Setting Up Reference Hardware Platform

Owned by Vladimir Khusainov
Last updated: Mar 22, 2024 by Natalia SofronovaVersion comment
5 min read

1. Overview

This application note provides instructions on how to setup the Renesas RZ/V2H EVK board as a hardware reference platform for running Emcraft software robotics distribution.

The Renesas RZ/V2H EVK board is built around the Renesas RZ/V2H System-On-Chip (SoC), which incorporates quad-core 64-bit Arm® Cortex®-A55 application processor (up to 1.8 GHz), dual-core 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-R8 real-time processor (up to 800 MHz), and a 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M33 processor for system management (up to 200 MHz). Additionally the RZ/V2H SoC include powerful video, 3D and image processing blocks, along with a dedicated AI accelerator core (dynamically reconfigurable processor for AI - DRP-AI). All these features make the Renesas RZ/V2H SoC applicable for modern engineering solutions that demand high computing power and great AI performance.

Emcraft provides a software robotics platform for the Renesas RZ/V2H System-On-Chip (SoC). That software platform is defined as the Linux BSP and Yocto distribution for the RZ/V2H device, with various software enhancements and features aiming to allow seamless integration of the RZ/V2H into robotics applications.

2. Hardware Setup

The Renesas RZ/V2H EVK board implements a Carrier/SoM design. Thus, most auxiliary components and peripheral connectors are located on the Carrier board, while the RZ/V2H SoC and main components, such as DDR memory, are located on the SoM (System-on-Module):

Renesas RZ/V2H EVK Board

Follow the below steps to setup the board, and connect all mandatory and optional peripherals.

2.1. Connecting Power Source

For powering up the RZ/V2H board, use a Type-C to Type-A USB cable, and connect the Type-C side of the cable to the CN40 connector of the board. The Type-A side of the cable should be connected to a 5V USB power source capable of providing at least of 2A current. After connecting the cable, turn on the power switch located on the SoM. A green LED light up near the SoM power switch indicates that power is applied to the RZ/V2H board:

Power Supply Connector and Power Switch Locations

2.2. Connecting Serial Console

The serial console connection is the main interface to the RZ/V2H board that allows to program and control the board in situations when other interfaces, such as network or USB interface, are not ready, or not configured.

To connect the serial interface, use a Type-C to Type-A USB cable, and connect the Type-C side of the cable to the CN10 connector on the RZ/V2H carrier board. The Type-A side of the cable should be connected to a host PC that will be used as a terminal for controlling the board:

The serial console interface is configured for using the “115200 8N1” mode by default. Thus, appropriate settings should be selected in the serial terminal program, running on the host PC after connecting the serial cable to the host.

2.3. Setting Up Boot Source

The SW1 dip switch, located on the RZ/V2H SoM allows to select different boot sources for the Renesas RZ/V2H EVK board. The following boot sources are supported by the board:

  • SPI Flash

  • SCIF (serial interface)

  • EMMC

  • uSD card

The Emcraft RZ/V2H software distribution currently supports only the first two boot sources, i.e. SPI Flash and SCIF. The SCIF boot mode is used for the initial SPI Flash programming. During that procedure Arm Trusted Firmware (ATF) and U-Boot boot loader are written to the SPI Flash. After that the board can boot from the SPI Flash.

For selecting the SCIF boot mode, set the pins 1 and 5 of the SW1 switch to “On” position, and pin 4 to the “Off” position, as shown on the below picture:

For selecting SPI Flash boot mode after programming the SPI Flash, switch the SW1_5 pin to “Off”.

Refer to the below table for other SW1 settings and default switch positions:

2.4. Other Settings

Please check that the switches below are set as in the pictures.

2.5. Connecting Ethernet

The Renesas RZ/V2H EVK board includes two Ethernet 1Gbps interfaces that enable networking support for the Emcraft software platform. The connectors are marked as CN5 for Ethernet channel 0 and CN6 for Ethernet channel 1. Standard Ethernet cables with RJ-45 connector should be used for connecting the board to the network. The below picture illustrates Ethernet channel 1 connected to network:

2.6. Connecting USB Peripherals

The Renesas RZ/V2H SoC implements USB 3.2 Gen2 and USB 2.0 controllers. For leveraging this functionality the EVK board includes 4 USB ports:

  • CN9 - dual Type-A USB 3.2 port

  • CN7 - micro-USB 2.0 port

  • CN8 - Type-A USB 2.0 port

Various USB peripherals, such as mouses or keyboards can be connected to the above ports. Additionally, USB cameras supporting the UVC standard can also be connected to the board USB ports. The Emcraft software platform includes support for UVC video devices by default.

The below picture shows location of the USB ports on the EVK board. The picture also shows the Obsidian Thermal camera which is connected to USB 2.0 port:

2.7. Connecting HDMI Display

The Renesas RZ/V2H SoC implements a MIPI-DSI interface for outputting video data to various displays. For leveraging this, the RZ/V2H EVK board includes a HDMI converter, which translates MIPI-DSI signals to HDMI, and allows to connect standard HDMI displays to the board.

For connecting a HDMI display to the EVK board, a standard HDMI cable should be used. On the RZ/V2H EVK side, the cable should be plugged into the CN12 connector. The below picture illustrates location of the CN12/HDMI port on the board:

2.8. Software Setup

While this application note covers solely hardware setup materials, the Emcraft software platform setup is described in separate documents: