Consumer and Industrial/General Embedded Market
i.MX233 Applications Processor
32-bit Embedded Microprocessor – ARM®
Overview
The i.MX233 applications processor extends
Freescale’s ARM9 portfolio and introduces
several unique features such as power
management, analog audio, 12-bit ADC’s and
a touch screen controller that allows customers
to eliminate external components, reducing
their overall system bill of materials cost. The
i.MX233 integrates industry-leading power
management technology to manage the power
sequencing required by the processor itself
and supplies power to other components in
the system, such as external memories, from
a single Li-Ion battery. Additionally, analog
audio features such as the stereo ADC/DAC
and amplifiers, plus a mono speaker amplifier
provide a complete solution in a single device
for multimedia applications. Furthermore, many
consumer applications require a rich graphical
user interface which is supported with the LCD
touch screen controller and basic hardware
graphics acceleration with the pixel pipeline
processor.
The i.MX233 is offered in two packages to
provide more tailored options for the various
target applications. The 169 BGA package
provides access to all of the features of the
i.MX233. The 128 LQFP package provides
a subset of these features in order to fit into
the smaller pin count package. This smaller
package option is ideal for cost-sensitive entry
level applications that use small displays, don't
require touchscreen user interface and have
manufacturing restrictions (number of board
layers). The feature differences are shown in the
block diagram and table.
Target applications
• PortableMediaPlayers
• PortableNavigationDevices
• HomeAppliances
• GraphicalRemoteControls
• HomeAutomation
• eBooks
• DigitalPictureFrames
• Audioperipheralsandaccessories
• VoIPHandsets
• Simplehumanmachineinterface(HMI)
panels for industrial applications
Key Features
CPU
• ARM926EJ-S™runsupto454MHz
• 16KBI&DL1Cache
Power Management
• IntegratedDC-DCconverterwithmultiple
channel outputs
• SupportsLi-Ionbatteries
• Directpowerfrom5Vsource(USB,wall
power or other source)
• Batterychargingcapability
• On-chipsiliconspeedandtempsensors
Connectivity
• High-SpeedUSBHost/Devicewith
integratedPHY
• UART
• Serialperipheralinterfaces(SPI)
• 12-bitLow-ResolutionADC(LRADC)
• 3.3VgeneralpurposeI/O
Multimedia and Graphics Processing
• Displaycontrolleroptimizedforupto
24-bit-per-pixelVGA(640x480)resolution
• Pixelprocessingpipeline(PXP)tohandle
post display frame pre-processing in
hardware with minimal memory overhead
• TVEncoderand10-bitVideoDACout
Memory
• Internal32KBSRAM
• SupportforexternalDDR1,mDDR
• SupportforexternalNANDwithhardware
errorcorrection(20-bitBCHor8-bit
ReedSolomon)
• SupportforexternalmanagedNANDs
viaSDIO
Audio
• StereoanalogaudioADC/DAC
• Stereoheadphoneamplifier
• 1.5Wmonospeakeramplifieroutput
• S/PDIFdigitaloutput
• SerialAudioInterface(I2S)
Benefits
CPU Performance and Low Power
454MHzARM9CPUwithampleheadroom
for many consumer and embedded
applications without sacrificing battery life.
For plugged in “always on” devices, the low
power consumption of the i.MX233
can improve energy efficiency.
Simplified Development
The integration of mixed-signal analog such
as power management, analog audio and
A/D channels reduces system complexity
and speeds time-to-market. In addition, an
imageprocessingunitsupporting24-bitVGA
displays is integrated to provide rich user
interfaces.Withawiderangeofconnectivity
options,suchasUART,SDIO,USBandI2C,
the i.MX233 processor provides the ability to
connect wirelessly to other devices, through
the use of off-chip Bluetooth™,Wi-Fiandother
wireless protocols.
Learn More: For current information about Freescale
products and documentation, please visit
www.freescale.com/imx233
FreescaleandtheFreescalelogoaretrademarksorregisteredtrademarksofFreescaleSemiconductor,Inc.intheU.S.andother
countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.
©FreescaleSemiconductor,Inc.2009
DocumentNumber:IMX233FS/Rev0
Cost Efficient
The integration of mixed-signal analog such
as power management, analog audio and
A/D channels eliminates external components
thereby reducing overall system bill of
materials cost.
Optimized System-on-Chip
WithanARM9coreoperatingupto454MHz,
the i.MX233 processor is designed to
maximizeperformanceandextendbattery
life. An integrated power management system
enablesefficientMIPSperapplicationwhile
clock gating and multiple low power modes
optimizelowpowerperformance.
Thei.MX233alsoincludesbootfromSLC,
MLCandmanagedNANDscapabilityand
supportsupto20-bitBCHor8-bitReed
Solomonerrorcorrectiontoimprovereliability.
Development Tools
Freescale delivers the i.MX23 evaluation kit
that is price-effective with out compromising
performance and allowing the customer to
ultimately develop, debug and demonstrate
the personality of their next great product.
The evaluation kit includes support for Linux®,
DDR1,NAND,SDIOandUSB.Anoptional
displaymoduleusinga4.3”WQVGATFTLCD
is also offered.
Package options
Part Number Temp ranges Package
MCIMX233DJM4B -10C to +70C 169
MAPBGA ,
0.8mm
MCIMX233CJM4B -40C to +85C 169
MAPBGA ,
0.8mm
MCIMX233DAG4B -10C to +70C 128LQFP
MCIMX233CAG4B -40C to +85C 128LQFP
Function 128 LQFP 169 BGA
External Memory Interface 1 chip enable , 64MB 2 chip enables, 128MB
General Purpose Media Interface (GPMI) 8-bit data NAND data width 16-bit data NAND data width
LCD Interface (LCDIF) 8-bit serial 8-bit serial, 24-bit parallel
Mono Speaker Amplifier No Yes
Serial Audio Interface (I2S) 0 2
A/D Channels 2 6
UARTs 1 Debug UART, 1 App UART 1 Debug UART, 2 App UARTs
Synchronous Serial Ports (SSP) SSP1 – 4-bit data SSP1 – 8-bit data
Rotary Encoder Muxed with PWM, Debug UART Dedicated
Real Time Clock (RTC) 24MHz 32kHz and 24MHz
PWM Channels 3 5
i.MX233 Applications Processor
Power Management
DC/DC 4.2V LD0 x 4
Battery Charger
Security
DRM Unique ID OTP AES Key
128-bit AES SHA-1 Hashing
Standard System
Timer x 4 PWM x 5
Watch Dog DMA
Ext Memory I/F
NAND
BCH 20-bit
mDDR
RS ECC8
DDR1
Internal Memory
32 KB SRAM
64 KB ROM
Ext Storage
MMC+/SD x 2
User I/F
LCD Controller
Touch Screen
Rotation
Color Space
Conversion
Scaling
Alpha Blending
Audio
S/PDIF Tx
Stereo ADC/DAC
with Amp
1.5W Mono
Speaker Amp
Standard
Connectivity
I2C
SPI x 2
UART
12-bit ADC
HS USB Phy
GPIO
16 KB I-cache 16 KB D-cache
i.MX233 ARM926EJ-S™
454 MHz
Multimedia
10-bit Video DAC
PAL/NTSC
Analog
TV Encoder
ETM SJTAG
System Debug
I2S x 2
Not available in QFP package