Verdin IMX8MP + Mallow Carrier board bring up

Technical Support
1

I am following the getting started guide for how to flash and boot into my IMX8MP + MAllow carrier board set up, however I am getting confused.

I have got into the Torizon Easy Installer, however my device has no wifi, and the ethernet address under Network states “No Address Assigned” (despite being connected to my host PC). So I have followed the guide to download the latest image from here (OS 7.6.1+build.38), and deliver it to the Easy Installer using a USB / microSDcard. This version matches the version stated at the bottom of my Easy Installer splashcreen.

However, Once I install (successfully) and reboot, after the Torizon splashcreen flashes up, the screen just remains black (backlight on).

When I try SSHing into the device following the next steps in the guide (ssh torizon@verdin-imx8mp-SN) - nothing appears to be there.

I have tried to nmap scan the 192.168.X.X but cannot find a device.

I am unsure on my next steps, should I expect to see a display GUI out of the HDMI on my Mallow board on boot up? How can I check the UBOOT settings / config?

2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

I might make mistakes or occasionally get you wrong. Our support team will step in if needed.

Let me help you troubleshoot your Verdin iMX8M Plus and Mallow carrier board setup. Based on your description, there are several potential issues to address.

Expected Behavior and Display Output

Yes, you should expect to see a GUI on the HDMI output after installing Torizon OS (1). The HDMI interface on the Mallow carrier board is compatible with Verdin iMX8M Plus modules (1).

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Check for Known HDMI Issues

There’s a known issue with Mallow carrier boards that might affect your HDMI display. The Mallow V1.0A, V1.1A, and V1.1B versions have an errata where “SoMs inserted on Mallows may have problems reading EDID on multiple displays using native HDMI due to a bidirectional level shifter in the DDC circuit causing interference” (2). This could explain why you’re seeing a black screen after boot.

2. Network Configuration Issues

For the network connectivity problem during Easy Installer:

  • Ensure your network can provide the module with an IP address via DHCP and internet access (1)
  • Try using a different Ethernet cable or switch/router
  • The Ethernet connector is the GBIT ETH (X2) connector on the Mallow board (1)

3. Alternative Access Methods

Since SSH isn’t working, try these approaches:

Serial Console Access:

  • Connect to the debug UART to access the serial console
  • This will give you direct access to check boot logs and system status

Recovery Mode:

  • You can enter recovery mode using the USB Type-C DRP connector (X8) (1)
  • This allows you to reload the Toradex Easy Installer if needed

4. Power Supply Verification

Double-check your power supply setup:

  • Ensure your power supply is within the rating board limits (7-27V for the X6 connector) (1)
  • Verify the polarity is correct and the power supply’s current capacity is sufficient (1)
  • For evaluation purposes, a 12V 2A power supply is recommended (1)

5. Hardware Verification

Check the module connection:

  • Verify the Verdin module is properly seated in the X1 connector (1)
  • Ensure the retaining clips are properly engaged (1)

Recommended Next Steps

  1. Try a different HDMI cable and display - This addresses the potential EDID issue
  2. Access via serial console - Connect to the debug UART to see boot messages
  3. Verify network configuration - Ensure DHCP is available on your network
  4. Check power supply specifications - Confirm voltage and current ratings

If the HDMI issue persists and you’re using Mallow V1.1B or earlier, this may be related to the known EDID errata (2). The issue is fixed in Mallow V1.1C.

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.

3

I cannot debug on the Mallow device because it doesn’t come with a UART over serial for JTAG/USB debugging.

I cannot access the IP address for ssh as mentioned.

Just to note, I have also tried different versions of the Tezi + Torizon core. versions 6.8.7 and 6.8.8 (+build.44) respectively also do not work together with the same issues.

My Module is: 0070 Verdin IMX8M Plus 8GB WB IT
Ver: V1.1A
S/N: 08686634

4

Actually, the Mallow Carrier Board does have a debug UART interface available. According to the documentation, the debug UART signal levels on the Mallow carrier board are 1.8V (1). The recommended USB-UART converter is the FTDI TTL-232RG-VREG1V8-WE (1).

Debug UART Access

You can access the serial console through the debug UART to troubleshoot your boot issues (1). This will allow you to see boot messages and determine what’s happening during the boot process.

Known HDMI Issue Pattern

Your symptoms match a known issue reported by other users with the same hardware combination. A community thread describes exactly the same problem: Verdin iMX8M Plus with Mallow carrier board experiencing video output for a few seconds, then black screen with no video signal (2).

The user in that thread found an interesting correlation: when the UART header is connected to PC during power-on, the board experiences display problems, but when the UART header is NOT connected, the recovery menu works properly and OS images can be installed successfully (2).

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Try Without UART Connected

Power on the board without any UART connection and see if the display works properly after OS installation.

2. HDMI Compatibility Testing

Try different HDMI cables and displays, as the issue could stem from HDMI mismatch between the Verdin iMX8M Plus HDMI output and your display, including factors like color space, bit depth, resolution, refresh rate, HDMI version, and EDID (2).

3. Recovery Mode Access

You can enter recovery mode using the USB Type-C DRP connector (X8) (3). This allows you to reload Toradex Easy Installer if needed (4).

4. Alternative Installation Method

If the USB OTG approach continues to have issues, you can try loading TEZI from external media (SD Card/USB Stick) (4). This method relies on Distro Boot and is configured to boot in the following order: SD Card, internal eMMC, USB Stick (4).

Hardware Verification

Your module (0070 Verdin iMX8M Plus 8GB WB IT V1.1A) is compatible with the Mallow carrier board (1). The HDMI interface on the Mallow carrier board is specifically compatible with Verdin iMX8M Plus modules (3).

