to connect to the MIPI CSI interface.

BSD-3 License

Example code shown in this document has the following copyright and BSD-3-Clause license:

Copyright 2023 NXP. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials must be provided with the distribution.

3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Introduction

General specifications have been requested for NavQPlus. Currently there are no official qualified specifications.

Physical Hardware

The CAD model below and associated measuring tools can be used to determine physical characteristics of interest. The model may also be downloaded in a variety of file formats by following the link to open in Fusion360.

Electrical Specifcations

PLEASE NOTE: These are unofficial specifications only. The values below may be used for guidance, but are not guaranteed.

Voltage input

• 5-20V

• Power supplied via High voltage USB PD power switch(es)

  • Power input and can be from dedicated connector or through USB-C

Power consumption

• A detailed power analysis has not been done. Below are estimates

  • Expectation is MAX 5W and typical 3W

  • 5W =~12V@450mA

Enclosure dimensions

• 90mmx70mm exclusive of case mounting tabs

• Tabs 82mm at max width.

• CASE Mounting tabs are 72mmx72mm

• CASE / Heatsink secondary mounting 53mmx53mm

Weight

• 98.4grams with Fin type heatsink attached*

  • * production units use a flat aluminum plate which reduce weight further

Refer to the HoverGames disclaimer below when using NavQPlus with a drone or similar vehicle.

It is expected as a user of NavQPlus, you will have basic knowledge of how to operate an embedded Linux computer in a headless terminal environment. While NavQPlus can support a desktop environment, it is not a "PC" or desktop computer, and therefore many graphical applications designed for these devices will not work due to device specific libraries and graphics drivers.

Resources:

If you are not comfortable operating a Linux computer in a terminal environment, below are links to some resources that may help.

Introduction

This chapter will cover the basics of connecting to the NavQPlus.

Ubuntu PoC

The software available for the NavQPlus includes an Ubuntu Desktop environment based on Ubuntu opensource distribution as a Proof of Concept (PoC). It should be clearly noted that this Ubuntu PoC is NOT an official Canonical distribution.

Canonical outlines this mission philosophy of supporting free and opens software here:

Canonical Ubuntu commercial support

Canonical does independently support commercial development on NXP i.MX processors and they are available on a contractual basis to provide commercial support for Canonical Ubuntu on NXP processors.

3rd Party Commercial Support

Experimental nature

Because NavQPlus is experimental and contains a new set of boards and peripherals, please expect and plan for software enablement to undergo several iterations. Our intent is to provide an Ubuntu PoC (Proof of Concept) "user-friendly Linux" with typical packages and additional tools included, rather than the traditional Yocto-based distribution that is typical of the highly optimized and stripped down Linux operating systems used in deeply embedded products. Since this Ubuntu PoC is also built on top of Yocto, it is still able to be reduced and optimized for full commercial deployment as well.

There are two ways to power the NavQPlus. You can power it through the PWR IN port or through the middle* USB-C port (*dependent on software image loaded)

This is because it is possible that the USB-C power management logic may be configured in software in a manner that limits current or resets the power management in the time between the bootloader running and the Linux image running . This leads to unexpected behavior at power up. If you suspect something unusual is occurring on power up or you see the board rebooting, please try powering through PWR_IN first.

The PWR IN port accepts an input in the 5V-20V* range. (Technically higher (24V?), but has not been fully validated or characterized)

The PWR IN port pinout schematic is as follows: (center pin is unused). Pin 1, 2 are the power input, Pin 4, 5 are negative (GND).

The input power voltage connection PWR_UNREG is 5V-20V

Unexpected Power Resets

If you encounter unexpected resets, it could be any of the following issues

Insufficient Current Available:

That your power supply is not able to provide enough current for the board or the board + peripherals resulting in a brownout condition when internal blocks, interfaces, peripherals turn on and draws additional current.

Supplying power with a LiPo battery may help debug if you have a bench or wall adapter power supply limitation.

Power Glitch from other boards:

The PWR IN port is connected to an onboard power control switch that can sense reverse current spikes on the power supply and de-assert a power good signal, causing a reset. This may happen when another device is sharing the power supply and "glitches" the power supply when plugged in live. A reverse blocking diode and additional bulk capacitors on a power distribution board or inline with the power cable may be desired.

Linux Image problems:

As mentioned above, when powering from USB-C, the specific Linux image should be checked to ensure that the Linux Kernel is not resetting the USB power when it starts up after the bootloader is completed. (i.e the bootloader configures USB-C, then the Linux Kernel may also be set to re-configure/reset the USB-C also and in the process switching it off again.

FCC information:

• Contains Transmitter Module FCC ID: VPYLB1ZM or Contains FCC ID: VPYLB1ZM

• FCC CAUTION: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

• This transmitter must not be co-located or operated in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

Canadian IC information

• Contains IC: 772C-LB1ZM

A Micro-HDMI interface is provided on the NavQPlus. This may be used to drive typical monitors or small LCD displays. Note only typical display timing and resolution is enabled/supported by default. A standard micro-HDMI cable may be used to connect to a typical monitor, or HDMI embedded displays.

1. Download an Ubuntu image

Download the latest Ubuntu image for NavQPlus (in .wic file format) from GitHub:

• For use with iRobot Create3 (AKA Turtlebot4)

• For use with NXP MR-B3RB

2. Download the UUU tool

uuu is an NXP command line tool that runs on a PC and can commnicate directly with the MPU on the NavQPlus. To flash the eMMC memory on your NavQPlus (next step), you will also need to download the uuu tool ("Universal Update Utility"). Download the latest release from GitHub:

Make sure to download the correct application for your platform. The .exe file is a Windows executable. The file named "uuu" without extension is a x86/64 Linux binary.

3. Set the boot switches to flash mode

4. Flash the eMMC memory

The NavQPlus firmware is preferably installed on eMMC memory for reliability reasons, even though it may be convenient during development to use the SD card. Especially if you are flying a drone, vibrations may cause (occassional) failure of the physical connections to an SD card.

Connect the NavQPlus to your computer using the leftmost USB-C port (USB 1). The two status LEDs should light up as shown above.

Open a command line window. Run the following command to check that the NavQPlus is recognized by UUU:

./uuu -lsusb

./uuu.exe -lsusb

You should see that there is a device detected. To flash your board, use the command below (adapt the filename/version to match the image file that you downloaded in step 1):

.uuu -b emmc_all navqplus-image-<version>.wic 

.uuu.exe -b emmc_all navqplus-image-<version>.wic 

Once this process has finished, make sure that the flash process was successful by comparing the program output to the image below.

5. Set the boot switches to eMMC mode

6. Log in for the first time

Power on the NavQPlus by plugging in a USB-C cable to the centermost USB-C port (USB2). Make sure to provide enough power (a >5W supply is recommended). The NavQPlus will boot, and you will be able to confirm it has fully booted by observing the LEDs on board. The three LEDs by the USB1 port should all be on, as well as two LEDs next to the CAN bus connectors.

To log into NavQPlus for the first time, you can either use the included USB to UART adapter, ethernet, or USB gadget mode.

USB to UART adapter

Connect the included USB to UART adapter to the UART2 port on the NavQPlus, and open your favorite serial console application (e.g. PuTTy for Windows users, Minicom on Linux). Open a serial console and set the baud rate to 115200. If there is no output on the screen, try to press enter to get a log-in prompt.

If the boot was successful, in the terminal it will ask for the username and then the password. The default username/password is as follows:

Username: user 
Password: user 

At this point you can start playing around already with the NavQPlus. However, it is recommended to also follow the last steps.

Ethernet

ssh user@imx8mpnavq.local

It will also ask the password after a successful connection to your board. As mentioned above the default password is user.

USB Gadget Ethernet

The IP address of the usb0 network interface on NavQPlus is statically assigned to 192.168.186.3. If you want to use USB gadget ethernet to connect to NavQPlus, you will need to assign a static IP to your existing gadget ethernet interface on your computer.

First go to your network settings and click on the plus icon on the top right.

