RZ/V2L SMARC Board by Renesas

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Revision as of 18:52, 11 January 2022 by Zkmike (talk | contribs) (β†’β€ŽGetting Started: changed hardcoded file name version number to <version>)

<img height="200" style="float:right" src=renesas_rzg2l_carrier.jpg> ← RZ-V

General Information

  • Official RZ/V2L Website
    • Please review the Documentation & Downloads section
  • Board Documentation
    • Since the RZ/V2L and RZ/G2L devices are pin compatible, the same evaluation board design is used for both.
  • Linux Board Support Package Download
    • Since December 24th 2021, the BSP is available for download at the official RZ/V2L Website. (Download access requires registration for a "MyRenesas" account.)
  • RZ/V2L SMARC EVK gadget: simple Coral camera holder (3D model)

Sharing of RZ/G2L Board Documentation

Getting Started

1. Software BSP Components
Up to 5 packages are used to build the BSP.

Please download from the Official RZ/V2L Website :

  • Linux BSP package: r01an6221ej<version>-rzv2l-linux.zip. Unzip the contents and copy to a Linux PC.
  • Mali Graphic Library package (*): RTK0EF0045Z13001ZJ-v<version>_EN.zip to enable graphs. Copy the ZIP file to a Linux PC.
  • Video Codec Library package (*): RTK0EF0045Z15001ZJ-v<version>_EN.zip. Unzip the contents and copy to a Linux PC.
  • DRP-AI Support package: r11an0549ej<version>-rzv2l-drpai-sp.zip. Unzip the contents and copy to a Linux PC.
  • RZ/V2L ISP Support package ("Simple ISP" by DRP-AI): r11an0561ej<version>-rzv2l-isp-sp.zip. Unzip the contents and copy to a Linux PC.


(*): The "Mali Graphics Library package" and the "Video codec Library package" are currently available as "evaluation version" only.

As the name indicates, the evaluation version should be used for evaluation purposes only. It contains a time limitation that stops the software after a few hours.

For unlimited runtime, please switch to the "production version".

As these are not available for download yet, please request them from your Renesas representative.


2. Build Environment

  • To build the BSP, you will need a Linux PC running Ubuntu 20.04. Only this Host OS version was tested.
  • You can use a Linux PC (recommended) or a Virtual Machine.


3. Build the BSP

  • The complete build environment created by "Linux BSP package" + "DRP-AI Support package" (combine into the same directory).
  • Detailed instructions for setup and building are located in the Release Note documents in each "Linux BSP" and "DRP-AI Support" package.
    • ⚠️ You must first follow the Linux BSP Release Note instructions (r01an6221ej<version>-rzv2l-linux.pdf) Section 3.1 (1),(2),(3),(4),(5)
    • Then follow DRP-AI Support Release Note (r11an0549ej<version>-rzv2l-drpai-sp.pdf) Sections 3.1 and 3.2
  • A summary of the instructions located in the Release Notes are below. Simply Copy/Paste the commands.
Simple build instructions for BSP v1.00        

These instructions are a summary of what is explained in the package Release Notes.


WORK_DIR=$PWD/rzv2l_bsp_v1.00

### Extract the BSP Linux package
mkdir $WORK_DIR
tar -xf rzv2l_bsp_v100.tar.gz -C $WORK_DIR

### Copy/Move the 'Mali Graphics library' Zip file (RTK0EF0045Z13001ZJ-v0.51_forV2L_EN.zip) under the BSP directory.
cd $WORK_DIR
unzip ../RTK0EF0045Z13001ZJ-v0.8_EN.zip 
tar zxvf RTK0EF0045Z13001ZJ-v0.8_EN/meta-rz-features.tar.gz

### Copy/Move the 'MRZG2L Codec Library v0.4' Zip file (RTK0EF0045Z13001ZJ-v0.51_forV2L_EN.zip) under the BSP directory.
cd $WORK_DIR
tar -xf ../RTK0EF0045Z15001ZJ-v0.51_EN.zip
tar zxvf RTK0EF0045Z15001ZJ-v0.51_EN/meta-rz-features.tar.gz

