User`s guide

i.MX53 System Development User’s Guide, Rev. 1
Freescale Semiconductor xvi
About This Guide
The i.MX53 multimedia applications processor (i.MX53) is Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.’s latest
addition to a growing family of multimedia-focused products that offer high performance processing
optimized for the lowest power consumption. The i.MX53 processors feature Freescale’s advanced
implementation of the ARM Cortex-A8™ core which operates at speeds as high as 1.2 GHz. The
integrated memory controller is compatible with DDR2-800, LVDDR2-800, and DDR3-800 DRAM, as
well as LPDDR2-800 in the PoP package.
This product is suitable for applications such as:
• Automotive navigation and entertainment
• High-end mobile Internet devices and high-end PDAs
•Tablets
• Smart mobile devices
• High-end portable media players with HD video capability
• Portable navigation devices
• Gaming consoles
• Industrial HMI
Freescale provides a number of tools that facilitate the rapid design-in of the i.MX53 Applications
Processor for consumer, automotive, or industrial products. These tools include the i.MX53 software
developer’s kit (SDK), the i.MX53 Quick Start Board, the SABRE platform for tablets based on the
i.MX53, and the SABRE platform for automotive infotainment. These tools allow the rapid prototyping
of new products prior to commitment to production-level designs. Once you have determined the precise
features, function and physical parameters of your product, these prototyping tools along with this
document, the i.MX53 System Development User’s Guide, aid you in the design, layout, and bring-up of
your design.
Along with tips on designing your custom circuit board, this guide helps you customize Freescale provided
software utilizing the development tools provided in the SDK. This guide assumes that you have access to
generally available software tools (such as compilers, linkers and Make builders) as well as Freescale’s
Linux Target Image Builder (LTIB).
Audience
This document is targeted to software and hardware engineers who desire to port the i.MX53 board support
package (BSP) to customer-specific products. The audience is expected to have a working understanding
of the ARM processor programming model, the C programming language, tools such as compilers and
assemblers, and program build tools such as MAKE. Familiarity with the use of commonly available
hardware test and debug tools such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers is assumed. An understanding of
the architecture of the i.MX53 application processor is also assumed.