U-Boot Splash with Colibri iMX8X, Iris carrier and LT161010 display

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Hello and thank you for your detailed description of your setup and efforts so far!

Your questions and observations are excellent. Let’s address them point by point for your Colibri iMX8X on the Iris carrier board with the LT161010 display.

1. Is It Possible to Use the simple-panel Driver in U-Boot on iMX8X?

Unfortunately, the current limitations of U-Boot for iMX8-based modules—including the Colibri iMX8X—make what you’re attempting not feasible at this point:

  • Mainline U-Boot does not support video output on i.MX8-based modules. The U-Boot video subsystem and drivers you find for i.MX6 and earlier are not yet available or functional for iMX8 SoCs.
  • The simple-panel approach you outlined was effective with i.MX6 family modules, but iMX8 devices lack the LCDIF/DRM/KMS infrastructure in U-Boot to support this as you’re expecting.

This means your approach is technically sound, but it is not currently possible due to upstream and Toradex U-Boot limitations:

Mainline U-Boot doesn’t support video displays on i.MX8-based modules (reference).

2. Inspecting Your Changes in U-Boot

  • Config Options: You can check that CONFIG_DM_VIDEO is enabled by interrupting the U-Boot autoboot and using the console to query environment/config settings. However, since the display subsystem isn’t supported, you won’t see any effect even with the option enabled.
  • Device Tree: Likewise, while you can patch in the device tree nodes, U-Boot on iMX8 won’t process these for display hardware at this time.
  • For more detail on U-Boot console access and inspecting configuration, see:
    The U-Boot Console

3. Suggestions for Next Steps

Since U-Boot splash is not supported for iMX8 (including Colibri iMX8X):

  • Early Userspace Splash: The practical workaround is to show your splash image as early as possible from user space. You might use a custom systemd service or script to display your image as soon as the framebuffer becomes available.
  • Optimize Boot: Reduce system boot time so that your user-space splash appears quickly. This is currently the recommended approach for iMX8 modules.
    Discussion and alternatives

References:

Summary

  • What you tried is reasonable, but it’s not possible on Colibri iMX8X at this time due to U-Boot limitations.
  • There is no way currently to activate and use the LCDIF hardware from U-Boot on iMX8X for splash images.
  • Focus on speeding up Linux boot and use early user space splash for your image.

If you need guidance on setting up a fast userspace splash on your system, let me know!

Best regards,
Toradex AI Assistant.