The network configuration is as follows:

IP Address: 192.168.186.2

Network Mask: 255.255.255.0

Once you have set up your USB-C gadget ethernet interface on your computer, you can SSH by running:

ssh user@imx8mpnavq.local

7. Expand Image (if needed/desired)

The flashed images MAY need expanding to utilize all the available storage. After logging into the NavQPlus, open a terminal and run:

• Expand image on the eMMC memory (if you followed the instructions above):

echo -e "d\n2\nn\np\n2\n196608\n\n\nw" | sudo fdisk /dev/mmcblk2 && sudo resize2fs /dev/mmcblk2p2 

• Expand image on the SD card (if you chose to flash the image on the SD card):

echo -e "d\n2\nn\np\n2\n196608\n\n\nw" | sudo fdisk /dev/mmcblk1 && sudo resize2fs /dev/mmcblk1p2 

8. Change the default username and password

To change the default username and password, use the commands below.

Username (replace <new_username> with your desired username):

usermod -l <new_username> user
mv /home/user /home/<new_username>

Password (you will be prompted to enter the current and new password):

passwd

What's Next?

The NavQPlus has the ability to connect via ethernet in several different ways.

• Through the IX Industrial® Type A port. The provided IX to RJ45 adapter cable will allow connecting to RJ45 *Preferred

• Using the USB-C port with "gadget bode" Ethernet over USB

• Through the 100 Base T1 automotive ethernet. A media converter such as RDDRONE-T1ADAPT, or a switch such as MR-T1ETH8 would allow connection to a typical RJ45 100Base-T port.

• Using a USB-C Ethernet adapter dongle

USB to Ethernet Adapter

Here is an example of how the NavQ+ can also be connected through the USB-C port. For this method, a separate adaptor is required to convert the USB-C to RJ45.

To be able to connect to the board through SSH it must be connected to the same network. This is possible by using a router and connecting your network cable to it then the NavQ+ and your PC to it. With this connection SSH can be established between your PC and the NavQ+. Below is an example of how the router could be connected.

After everything is connected correctly a connection can be made through SSH. This is done with the following code, on your PC terminal:

ssh user@imx8mpnavq.local

or you can input the IP address of your NavQ+:

ssh user@<NavQ+'s IP address>

You will be asked to input the password.

The default password is user.

At this point you may want to consider following steps to connect the NavQPlus WiFi to a local network.

The NavQPlus kit comes with an FTDI type USB-C to UART adapter cable and a small adapter board for this cable to the serial port JST-GH connector . This adapter is used for a serial debugging console on the NavQPlus.

USB to UART adapter

Executive Summary: Connect the included USB to UART adapter to the UART2 port on the NavQPlus, and open your favorite serial console application (e.g. PuTTy for Windows users, Minicom on Linux). Open a serial console and set the baud rate to 115200. If there is no output on the screen, try to press enter to get a log-in prompt.

Connect USB cable+ adapter to your computer. Then plug in the JST-GH connector from the adapter into UART2 (A53 Debug/Console) port on NavQPlus.

Serial Terminal Software

Use your favorite serial console software such as PuTTY (Minicom, MobaXTerm, or screen) to access the NavQPlus serial console directly.

Console Baud Rate

The baud rate is 115200.

Successful Boot?

If correct code was loaded, and the boot switches also set back to the correct boot source (SDCARD vs EMMC), then in the terminal software you should see the Linux boot details printing out.

Default username and default password

The system will ask for the username and then the password. The default username/password is as follows:

Username: user 
Password: user 

At this point you can start using Linux on the NavQPlus.

Misc YouTube links that may be relevant to NavQPlus.

<TODO> Check links

MAYBE LINKS:

Simulating Robots with Gazebo and ROS | Getting Ready to Build Robots with ROS

Introduction

When new images are released, we will provide a link to them. To flash NavQPlus, normally there are two options. You can either flash the eMMC chip on-board, or flash the SD card included with the kit. The eMMC runs faster but is not removable like the SD card. The SD card is easily removeable and can be programmed quickly and directly from a PC. It is up to you to choose which one to use.

NXP Images

The official source for linux on NavQPlus *will eventually be NXP Linux Factory, however at the time of this writing it is a work in progress.

See below for instructions on how to flash the SD card or eMMC.

Third party images

The following images are prepared by 3rd parties and support the NavQPlus.

• For use with iRobot Create3 (AKA Turtlebot4)

• For use with NXP MR-B3RB

Emcraft Release Images

Voxelbotics Release Images:

Rudis Labs Images:

Flashing image to an SDCard

The NavQPlus typically comes with a 16GB SD card or larger that you can flash with the pre-built Ubuntu 22.04 image. See below for instructions to flash your SD card on each platform.

Flashing SD card using Windows PC

Once you have downloaded Win32DiskImager, insert your SD card into your computer, open the program, and select the navqplus-image-{vX.X}.wic file as your image.

Next, select your SD card under Device.

Once the flashing process has finished, you should get a message saying that the write was successful.

Flashing SD card using Linux / Mac

To flash your SD card with the image you downloaded in step 1, we suggest using dd.

To do this, open a terminal and navigate to the folder that you downloaded the

navqplus-image-{vX.X}.wic file.

Once you are there, insert your SD card, and find the device path for it. Typically, it will be something like /dev/sdX on Linux or /dev/diskX on Mac.

Once you have found your device path, run the following command in your terminal to flash the SD card:

Linux:

sudo dd if=navqplus-image-{vX.X}.wic of=/dev/sdX bs=1M status=progress oflag=sync

Mac:

sudo dd if=navqplus-image-{vX.X}.wic of=/dev/diskX bs=1m status=progress oflag=sync

Once this is done, your SD card will be flashed with the image.

Set Boot Switches for SD Card Boot

Flashing the eMMC

(Flashing eMMC using uuu utility)

• Connect NavQ+ to your computer using the centermost USB-C port.

• Run the following command to make sure that the NavQ+ is recognized by uuu:

./uuu[.exe] -lsusb

<TODO: Add image of output>

• You should see that there is a device detected. If so, you can continue flashing. To flash your board, use one of the commands below depending on how the image was supplied:

EMMC image supplied in .zip format then:

sudo ./uuu navqplus-image-{vX.X}_.zip

EMMC image supplied as .bin and .wic files:

sudo ./uuu[.exe] -b emmc_all navqplus-image-{vX.X}.bin -flash_evk navqplus-image-{vX.X}.wic

TODO: Add image

Configuring WiFi, System Hostname, Username or Password

Configuring WiFi on NavQPlus

To connect NavQPlus to a WiFi network, use the nmcli command. The interface is relatively straightforward, to connect with nmcli, run the following command:

sudo nmcli device wifi connect <network_name> password "<password>"

If struggling to connect to a network, see if it is visible by running:

sudo nmcli device wifi list

Once connected to the WiFi network the NavQPlus will continue to connect to that network even after a reboot.

About nmcli

What wifi network is the NavQPlus currently connected to?

To see what Wifi network the NavQPlus is currently connected to run without sudo:

nmcli device wifi list

Or if running with sudo it will be the network preceeded with a star.

Connecting to NavQPlus over WiFi

Once setup to connect over a local WiFi network, SSH into the NavQPlus over WiFi by running:

ssh <username>@<hostname>.local

Or depending on network setup:

ssh <username>@<hostname>

Power requirements for successful boot

If the applied voltage at PWR_IN is too low, the boot process could hang upon initializing the CPU in the Linux kernel. Please make sure that your power input is 5-20V. The NavQPlus has relatively low current requirements and typically will not draw more than 4 watts of power when all on-chip peripherals are enabled, however the board may also supply power to external devices. Ensure that your power source is able to maintain a stable voltage level at the requested current.

U-Boot - Observe full boot process through the serial console

Shell login

Once the NavQPlus has booted to the shell, the default login credentials are as follows:

Username: user Password: user

Boot Switches Configuration

NavQPlus can be configured to boot from either SD card or eMMC. It also has a flash mode that allows you to flash either the eMMC or SD card over USB-C®. See the table below for the boot switch configuration.

Configuring WiFi on NavQPlus

An alternative tool to connect NavQPlus to your local Wi-Fi network is the nmtui command. This command presents a GUI in your terminal to connect to Wi-Fi. The interface is relatively straightforward. To run nmtui, run the following command:

sudo nmtui

The preferred method as mentioned earlier is to use the non-GUI way to connect to Wi-Fi or manage your network connections, use nmcli by running the following command:

sudo nmcli device wifi connect <network_name> password "<password>"

Once you are finished connecting to your local WiFi network, you can exit the application. Your NavQPlus will continue to connect to this WiFi network even after a reboot.