Given the pattern described in the community thread, I’d recommend first trying the installation without any UART connections, then connecting the debug UART only after successful OS installation to investigate further if needed.

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.

5

Hi!

Concerning the HDMI output, once you boot Torizon OS you should have access to the gui.

About the network: Do you have DHCP configured? you say you connected to the host PC. is your PC acting as DHCP? You can try to use a router instead.

UART3 and UART4 are available on X11 but the mallow board comes without a header for those pins, so you need to solder it.

Hope it helps!
N

6

Hi @nmiglio,

Thanks for the response - I can see you also have worked with the Verdin IMX8M + Mallow combo.

I have my host PC set up to be automatic DHCP - is there somewhere on the Toradex site I missed regarding added configuration for SSH?

For my own sanity, ca you share what version of Torizon OS and Tezi you used to get the device up and running with GUI out on the HDMI?

Would help a lot,

Thanks

7

I did simply follow the quickstart guide (Quickstart Guide | Toradex Developer Center) and installed the suggested image (7.6 I think).
Can you access the board via network when you boot the installer? you should be able to ping it or also connect via VNC. If not, I would focus on sorting out the network connection first (change cable, add a router).

Best regards
N

8

Sounds like the same as what I did, with the same image version.

When I enter the Torison Easy installer I can see the device has a USB ethernet address under the network configuration - this I can ping (but not SSH into). Then once I install an image and proceed to boot, the ethernet is knocked off and I can no longer identify it.

I cannot tell if the ethernet fails to be configured there after, or if the ethernet just changes address from that stated in the Torizon easy installer.

Thanks,

Cameron

9

Hello @cking23 !

This is a known issue on Torizon Easy Installer, specifically with versions 7.3 and 7.4. You can simply update to version 7.5 or onwards of TEZI and it should be fixed, or you can reboot the module into recovery mode as a workaround.
To be sure, I’ll also try to reproduce the issue on my end and see if the workaround works, but let me know if simply updating to a newer version works for you.

10

Hi @joaom.tx,

Thanks for the response.

I have already tried Torizon Easy Installer version 7.6.1, to flash Torizon OS 7.6.1+build.38

This fails.

When I flash with just Torizon OS (Core I believe?) I get a black, backlit screen after the Torizon loading splashcreen disappears.

When I flash with the Torizon OS easy pairing (still version 7.6.1) a splashscreen appears stating to pair the device with Torizon cloud or Visual studio code - but it flickers (turning to black and back every 5 seconds or so).

I am surprised if such a bug is present for simply getting the device booted! I must be doing something wrong but I cannot figure out what…

Please help!

Thanks,

Cameron

11

Regarding the Torizon OS image, this is actually expected behavior!

Unlike Debian or Ubuntu, Torizon OS does not include a desktop environment by default. To display a UI, you would need a container running with a graphical interface inside it. If you’re using the version with Easy Pairing enabled, you can sync it to Torizon Cloud and deploy a demo application quite easily.

If you prefer something more visual out of the box, I’d recommend installing the Linux Multimedia image via Torizon Easy Installer. It comes with a graphical interface included.

As for the flickering issue, could you test with a different HDMI display and cable to help us determine whether the problem persists?

12

Hi @joaom.tx ,

Ah ok, that wasn’t very clear from the original guide I was expecting a GUI thats my bad!

I was able to boot it using the 7.6.1 upstream multimedia image, with this i could ssh into the device using the USB ethernet on the 192.168.11.1 address.

There was still no GUI, but I was able to use the HDMI out of my mallow board to displaye a gstreamer video sink - despite the fact that when poking the dmesg values I can see that this image uses the device tree overlay of the Verdin development board.

For continual development of C++ applications, do you recommend using the easy pairing image and trying to get it to pair with VScode? (Note I still couldnt get this working as I cant SSH with that image, but I will try again

13

Hello @cking23,

Is the device connected directly to the PC?

If yes, you would need to setup the PC to be the gateway of this network, so that the SoM can access the internet via the PC.
An active network connection to the SoM and a PC in the same network of the SoM are very important to be able to use the Torizon IDE Extension.
You could develop for Torizon with containers without the IDE Extension, but the process would be a bit more complicated, at least for the initial setup.

A DHCP server running on the PC would also allow the SoM to get an IP address, however a static IP configuration would be an alternative as well.

Usually it is simpler that the device and your PC are on the same local network with access to the internet.
This is the intended case to use the IDE Extension and Quickstart guide.
However, I have seen other people routing the internet via their PC when the network is somewhat restricted.

There are also a few other point to touch here:

  • Use of the Upstream Reference Multimedia Image, as per BSP 7 this image is still experimental. Some features may not work. Torizon OS for the Verdin iMX8MP is based on the downstream image for that reason.
  • The default device tree loaded is always the development board one, which should be compatible with other carrier boards we provide, but may be lacking in features when used in different boards. The quickstart guide covers how you can change the device tree in a single system: Step #6 - Quickstart Guide | Verdin iMX8MP + Mallow Carrier Board

For production, you would actually want to configure this in the image that is installed from the start.
We provide TorizonCore Builder, which can set custom device trees for Torizon images.
It is also possible to do this in a Yocto build.

Best Regards,
Bruno

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14

Hi @bruno.tx,

Thanks for this response I see now, I was misunderstanding the set up configuration and didnt realise the DHCP config had to be set up to grab and assign the address of the Verdin module.

I have done so and forwarded internet access from the Host PC to the target device, I am now able to SSH in using the 7.6.1 Easy pairing image. I will now try and set up the Torizon extension for VScode.

Thanks for clearing this up.

Cameron

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