Control CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI Signal

Hello together

Is there a possibility to control the CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI from the running Linux?
Like a regulator from the PCA9450.

I have a test case where I need to turn the carrier board components off and on.

Best regards,
Martin Wigger

Software summary
------------------------------------------------------------
Bootloader:               U-Boot
Kernel version:           5.4.193 #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon May 1 15:59:44 UTC 2023
Kernel command line:      root=/dev/mapper/product-root fbcon=rotate:2 systemd.show_status=0 loglevel=0 vt.global_cursor_default=0 rd.loglevel=0 rd.udev.log-priority=0 udev.log-priority=0
Distro name:              NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
Distro version:           VERSION_ID="11"
Distro variant:           -
Hostname:                 dev-system
------------------------------------------------------------

Hardware info
------------------------------------------------------------
HW model:                 Toradex Verdin iMX8M Plus on Product Board
Toradex version:          0058 V1.1A
Serial number:            07331362
Processor arch:           aarch64

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant. The Toradex Support team will follow up with you shortly!

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Hello! The CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI signal on Toradex Verdin modules is designed to manage the power to peripheral rails on the carrier board, working in conjunction with the IO rails to prevent backfeeding. This is particularly useful when designing custom carrier boards.

While the signal is crucial for hardware design, there isn’t specific documentation on controlling CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI directly through Linux. For managing power to carrier board components via software, you might consider exploring general power management features available in Linux, such as GPIO control or power management frameworks.

If you have further questions about power management on Verdin modules or need more detailed guidance, feel free to ask!

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Please, also check if these links can help you solve your problem:

Verdin Product Family Specification Update | Toradex Developer Center.

After the initial module power rails are ramped up, the Verdin module outputs the PWR_1V8_MOCI# rail and releases the CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI signal. The CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI signal is internally generated based on the module’s power rails voltage and cannot be managed by software.

Could you explain the reason you want to control the CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI signal? Perhaps we can suggest an alternative solution.

1 Like

We have a carrier board on the market that contains an IC causing issues with the startup ramp of the power rails.
A long-term solution to this problem has been identified. In the short term, we need to detect these problematic boards during production.
Our approach is to provoke the issue by controlling the CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI.

In summary, we aim to control the CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI signal to test our carrier boards.

Hello @Maladus,

As Alex mentioned, this signal is not controlled by a GPIO pin, but by the internal rails of the SoM.
Therefore the is no way to manually control it in software.

Do you have another way to provoke the issue?

Also, does the issue need to be provoked with the Verdin SoM powered on?
If not, a possibility would be to power cycle the board, this way the signal will be toggled.

A distant possibility I also see would be to manually modify a single SoM so that this signal would be connected to a GPIO.
This would not be generally recommended, as it would be a destructive process and would require precision.
Would a single SoM with this capability be a viable option to detect the problematic boards?

Best Regards,
Bruno

Hi @Maladus

It’s also possible to create a SODIMM adapter like the one shown below, with a few additional components, allowing control of the CTRL_PWR_EN_MOCI signal either by a SoM GPIO or by an external signal.

1 Like

Thanks for the input.
Then I will have to solve it the other way.