Accessing the cameras using OpenCV in Python

Below are short examples of using openCV. Refer to NXP.com or other guides for more detail.

Getting started

To install OpenCV for Python to the image, run the following command:

sudo apt install python3-opencv

Getting images from the camera using gstreamer pipelines

To access the Google Coral Camera(s) on NavQ+ in OpenCV, you may use the following VideoCapture instantiation:

cap = cv2.VideoCapture('v4l2src device=/dev/video3 ! video/x-raw,framerate=30/1,width=640,height=480 ! appsink', cv2.CAP_GSTREAMER)

You may change the source resolution by editing the width and height values in the GStreamer pipeline. See below for a list of supported resolutions and framerates.

video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=2592, height=1944, framerate=8/1
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=1920, height=1080, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=1280, height=720, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=1024, height=768, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=720, height=576, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=720, height=480, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=640, height=480, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=320, height=240, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }
video/x-raw, format=YUY2, width=176, height=144, framerate={ (fraction)15/1, (fraction)30/1 }

NavQPlus models typically ship with one Omnivision camera module which is either from Innowave or Google Coral Camera. 3rd parties may also have other cameras. An additional camera can also be added to the second MIPI port. Note that other USB or Ethernet cameras can also supply image data to the NavQPlus. Please refer to NXP.com documentation for i.MX 8M Plus for details on camera usage in LInux.

Video example using gstreamer

To take an image using an attached MIPI camera module on NavQPlus, use the gstreamer command. An example command is as follows:

sudo gst-launch-1.0 -v v4l2src device=/dev/video3 num-buffers=1 ! jpegenc ! filesink location=capture1.jpeg

The NavQPlus may be considered a generic embedded Linux Computer. When running Ubuntu POC, most linux packages may be installed using apt or apt-get. As with any Linux machine not all packages are suited to the specific hardware.

Pipeline examples

Take an image

gst-launch-1.0 -v v4l2src num-buffers=1 device=/dev/video3 ! jpegenc ! filesink location=capture.jpeg

Record a video

gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src device=/dev/video3 ! imxvideoconvert_g2d ! "video/x-raw, height=640, width=480, framerate=30/1" ! vpuenc_h264 ! avimux ! filesink location='/home/user/video.avi'

Streaming examples:

• On PC: RX Pipeline to receive the stream from the NavQPlus AI/ML companion computer:

gst-launch-1.0 udpsrc port=50000 ! "application/x-rtp, media=(string)video, clock-rate=(int)90000, encoding-name=(string)H264, payload=(int)96" ! rtph264depay ! decodebin ! queue ! autovideosink

• On NavQPlus (e.g. from SSH connection):

gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src io-mode=dmabuf device=/dev/video3 ! "video/x-raw,width=1920,height=1080,framerate=(fraction)30/1" ! vpuenc_h264 ! h264parse ! rtph264pay ! udpsink host=10.0.1.101 port=50000

• Video Test Source instead of camera: gst-launch-1.0 videotestsrc ! "video/x-raw,width=640,height=480,framerate=(fraction)10/1" ! vpuenc_h264 ! h264parse ! rtph264pay ! udpsink host=10.0.1.101 port=50000

• Camera Tuning: 1) Get the video subdevice using:

media-ctl -p /dev/media0

remember the sub-device of the camera ( ov5645tn) in the media video chain, e.g. /dev/v4l-subdev2

2) List the available user and camera controls and try them out (e.g. contrast, saturation, auto white balancing etc.):

v4l2-ctl -l -d /dev/v4l-subdev2

• Streaming and Storing to a h264 compressed file simultaneously including text overlays for 30 seconds:

gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src io-mode=dmabuf device=/dev/video3 num-buffers=900 ! "video/x-raw,width=1920,height=1080,framerate=(fraction)30/1" ! tee name=t ! queue leaky=1 ! textoverlay text="Live" ! vpuenc_h264 ! h264parse ! rtph264pay ! udpsink host=10.0.1.101 port=50000 sync=false t. ! queue ! textoverlay text="recorded" ! vpuenc_h264 ! mpegtsmux ! filesink location=record_$(date +"%Y-%m-%d_%T").mp4

Note: The VPU is encoding two streams in parallel as we have different text overlays on the live stream and the recorded file

Note on hostapd

To avoid needing to set up a Wi-Fi router hostapd can be installed so that the NavQPlus acts as an access point. Additionally a DHCP server can be configured. This way you can directly connect to the WiFi network spawned by the NavQPlus:

Shown highlighted below, the IP address 10.0.1.101 is coming from the DHCP server on the NavQPlus.

Examples

Gazebo Ignition

Vehicles using NavQPlus running ROS and other software can be modelled and simulated in Gazebo Ignition. There are several NXP models listed for the Ignition Fuel library here:

These models can be referenced "live" from within Gazebo-Ignition, or downloaded in advance.

DoBots Asimovo

NavQPlus works with the ROS2 Turtlebot4 reference platform which is the iRobot Create3 platform. This includes Lidar interfacing.

NXP Buggy3 RevB uses NavQPlus and the MR-CANHUBK344 together to form an Ackermann steering robotic development platform. Pre configured ROS2 and Zephyr Software to run this platform is provided. For best initial experience follow the MR-B3RB guide.

Introduction

This is an example of how to use a Webserver running locally on the NavQPlus. Note that this is one of several methods available. In this example the idea is to control the robot (or anything), using low level commands written with shell scripts commanded from an HTML page. By not using a higher level language such as Python it helps make the robot responsive and quick to act.

A WebServer is used to control the NavQPlus using low level commands written with shell scripts commanded straight from a HTML page. This page will explain how to set-up a WebServer and control your NAVQ+.

The webserver we will use is called Lighttpd, for more information on the Lighttpd read the following link:

First step is to install Lighttpd WebServer and components. Use the following code in your NAVQ+ serial console application:

sudo apt-get -y install lighttpd

sudo lighttpd-enable-mod cgi

sudo lighttpd-enable-mod fastcgi

This is the output you should receive after running all three codes above:

sudo nano /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf

In this file you should change:

server.document-root = “/var/www/html”

To:

server.document-root = “/var/www”

It should look something like this:

Then exit the file and save. For the changes we made just now to take effect, we must reboot the web server. To do that enter both commands in order:

sudo /etc/init.d/lighttpd stop

sudo /etc/init.d/lighttpd start

At this point the web server is running and if a page index.html is located at /var/www, we can access it from any browser, typing the NAVQ+ address you can see the default web page by lighttpd. Get the NavQ+ IP address and input it into your browser search bar.

Now let's try and place an example template webpage and access it.

Stop the server for the next few steps.

sudo /etc/init.d/lighttpd stop

Clone the following repository to somewhere where you will remember in your home file.

git clone https://github.com/eslamfayad/Hover_Games3_E.F.git

After cloning the repository, you will copy some of the files to /var/www. This can be done with these commands:

sudo cp -r "yourdirectory"/Hover_Games3_E.F/ROBOT_WEB_SERVER/images /var/www
sudo cp -r "yourdirectory"/Hover_Games3_E.F/ROBOT_WEB_SERVER/cgi-bin /var/www
sudo cp  "yourdirectory"/Hover_Games3_E.F/ROBOT_WEB_SERVER/index.html /var/www

Now access the page again using the IP address of your NavQPlus, you should get this:

You have managed to make a simple webserver. This webpage can be quite useful to use as a GUI for robot controls as displayed in the example page above.

This chapter will describe some of the hardware features present on the NavQ+.

This hardware interfaces section of the NavQPlus document is intended as a high level look at the connectors present on the board and their intended usage. Here we may also go into more detail where the interface is unique to the NavQPlus carrier board design and where it may differ from the i.MX 8M Plus EVKs. For complete in depth details regarding the IP block providing the specified interface please refer to NXP.com and the datasheet and reference manual for the i.MX 8m Plus system on a chip.

The official schematics for NavQPlus are published on:

A copy is provided here for convenience, but note that it is possible that it becomes out of sync/out of date with the official source. Please use the NXP official source for any critical requirements.

