A few question about the OLinuXino-MAXI

[HardFault]

Hello everybody,

I am interested in the OLinuXino-MAXI, I read the User's manual but I still have a few question before I order it.

My first question is about the fuses :
I saw a post where it was said that the fuses doesn't need to be blown.
I just want a confirmation about that.

My second set of questions is about the U_DEBUG UART :
As I don't have a screen with a composite input, I want to be sure that the U_DEBUG UART is activated by default.
I also wanted to know if the USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F will be well recognised on my PC running linux (ubuntu 12.04, kernel 3.2.0).
Will I be able to communicate through minicom with something like /dev/ttyUSB0 ?
Can I use a custom Max232-based board ? Has it the same risks for the SD-Card as the USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F ?
What the use of the DEBUG pin ?

My third set of questions is about the board's communication capabilities in general :
I saw an UART, I2C and SPI in the UEXT port and the same I2C and SPI in the GPIO.
In the processor's chapter I saw that there is 3 UART.
But I only found the U_DEBUG UART and the UART on the UEXT port.
Is the third available ?

My last question is about the GCC compiler :
I saw in the User's manual that the hello world example is compiled on the board.
Can we use a cross-compiler ? Where can we find it ?

That's it for the moment, but I think I will have new questions very soon !

[Fadil Berisha]

I saw a post where it was said that the fuses doesn't need to be blown.
I just want a confirmation about that.

confirmed

I also wanted to know if the USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F will be well recognised on my PC running linux (ubuntu 12.04, kernel 3.2.0).

yes, minicom settings USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F:
A -    Serial Device      : /dev/ttyUSB0
E -    Bps/Par/Bits       : 115200 8N1

Will I be able to communicate through minicom with something like /dev/ttyUSB0 ?

yes

Can I use a custom Max232-based board ?

yes, 3V only.

What the use of the DEBUG pin ?

This is for 1-wire protocol to 6-wire JTAG interface. Used with special JTAG interface. Olimex make them. You don't need this for linux developing.

But I only found the U_DEBUG UART and the UART on the UEXT port.
Is the third available ?

Please consult Reference Manual. IMX23RM. There you will find pinmux for all pins. If you want to expose on external connectors, probably need to sacrifice something else.

Can we use a cross-compiler ? Where can we find it ?

yes, cross-compiler is preferred method for complex applications.  To produce code for olinuxino needed  arm-linux-gnueabi- toolchain with ARMv5 support. Because Ubuntu has default toolchain arm-linux-gnueabi for ARMv7arm, solution is to get proper toolchain from Debian repositories:

Make backup of file: /etc/apt/sources.list
Create new /etc/apt/sources.list as follow:

#
# -- Emdebian cross toolchains
#
deb http://www.emdebian.org/debian squeeze main

Install Emdebian package:

sudo apt-get install emdebian-archive-keyring
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gcc-4.4-arm-linux-gnueabi

Restore your original /etc/apt/sources.list

Hope this help

Fadil Berisha

[HardFault]

Thank you for your answers.

I got my board with a Samsung 2GB Micro SD card.

Will I need to insert the card and power the board before plugging the USB-SERIAL-CABLE-F ?

[olimex]

you can connect the USB cable but please do first power the board then plug the USB cable to the USB otherwise you may lock your card as explained in the users manual

[Dataedge]

Hi everyone,

maybe this is a silly question but, what is the most complete Linux/Kernel to date ?

I mean with I2C, SPI(HW), AUART1, audio, TVout device drivers (working properly).
The Linux distribution or the Kernel version is not essential, the main thing is to have at least I2C, SPI(HW), AUART1 ready to use.

Thanks