Note that NavQPlus is an open design using i.MX 8M Plus SOC from NXP. The SOM used is identical to the one on the larger NXP EVK. The carrier board includes a number of additional features and has its own BSP derivative in order to support these components. You are welcome to reproduce or modify the carrier board to your own specifications.

NavQPlus Carrier board

This is the main board for NavQPlus (8mpnavq) and can be used to reference the connectors and test points.

NavQPlus SOM module

This SOM is identical to the NXP EVK SOM, with the exception that the IO are jumped for 3v3 voltage instead of 1v8

Install I2C tools

If not already present, the first step is to install the I2C tools to be able to use the I2C ports.

sudo apt-get update -y

sudo apt-get install -y i2c-tools

Adjust I2C user group

To use the I2C commands without root, you'll need to add the NavQ+ user to the i2c group. To do this, you can run the following command:

sudo usermod -a -G i2c user

sudo su

echo 'KERNEL=="i2c-[0-9]*", GROUP="i2c"' >> /etc/udev/rules.d/10-local_i2c_group.rules

Check the I2C connection

Now to check the connection and confirm that the port is working correctly. Connect something to the I2C JST-GH port, then run the command below. It shoudl show you raw output from most devices connected on the I2C bus(es). Note that the onboard NXP secure element SE05x will not respond to this command.

i2cdetect -y 5

Example

Introduction

100BaseT1 2-Wire Automotive Ethernet provides 100MBPS connections over simple twisted 2 wires for a distance of up to 15 meters. The line signaling on the wire is not directly compatible with traditional 100BaseTX (RJ45) connections, but a physical adapter may be used. Otherwise it is the same as traditional Ethernet.

T1 is lightweight and reduces the cabling weight. The interface also does not require the use of magnetics, so it also saves weight and cost in that regard. Typically you will find T1 Ethernet used on Radar, Cameras, MR-CANHUBK3 and NXP flight controllers for drones.

T1 Ethernet Locator

J18 is the T1 Ethernet connector and it should not be confused with the similar SE050 Secure-Element NFC connector at the opposite corner of the board. This is a JST-GH 2 pin heade. Technically there is a polarity associated with T1 Ethernet, but the TJA1103 Phy is configured to automatically and transparently swap the polarity as needed. It is still a good idea to attempt to maintain the correct polarity.

NavQPlus uses the TJA1103 T1 Ethernet Phy

No magnetics

Unlike traditional Ethernet, a heavy coupling transformer is not used. A small common mode choke and simple passive RC network is used for noise filtering. There is an ESD protection diode used and the communications signals are capacitively coupled. This overall lightweight, small size and cost optimized solution lends itself well to mobile robotics applications.

The Ethernet PHY itself is also extremely small:

T1 Ethernet LEDs

There are two LEDS that connect directly to the TJA1103 PHY.

<TODO - additional description during operation>

T1 Ethernet Schematics

Bringing up the CAN buses on NavQPlus

CAN 2.0

sudo ip link set can0 up type can bitrate 125000
sudo ipl ink set can1 up type can bitrate 125000

CAN-FD

sudo ip link set can0 up type can bitrate 500000 dbitrate 2000000 fd on
sudo ip link set can1 up type can bitrate 500000 dbitrate 2000000 fd on

There is an LED next to each CAN bus PHY on the board that will light up after running one of these commands.

These interfaces support the Linux SocketCAN library. Here is a good link showing some simple SocketCAN example code:

CAN Bus Locator

There are four CAN-FD connectors, they are connected "pass-through" style so that the bus may continue on, or a termination resistor network be plugged in.

• J21 and J22 are connected to CAN1 hardware signals / CAN0 logically in Software

• J19 and J20 are connected to CAN2 hardware signals / CAN1 logically in software

CAN Bus Schematic

CAN BUS LEDs

These LEDS are connected to the enable signal going to the CAN PHY

CAN BUS SIC PHYs

NavQPlus uses TJA1463 CAN SIC PHYs. These are compatible and drop-in replacement for traditional CAN-FD PHYs.

The TJA1463 CAN signal improvement capability (SIC) transceiver with sleep mode is part of the TJA146x transceiver family that implements CAN SIC as defined in CiA 601-4. By meeting the CAN physical layer as defined in ISO11898-2:2016 and SAE J2284-(1-5), the TJA1463 is fully interoperable with high-speed classical CAN and CAN FD.

CAN signal improvement significantly reduces signal ringing on a network, allowing reliable CAN FD communication to function at 5 Mbit/s in larger topologies. In addition, the TJA1462 features a much tighter bit timing symmetry performance to enable CAN FD communication up to 8 Mbit/s.

The TJA1463 is backwards compatible and a drop-in replacement for classical CAN and CAN FD transceivers, such as NXPs TJA1043 and TJA1443

Potential improvements

Because of their improved reliability handling of bus signals, it may be possible to implement:

• Higher bus speeds (Note however that 512kBaud negotiation speed remains the DroneCode standard and is also most common in automotive applications)

• Unterminated/poorly terminated stubs

• Central termination of the CAN bus

CAN Termination

The preferred split termination method from Automotive applications is applied on board the NavQPlus. These parts may need to be removed if you wish to terminate your CAN bus at a different node. Note that as mentioned above, it may be reasonable to use the NavQPlus as a central termination point in a CAN-SIC network.

Additional CAN boards

This image uses Netplan to configure the network manager which is "Networkmanager".

Setting the IP address using ifconfig will NOT be applied persistently, and can/will be overridden periodically by Networkmanager This manages network conflicts for controlling IP networks like Ethernet and WiFi. Network Manger has several command line utilities

• nmcli to get current network status

• nmui is a termnial user interface to modify connections

  • set static IP/ DHCP

  • set DNS

  • connect to a wifi network

You can follow this tutorial below in order to set Static IP with NavQ+ :

You may wish or need to modify your NavQPlus to accept additional camera types. This is not difficult, but does require care.

The Production "RevB version" of the NavQPlus makes a small adjustment to the MIPI CSI Clock line in order to be more compatible with a variety of image sensors. This is also the configuration used with the OV5645 fixed focus image sensors from Innowave that ship with the RevB board As shown in the image below, the resistors R21 and R37 shoudl be 0 Ohm (or solder jumpers) and the resistors R22 and R38 should be removed. (DNP/DNI).

Accessing the external I2C bus

The i.mx 8M Plus has a number of I2C busses on board. Internally they are connected to a variety of onboard peripherals. Normally you will not need to address these peripherals directly, and they will be handled by Linux drivers.

• I2C1 - SOM only for PMIC control

• I2C2 - MIPI CSI1, LVDS1, DSI

• I2C3 - MIPI CS2, LVDS2, PCIe

• I2C4 - USB1 TCPC, USB2 TCPC, Secure Element, RTC

  • TCPC1 I2C ADDR: 1010001X

  • TCPC2 I2C ADDR: 1010010X

  • RTC I2C ADDR: 1010011X

  • PD1 I2C ADDR: 1110010X

  • PD2 I2C ADDR: 1110011X

  • SE050 I2C ADDR: 1001000X

External I2C #6 on AUX Connector

AUX connector: I2C bus #6 is pin-muxed with UART4 to the six pin JST-GH J12 connector and is the external I2C bus is enabled on the AUX port of the NavQ+. By default these are configured for I2C and not UART4 (internal MCU)

A table of the J12 pinout is below. Note that pin 1 is on the left side of the connector:

You only need to use pins 1, 2, 3, and 6 for I2C. These GPIO are 3.3 volt tolerant only.

I2C device detection

To detect that a device is present on the bus, you can run the following command:

i2cdetect -y 5

You may need to add the 'user' user to the i2c group to access the bus. To do this, run the following command, then log out and log back in:

sudo usermod -a -G i2c user

Secure Element and i2ddetect

The SE050 or SE05x secure element will not respond to an i2cdetect command. "Plug and Trust" software library should be used to interface with the external Secure Element.

I2C (I2C6) Locator

Schematic

Additional T1 Ethernet boards

The following boards also from the NXP Mobile Robotics team may be helpful when working with 100BaseT1 2-wire Automotive Ethernet. They are an adapter and a network switch. In addition to these baords, you may find other NXP EVKs and 3rd party boards that can also be used. In some cases you may need to adapt the two wire, two pin connector to match your own requrements.

This is a small dongle like board for quickly evaluating T1 Ethernet or to connect a laptop or sensor or companion computer with an RJ45 port into a 100BaseT1 port.

Using IX Industrial Ethernet

Use 100BaseT1 instead of IX Ethernet port

There are two boards from the mobile robotics team that can also convert from T1 Ethernet back to a 100BaseTX:

There are multiple UARTS on NavQPlus.

Because of pinmuxing these can sometimes be assigned to different uses and locations depending on the specifics of the Linux BSP and DTB files. The default configuration for NavQPlus LInux image provided at time of publication will be described here. Please double check any notes on your specific Linux Image if something varies from this configuration.

PCIe signals are on a flex cable connection located on the back of NavQPlus. A PCIe adapter has been prepared by a 3rd party to work with NavQPlus. It is not in production as of yet. Please contact hovergames@nxp.com for more details.

Introduction

UART4 is available for general use. Hardware flow control is supported.

Note from the schematic clip below, that the MPU can multiplex these signals with SPI2. This is normally configured in the Linux image, and is not the default configuration.

UART4 Locator

UART4 interface voltage

The signaling from the SOM to the NavQPlus carrier board on J11 is at 3V3

Alternative output is on the AUX connector at location J12 also at 3V3 signalling. However this is not the default linux BSP, and would require changes to the dtb files.

Schematic

J11/UART4 is the default location for UART4 signals. Also by default UART4 is assigned to the M7 Core on the i.MX8M Plus. An RTOS such as FreeRTOS or Zephyr would normally use it as the default console to the embedded MCU.

UART NetNames

Note signal names are differed on J11 vs J12. This is only a labelling detail, since the pinmuxing on the chip is used to "move" the UART4 interface from one set of pins on the MPU (and board to board header). In order to route these signals independently on the carrier board, they need their own net names.

UART ESD

All the UART signals are protected from ESD using the Nexperia IP4292CZ components. This is part of an optimized BOM as they are also required for the USB interfaces. In additional to its exceptional performance the board layout may be optimized because of being able to route traces straight under the component.

Software

UART3 may be accessed as a standard /dev/ttyS_ in Linux. <TODO-check wich ttyS number it is>

Introduction

UART1 is assigned to communicate with the Bluetooth portion of the WiFi/BT Wireless module on the NavQPlus Baseboard. Therefore it is not available for general use (outside of creating your own modified custom baseboard).

UART1 interface voltage

The signaling from the SOM to the NavQPlus carrier board on J16 is at 3V3 but the Murata 1ZM expects 1.8V. The level conversion is done using U26.

Software

Murata WiFi BT Module

The 88W8987 implements highly sophisticated enhanced collaborative coexistence hardware mechanisms and algorithms, which ensure that WLAN and Bluetooth® collaboration is optimized for maximum performance.

In IEEE 802.11ac mode, the WLAN operation supports rates of MCS0 - MCS9 (up to 256 QAM) in 20MHz, 40MHz and 80MHz channels for data rate up to 433Mbps.

Type 1ZM module is packaged in an impressively small form factor that facilitates integration into size- and power-sensitive applications such as IoT applications, handheld wireless system, gateway and more.

Introduction

UART3 is available for general use. Hardware flow control is supported.

Note from the schematic clip below, that the MPU can multiplex these signals with SPI1. This is normally configured in the Linux image and is not the default configuration.

UART3 Interface voltage

The signaling from the SOM to the NavQPlus carrier board on J9 is at 3V3 but the Murata 1ZM expects 1.8V. The level conversion is done using U26.

UART3 Locator

Schematic

All the UART signals are protected from ESD using the Nexperia IP4292CZ components. This is part of an optimized BOM as they are also required for the USB interfaces. In additional to its exceptional performance the board layout may be optimized because of being able to route traces straight under the component.

Software

UART3 may be accessed as a standard /dev/ttyS_ in Linux. UART3 may be accessed /dav/ttymxc2 in linux <TODO-check wich ttyS number it is>

Port configuration

NavQPlus includes two USB 3.0 Type C ports that are capable of acting as PD devices.

PD modes, Controller, Peripheral mode, USB Gadget Mode are configured at compile time, and may change depending on what image you are using.

The default image as of the date shown here configures the USB ports as follows. (Last updated 10/13/2023 )

USB 1:

USB-C port closest to the edge of the board.

This port is used for connecting devices, such as USB-C hubs, cameras, sensors, and more.

USB 2:

USB-C port closest to the middle of the board.

This port is used for powering the board, as seen in the Power page in the User Guide. This port accepts USB-C PD, and also allows data transfer.

USB Gadget Ethernet is supported over this port with the interface usb0.

Introduction

UART2 by default is the Debug or Console port into the main A53 processors running Linux on NavQPlus. It is possible to reassign its use by modifying the Linux configuration and .dtb files.

UART2 Locator

UART2 interface and voltage

The signaling from the SOM to the NavQPlus carrier board on J10 is at 3V3. Full handshaking with CTS RTS lines is provided:

Console connection

Normal configuration and usage of UART2 is a console for bootup and Linux. The benefit of using the debug/console is that you can observe all details from powerup.

Details of the console connection including the Baud rate are provided under "Serial Console" in the Quickstart section of this gitbook. See the link below:

Introduction

The AUX port contain is by default configured for I2C6 + GPIO. Alternative pinmuxing is available on AUX for UART4. Any alternative configurations are not default and need to be configured in the Linux Image and .dtb files

AUX interface voltage

The signaling from the SOM to the NavQPlus carrier board on J12 is at 3V3

Any alternative pinmuxed output configurations on the AUX connector would also be 3V3 signaling.

Aux Locator

Schematic

UART

Note that J11/UART4 is the default location for UART4 signals. Also by default UART4 is assigned to the M7 Core on the i.MX8M Plus. An RTOS such as FreeRTOS or Zephyr would normally use it as the default console to the embedded MCU.

GPIO

J12 "AUX" is includes two pins for GPIO labelled GPT1_CAPTURE1 and GPT2_CAPTURE2

ESD Protection

All the UART signals are protected from ESD using the Nexperia IP4292CZ components. This is part of an optimized BOM as they are also required for the USB interfaces. In additional to its exceptional performance the board layout may be optimized because of being able to route traces straight under the component.

Software

<TODO- describe how to access these GPT pins in software>

There are several ports which may have or may be configured for GPIO connection. In addition there are several SMT pads designed to allow access to GPIO and signals such as the PMIC controls. Refer to the schematics for details.

<<TODO - add more detail here, and pictures of the schematics. Add an example pin access if available>>

UART4 interface voltage

The signaling from the SOM to the NavQPlus carrier board on J11 is at 3V3

Alternative output is on the AUX connector at location J12 also at 3V3 signalling. However this is not the default linux BSP, and would require changes to the dtb files.

Schematic

Note that J11/UART4 is the default location for UART4 signals. Also by default UART4 is assigned to the M7 Core on the i.MX8M Plus. An RTOS such as FreeRTOS or Zephyr would normally use it as the default console to the embedded MCU. You may note that the signal names are differed on J11 vs J12. This is only a labelling detail, since the pinmuxing on the chip is used to "move" the UART4 interface from one set of pins on the MPU (and board to board header). In order to route these signals independently on the carrier board, they need their own net names.

All the UART signals are protected from ESD using the Nexperia IP4292CZ components. This is part of an optimized BOM as they are also required for the USB interfaces. In additional to its exceptional performance the board layout may be optimized because of being able to route traces straight under the component.

The NXP PCF2131 Nano-Power Highly Accurate RTC with Integrated Quartz Crystal is included on board. The PCF2131 is a CMOS real time clock (RTC) and calendar with an integrated temperature compensated crystal (Xtal) oscillator (TCXO) and a 32.768 kHz quartz crystal optimized for very high accuracy and ultra-low power consumption. This IC has four timestamping hardware inputs. These can log events such as tampering or an enclosure being opened even when no power is applied to the rest of the board. See the Datasheet for this part for more information.

Note this RTC is in addition to the internal RTC for the i.MX 8M Plus.

Note that at time of publishing, there are several Linux drivers available from various public sources, but the one integrated with the NavQPlus BSP does not support this function yet.

DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT

Rest and PMIC Control "GPIO"

A series of test points are available to access the Reset and PMIC controls one the NavQPlus board. These could be used where a remote button or other external controls are desired.

Misc GPIO Locator

<TODO> - complete mapping from Schematic to board layout (image here)

A LVDS LCD display interface using 1-2 ribbon cable connectors is available on the backside of NavQPlus. Refer to the schematics for details. This is an advanced configuration to drive LCD glass directly.

Introduction

An RC remote control can be made to connect directly to the NavQPlus in order to transmit joystick and switch settings information. This can be then used in other software (ROS2) as input to control aspects of a vehicle directly or indirectly, such as reading an RC channel as an "arming switch". Note that this method uses a USB-UART adapter to facilitate the connection, but technically it is possible to create a direct serial connection.

Requirements:

• FlySky FS-i6S RC transmitter

• FS-i6B receiver

• NavQPlus baseboard with Ubuntu image release 22.04.3 or above

• FTDI type USB-UART cable/adapter

Wiring

Connect the FS-i6B receiver to NavQPlus using TTL-UART cable (you need to prepare this cable yourself).

Connect the three TTL wires Black/Red/White to the FS-i6B receiver as depicted in the picture below:

After plugging the receiver to NavQPlus board, you should see a red LED blinking in the receiver. If your transmitter is already on, it should bind automatically to the receiver otherwise you can bind it manually under its system menu. After binding, the red LED should be constantly glowing.

Software setup

Under NavQPlus linux console, run the following command in the background in order to create a new joystick input device:

sudo inputattach --fsia6b /dev/ttymxc2 &

Now your receiver is attached, you can use it for your need (ROS, software simulation, ...)

In order to check it is detected properly, run jstest-gtk software.

The new controller should show up as "FS-iA6B iBus RC receiver". The bar graphs should change accordingly when you move the control sticks.

This section contains assorted notes, tips, tricks and links that may be helpful when working with the NavQPlus.

Keep in mind the date and context when they were given, as it is quite possible the detail may not be relevant by the time you view it.

This group of pages intended to be more of a miscellaneous notes section.

A MIPI DSI interface using a ribbon cable connector is available on the backside of NavQPlus. Refer to the schematics for details.

NXP provides eIQ tools for working with the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that is integral to the i.MX 8M Plus processor

Disable onboard Ethernet

Q: I have connected to WiFi . Is there a way to stop the occasional messages regarding eth1: ? The messages are pictured above in my 2:49PM post, The messages show up every 300 seconds A: Ed S 12/28/2022 - One option is to unbind the driver:

echo -n "30bf0000.ethernet" > /sys/bus/platform/drivers/imx-dwmac/unbind

Note: The redirected file may be opened by the shell before the "sudo echo" command is executed, therefore If the shell is not already root (via "sudo -i") a different form is needed:

sudo sh -c "echo -n 30bf0000.ethernet > /sys/bus/platform/drivers/imx-dwmac/unbind"

HowTo: Remove unattended upgrades

apt remove unattended-upgrades

HowTo: Install nano

GNU nano is an easy to use command line text editor for Unix and Linux operating systems. It includes all the basic functionality you’d expect from a regular text editor, like syntax highlighting, multiple buffers, search and replace with regular expression support, spellchecking, UTF-8 encoding, and more.

Note: There are other text editors that can be used, Nano is a popular one. Some of the HowTo below will use Nano as the editor.

To install:

sudo apt install nano

HowTo: Edit hostname

Run the following command to change your hostname. Assuming you want to use the hostname "compcom42".

sudo nano /etc/hostname compcom42 

Change the hostname in hosts file

sudo nano /etc/hosts 

… 
127.0.1.1 compcom42 

Add the additional entries 



192.168.42.11   compcom<id> 
192.168.42.5    navq<id>-d2x 
192.168.42.2    t1eth8 
192.168.42.6    d2xmodem 
192.168.42.21   radar1 
192.168.42.22   radar2 
192.168.42.23   radar3 

HowTo: Set static ip configuration

Network manager is used for network config. See steps below

Determine the interface to be used

nmcli con show 

Set static ip

Wired connection 2 = 1000base-TX / eth1 Wired connection 1 = 100base-T1 / eth0

nmcli con mod "Wired connection 2" 
  ipv4.addresses "192.168.42.11/24" 
  ipv4.gateway "IP_GATEWAY" (needs to be blank on static ip) 
  ipv4.dns "1.1.1.1,8.8.8.8" 
  ipv4.method "manual"  

HowTo: Install ROS

HowTo: Install VPN

Installing ROS2 on the NavQPlus

We have prepared an install script that will install ROS2 and all necessary packages on the NavQPlus.

To get the install script and run it, you can run the following in the terminal:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rudislabs/nxp_install/main/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

These are user submitted 3d printer files for use with NavQPlus and NXPHoverGames, NXPRoverGames, NXP-CUP or other. Note you may also find 3D printer files in other NXP Gitbooks, and by searhing Thingiverse or other 3d printer file repositories with some of the name above.

NavQPlus Mounting plate on HoverGames Drone

R.Scott.C — 12/24/2022 10:59 PM

I designed and 3D printed a mounting plate for the NavQPlus for the quadcopter.

Connecting to a WiFi network

We suggest using the nmtui command to connect to WiFi networks.

sudo nmtui

This command will show a terminal user interface for connecting to WiFi networks. It is recommended to connect to the NavQPlus over Ethernet before attempting to connect to WiFi.

Bugs and workarounds

<<<TODO review below for correctness based on latest Linux image 11/15/2022>>>

Ping spikes

Bug:

Currently when connected to a WiFi network and not connected to an Ethernet network, the NavQPlus will experience ping spikes in the range of up to 500ms. This is due to the WiFi chip attempting a periodic WiFi scan.

Workaround:

Currently there is no workaround for this issue. We are actively looking for a solution.

DNS bug

Bug:

You will notice that the NavQPlus is not able to connect to the internet after connecting to a WiFi network and rebooting. This is because NetworkManager will attempt to set a new DNS nameserver every boot.

Workaround:

To fix this, please follow the instructions below.

1. Delete /etc/resolv.conf

sudo rm /etc/resolv.conf

1. Create a new /etc/resolv.conf with the following contents:

nameserver 8.8.8.8

1. Create a new file at /etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/90-dns-none.conf

[main]
dns=none

Once you have completed these steps, reboot and you should have access to the internet over your WiFi connection.

There are both tall and short versions for the Google Coral camera mount used in HoverGames and MR-Buggy3. These links or clicking "Open in Fusion360" should take you to Fusion360 webpage where you can download the source files, STEP or STL for 3D printing as well as a variety of other formats:

Google Coral mount - Tall version

Google Coral mount - Short version

Camera mount on servo

Introduction

Setting up the MicroDDS Agent/MicroROS

One method used to communicate between the NavQPlus and the FMUK66v3 using T1 or Serial is by using MicroROS or the XRCE-dds Agent. To install these tools:

git clone https://github.com/eProsima/Micro-XRCE-DDS-Agent
cd Micro-XRCE-DDS-Agent
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

If using yocto, you can use the WIP meta package in your recipe.

https://github.com/dirksavage88/meta-dds

Alternatively, you can install micro-ROS through the ubuntu snap store

Another way to get micro-ROS is through Github as a ROS2 package. You can use the colcon build tools after sourcing the ROS setup.bash script in "/opt/ros/galactic/setup.bash"

colcon build --symlink-install

Follow the instructions for each package on how to run the agent. The agent is a broker for clients on the network (including the FMUK66) and allows topics from the pixhawk to be shared with the DDS global space.

To set up the NavQ+, follow instructions in the Setup Guide -eMMC for a static IP. The FMUK66 is IP "10.0.0.1". As an example, you can set the NavQ+ to "10.0.0.3" with a blank ipv4.gateway (no quotes or anything) on Wired Connection 1.

Then start the microdds agent that is installed in the home directory in the Micro-XRCE-DDS-Agent build folder.

./MicroXRCEAgent udp4 -p 2019

On the FMUK66, ensure you have flashed to main and enter the following command.

microdds_client start -t udp -h 10.0.0.3 -p 2019

You should see the topic listed in the mavlink console after running the client start, as well as topic, publishers, data writers, and creators on the agent side.

We welcome user submitted 3d printer files for use with NavQPlus and NXPHoverGames, NXPRoverGames, NXP-CUP or other. Note you may also find 3D printer files in other NXP Gitbooks, and by searching Thingiverse or other 3d printer file repositories with some of the name above.

In addtion on the following pages there are also direct links to Fusion360 files used with NavQPlus, HoverGames drone, and MR-Buggy3

Description

The NavQPlus_MR-Buggy3 demo is a demonstration of the capabilities of the NavQPlus, the MR-Buggy3 platform, and NXP's CAN Bus hardware and software support for ROS2.

This guide will walk you through setting up the MR-Buggy3 demo on both your laptop and the NavQPlus. This demo consists of:

1. A Gazebo Ignition simulation environment with the MR-Buggy3 model running

2. Connection to the actual Buggy3 hardware meaning HITL (hardware in the loop) control of the real life MR-Buggy3

3. A showcase of the NPU (neural accelerator) on the NavQPlus running inference on the real world camera data as well as a virtual camera from the simulation environment

4. ROS2 <-> Cyphal* <-> uORB transport (*transport layer only)

5. CAN communications from NavQ+ to the UCANS32K146 CAN-FD node driving a PWM and LED

6. PWM control in PX4 using the PCA9685

Setting up the laptop

To run this demo, you must have an Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 machine. It is recommended that you use a machine that has a dedicated GPU and that is running Ubuntu natively.

First step: Running the NXP install script

This install script first checks itself against the repo to ensure it is the latest version, then installs the packages needed for a baseline setting for the NXP mobile robotics team development environment on either a laptop, VM, or the NavQPlus targets. Download the nxp_install.sh script using a webbrowser to your local Linux machine.(Currently this) is located at

https://github.com/NXPHoverGames/nxp_install

Run

chmod a+x install.sh

on this script and run it on your machine.

This will install ROS2 and all required dependencies.

Second step: Creating a ROS2 workspace and building sim_ignition_bringup

It is recommended that you create a ROS2 workspace at ~/git/ros2/, but you are free to create it wherever you want. In this guide, we will use that location. Follow the steps below.

$ mkdir -p ~/git/ros2/src
$ cd ~/git/ros2/src
$ git clone https://github.com/NXPHoverGames/sim_ignition_bringup.git -b RoverGamesDemo
$ cd ..
$ colcon build --symlink-install
$ echo "source /home/$USER/git/ros2/install/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
$ source ~/.bashrc

Setting up the NavQ+

First step: Running the NXP install script

Follow the steps used above for your laptop to set up ROS2 on your NavQ+.

Second step:

You'll want to also create a ROS2 workspace on your NavQPlus. This step is similar to the step for setting up the laptop, but instead of cloning sim_ignition_bringup, you'll want to clone ros2_orchestrator. Follow the steps below.

$ mkdir -p ~/git/ros2/src
$ cd ~/git/ros2/src
$ git clone https://github.com/NXPHoverGames/ros2_orchestrator.git -b NavQPlusPX4Demo
$ cd ..
$ colcon build --symlink-install
$ echo "source /home/$USER/git/ros2/install/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
$ source ~/.bashrc

Running the simulation

Once you have connected everything according to the block diagram shown below, you will be ready to run the demo.

Prerequisites

ros2 launch ros2_orchestrator orchestrate.launch.py
source /home/$USER/git/ros2/install/setup.bash

To run the demo, open 4 terminal windows. Start with the battery plugged in and powering everything over the PDB, and make sure that the ESC is turned OFF.

Terminal 1

SSH into the NavQ+, then navigate to ~/git/ros2/src/canfd_msgs/scripts/. Inside this folder, run ./launch_example.sh. You should see the UCAN board turn on, start sending heartbeat messages, and then stop. NOTE: You should also see a 64 byte CAN frame get sent. This is the initialization for the PCA9685 PWM Driver. Once this message is sent, you are free to turn on your ESC.

Terminal 2

Run ros2 launch sim_ignition_bringup sim_ignition_bringup.launch.py and wait for the simulation to fully start.

Terminal 3

SSH into the NavQ+, then run ros2 launch ros2_orchestrator orchestrate.launch.py

Terminal 4

This terminal is for checking ros2 topics, launching additional rqt_image_views, and other commands as needed.

You should now have a working demo! The simulated car should be driving around the track. In each of the rqt_image_view windows that open, you can view the various camera streams that are running. Camera streams that are labeled "Debug" show the NPU inference running.

Typically embedded processors will operate without a desktop environment. Also note that an desktop environment is different from simply outputing graphics using something like QT.

• XFCE4 was used by HoverGames3 participants, running on vncserver (so accross a network through ssh rather than locally through HDMI output.) 12/28/2022

Inference examples

The i.MX 8M Plus SOC in the NavQPlus contains a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that can accelerate inference on the edge. There are some inference examples built into the NavQPlus image that will do image classification with the COCO dataset.

There is a TensorFlow Lite example in the /usr/bin/tensorflow-lite-2.6.0/examples/ folder. This example runs a mobilenet_v1 quantized image classification model. To run it, try the command below:

USE_GPU_INFERENCE=0 ./label_image --external_delegate_path=/lib/libvx_delegate.so -m mobilenet_v1_1.0_224_quant.tflite -i grace_hopper.bmp -l labels.txt

USE_GPU_INFERENCE=0 specifies that we want to run inference on the NPU. Removing this environment variable will run inference on the GPU.

To run inference on the GPU/NPU, you will need to use the libVX delegate, at the path /lib/libvx_delegate.so.

There is also a python script named label_image.py that contains example code for inference with TFLite.

Here are some tips an tricks related to the desktop/laptop linux host computer that you may use to connect to your NavQPlus.

Ubuntu HOST laptop cannot screens share in MS Teams

Reported June 2023 - IAFG We often communicate, and have debug sessions using Microsoft Teams, (or Zoom). During a session on Teams it is helpful to share the screen of the Ubuntu Host.

Current Ubuntu distributions (22.04) may only enable Wayland graphics by default. However X is required in order for screensharing to work with TEAMs and ZOOM (possibly others).

Depending on your LInux distribution you may be able to switch to X simply by logging out. Use the small gear icon in the lower right of the screen to then select Ubuntu using X.

Below is a copy of the instructions given in the link:

To disable Wayland and use xorg only:

1. Open your terminal and write sudoedit /etc/gdm3/custom.conf

2. Uncomment the value waylandEnabled=false -- just remove the #

3. Press Ctrl+O then Enter then Ctrl+X

4. Reboot your computer.

Introduction

Items Needed

Hardware Procedure

Power Supply Setup

1. Press "Power" Button.

2. Press "Output On/Off" Button.

3. Select "Voltage" from "Voltage/Current" Button.

4. Set the Voltage to 7.4 V from the "Tuning Nob."

5. Connect the output wires to XT60 M1 on buggy.

FMURT6 Software Procedure (on host machine)

Prerequisites

1. Unrestricted network connection

3. Setup ssh keys

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

sudo apt install git

Software Setup

mkdir -p ~/git/cognipilot/
cd ~/git/cognipilot/
git clone git@github.com:CogniPilot/helmet.git
cd helmet
./scripts/install.sh -f dream/mrbuggy3.yaml

source ~/.bashrc
source ~/.profile

Building and Flashing

cd ~/git/cognipilot/ws/cerebri/app/mrbuggy3
west build -b mimxrt1062_fmurt6 -p

west flash

NavQPlus Software Procedure (on navq+ board)

Prerequisites

2. Unrestricted network connection

3. Setup ssh keys

Accessing Shell

minicom -D /dev/<device_name> -b 115200

Software Setup

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install ros-humble-actuator-msgs

mkdir -p ~/git/cognipilot/src
cd ~/git/cognipilot/src
git clone git@github.com:CogniPilot/synapse_ros.git
git clone git@github.com:CogniPilot/synapse_msgs.git
git clone git@github.com:CogniPilot/synapse_protobuf.git
git clone git@github.com:CogniPilot/synapse_tinyframe.git

cd ~/git/cognipilot
colcon build --symlink-install

Network Setup

sudo vi ~/.net.sh

``` (Add the following lines in ~/.net.sh)
#!/bin/bash
sudo ethtool -s eth0 master-slave forced-slave
sudo ifconfig eth0 192.0.2.2 netmask 255.255.255.0
```

echo "bash /home/$USER/.net.sh" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Running and Demonstration

Execution on NavQPlus

ros2 run joy joy_node --ros-args -r /joy:=/cerebri/in/joy

cd ~/git/cognipilot/install
source setup.bash
ros2 launch synapse_ros synapse_ros.launch.py

Operation from Joystick

1. Set the Joystick to X-Input Mode (from the switch behind the controller).

2. Press the mode button such that the green light next to it is turned on.

3. Press green button A (0) to select manual mode.

4. Press start button (7) to arm in the selected mode.

5. Use vertical d-pad axis (1) for acceleration/reverse.

6. Use horizontal right-stick axis (3) for steering.

7. All controls: joy axes 1 is throttle, joy axes 3 is yaw/steering, button 7 is arm, button 6 is disarm, button 1 is mode manual, button 1 is mode auto, button 2 is mode cmd_vel.

Introduction

Items needed

Hardware procedure

Connections from SSD1306 OLED to J12 Port on NavQPlus

Software procedure

Overview

In this example software, a daemon service polls the desired network interface every one second for its link status and IP address and publishes the same on an OLED display.

Any of the standard network interfaces may be specified when starting the daemon.

Prerequisites

NavQPlus board setup

Install python libraries

Perform the following steps to clone the project and set-up the application.

sudo pip install smbus2 luma.oled luma.core pillow  # installing prerequisites.

cd ~
git clone git@github.com:NXPHoverGames/NavQPlus-apps.git  # cloning the repo.
cd NavQPlus-apps/ssd1306_oled

Create Daemon

Create a daemon service that will invoke our application in the background, by running the following steps. The command "systemctl start" starts a new instance of the application in the background,, "systemctl status" returns the running status and latest logs of the said instance of the application and "systemctl stop" terminates the said instance of the daemon service.

sudo mv ssd1306_interface_status@.service /etc/systemd/system
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

sudo systemctl start $(systemd-escape --template ssd1306_interface_status@.service "<interface> <display width> <display height>")

sudo systemctl status $(systemd-escape --template ssd1306_interface_status@.service "<interface> <display width> <display height>")

Example 1: 128x32 OLED display

Use the command below to track the "usb0" interface and the resolution of your OLED module is 128×32.

sudo systemctl start $(systemd-escape --template ssd1306_interface_status@.service "usb0 128 32")

Example 2: 128x64 OLED display

Use the command below to track the "usb0" interface and the resolution of your OLED module is 128×64.

sudo systemctl start $(systemd-escape --template ssd1306_interface_status@.service "usb0 128 64")

Stopping the interface

sudo systemctl stop  $(systemd-escape --template ssd1306_interface_status@.service "<interface> <display width> <display height>")

Demonstration with Videos

Displaying network and system status

Our application prints the link status and ip address of the specified network every one second on the SSD1306 OLED display. To change the link status of the network interface to UP or DOWN, you may use the following ifconfig commands. Note: when the link status is DOWN, the ip address is shown as NULL.

sudo ifconfig <interface name> up
sudo ifconfig <interface name> down

Displaying GIF and PNG files

Introduction

This tutorial explains how to operate APA102 LED Board via NavQPlus with ROS2 over UCANS32K1 Board. NavQPlus and UCANS32K1 boards will communicate via CAN-FD. UCANS32K1 and APA102 boards will communicate via SPI.

Items Needed

• NavQPlus Board

• USB-UART serial debugger cable

• 2 CAN Termination Resistor network

• CAN connector cable

• Micro SD Card

• An APA102 based RGB LED board

• UCANS32K146 or UCANS32K1SIC

• Jumper wires

• STEMMA QT / Qwiic JST SH 4-pin Cable

• Segger J-Link debugger or similar debugger

Hardware Procedure

APA102 LED Board

Note: we will be using three 3-LED APA102 Boards in this tutorial, each containing three RGB LEDs. The boards will be connected in daisy-chain network.

NavQPlus Board

UCANS32K1 Board

Software Procedure

UCANS32K1

Software Setup

git clone -b pr-ucan-pca9685 https://github.com/px4/px4-autopilot.git --recursive PX4-Autopilot-pr-ucan-pca9685.
cd PX4-Autopilot-pr-ucan-pca9685
git pull
make nxp_ucans32k146_pca9685 menuconfig

Enable 'apa102 led' driver and 'apa102 led' example in the menu. Note: You may search for their location in the menu by typing / followed by the name of the option. Ex: "/apa102" + enter.

Change the value of 'NUM_LEDS' macro in 'examples/apa102/apa102_main.c' to 3.

Building PX4

make nxp_ucans32k146_pca9685
    // output: build/nxp_ucans32k146_default/deploy/34.bin

Note: if you get error in the following line: snerr("ERROR: Each LED uses 4 bytes, so (buflen % 4)", apply the following patch in the 'platforms/nuttx/NuttX/nuttx' sub-directory.

Flashing PX4

Note: You may flash the attached file (configured for a 3-LED APA102 board), to skip the above steps.

// start jlink.exe.
connect
// specify the following:
    // device: s32k146;
    // target interface: s (which stands for swd);
    // interface speed: 1000 khz (recommended);
loadbin <path to 34.bin> 0x6000
// quit jlink tools by typing 'q'.

NavQPlus

NavQPlus WIC Image Clone & Setup

Flash the WIC image on the SD Card, using HxD.

• Credentials:

  • username: user.

  • password: user.

Receive heartbeat from UCANS32K1

sudo ip link set can0 down
sudo ip link set can0 up type can bitrate 1000000 dbitrate 4000000 loopback off fd on fd-non-iso off restart-ms 100

Note: you may see the output using the 'ifconfig' command.

ROS2 Setup

mkdir -p ~/git/ros2/src
cd ~/git/ros2/src
git clone https://github.com/NXPHoverGames/ros2_orchestrator.git -b NavQPlusPX4Demo

Note: if you get 'server certificate verification failed', you may run 'git config --global http.sslverify false' to turn off this check, or add the necessary certificate to the trust store of your operating system. Please note that the former method is only for testing purposes.

Replace the config.json file in ros2_orchestrator with the config.json attached below.

Set the 'max_leds' parameter in config.json equal to the number of LEDs in your APA102 board.

cd ~/git/ros2
colcon build --symlink-install

Note: if you get 'clock skew' warning, running 'find . -type f | xargs -n 5 touch' should resolve it. Otherwise reset the system clock.

echo "source /home/user/git/ros2/install/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
ros2 launch ros2_orchestrator orchestrate.launch.py

• Note: you may be prompted after successful execution to run further commands.

• ROS2 launcher may block the shell so you may need to open another shell via ssh on the ethernet ip to run your tests.

• If you get 'could not read from remote repository', replace 'git@' with 'https://' in clone links in config.json. also, replace ':' with '/'. ex: 'git@github.com:rudislabs/opencyphal_led.git' would become 'https://github.com/rudislabs/opencyphal_led.git'.

• If you get error related to usb0/mlan0 (which happens when these devices are not connected), comment out their tags in the '~/CycloneDDSConfig.xml' file.

Demonstration

Commands for publishing colors according to the number of leds in our setup: (Ex: we ran the command for 9-leds because we are using three 3-LED APA102 boards cascaded together.)

• 3-leds: ros2 topic pub /led_image sensor_msgs/msg/Image "{height: 1, width: 3, encoding: "rgb8", step: 9, data: [61,255,0, 255,255,61, 255,61,127]}".

• 6-leds: ros2 topic pub /led_image sensor_msgs/msg/Image "{height: 1, width: 6, encoding: "rgb8", step: 18, data: [0,0,255, 0,255,0, 255,0,0, 127,127,0, 127,0,127, 0,127,127]}".

• 9-leds: ros2 topic pub /led_image sensor_msgs/msg/Image "{height: 1, width: 9, encoding: "rgb8", step: 27, data: [0,0,255, 0,255,0, 255,0,0, 127,127,0, 127,0,127, 0,127,127, 61,255,31, 255,31,61, 61,31,255]}".

• 12-leds: ros2 topic pub /led_image sensor_msgs/msg/Image "{height: 1, width: 12, encoding: "rgb8", step: 36, data: [0,0,255, 0,255,0, 255,0,0, 128,128,0, 128,0,128, 0,128,128, 0,0,255, 0,255,0, 255,0,0, 128,128,0, 128,0,128, 0,128,128]}".