### Copy/Move the 'DRP-AI Support' package file (rzv2l_meta-drpai_ver0.90.tar.gz) under the BSP directory.
### After exacting using the command below, this will add a new directory "meta-drpai" and file "rzv2l-drpai-conf.patch"
cd $WORK_DIR
tar -xvf ../rzv2l_meta-drpai_ver5.00.tar.gz

### Set up the Yocto Environment and copy a default configuration
cd $WORK_DIR
source poky/oe-init-build-env
cp ../meta-rzv/docs/template/conf/smarc-rzv2l/*.conf ./conf/


### Apply the patch from the 'DRP-AI Support' package
### (the current directory should still be the 'build' directory)
cd $WORK_DIR/build
patch -p2 < ../rzv2l-drpai-conf.patch

### Build
bitbake core-image-weston
bitbake core-image-weston -c populate_sdk


4. Prepare an SD Card

  • The evaluation boards can be booted from SD Cards. The SD card must be formatted and loaded using a Linux PC. A helpful script has been created (usb_sd_partition) that you can run on your Linux PC.
  • Insert your micro SD card into a USB-SD-Card reader and then plug into a Linux PC.
  • Use the commands below to download the formatting script and run. Please select your card and choose the default settings.
$ wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/renesas-rz/rzg2_bsp_scripts/master/usb_sd_partition/usb_sd_partition.sh
$ chmod +x usb_sd_partition.sh
$ ./usb_sd_partition.sh
  • Use the commands below to copy the files you build with the BSP to the SD card. Start in the base of your Yocto BSP.
# Change to the Yocto output directory that contains the files
$ cd build/tmp/deploy/images/smarc-rzv2l

# Copy the Linux kernel and Device Tree to partition 1
$ sudo cp -v Image /media/$USER/RZ_FAT
$ sudo cp -v r9a07g054l2-smarc.dtb /media/$USER/RZ_FAT

# Copy and expand the Root File System to partition 2
$ sudo tar -xvf core-image-weston-smarc-rzv2l.tar.gz   -C /media/$USER/RZ_ext
    (or if NOT using graphics)
$ sudo tar -xvf core-image-minimal-smarc-rzv2l.tar.gz   -C /media/$USER/RZ_ext

# Make sure all files are finished writing before removing the USB card reader from the PC
$ sync
  • Safely remove your USB card reader by right clicking on the drive icon (either RZ_FAT or RZ_ext) in Ubuntu and selecting "Eject"

5. Power the Board and Connect to the Serial Port

  • Supply power the board using the USB-C connection on the carrier board labeled "Power Input"
  • On the carrier board, press the red button in order to turn on power to the board. The green LED labeled "Carrier PWR On" will be lit when power is on.
  • Now that the board is powered, plug a USB micro cable into the carrier board to the USB connector labeled "SER 3 UART". Use a serial terminal program to interact as you board. With a Linux PC, we recommend using "putty" (connects to /dev/USB0), and with a Windows PC we recommend "TeraTerm" that connects to COMx. The baud rate of the Serial connection is 115200 bps.
  • Press the blue reset button, and then "u-boot" will start. Within 3 seconds, press the space bar on your keyboard in order to stop the auto-boot sequence.


6. Switch settings for the CPU SOM board.

  • The SOM board contains a eMMC Flash device and a Micro SD Card socket. On the SOM board, you can only use one or the other because they are both connected to the same peripheral channel on the RZ/V2L.
  • Set the switches on the SOM board to what you want to use.
  • ⚠️ u-boot environment variables are always stored in eMMC Flash (not SPI flash). This means if you change switch SW1-2 to OFF on the SOM board, you cannot access saved u-boot environments variables and you will always get the message "*** Warning - MMC init failed, using default environment"
  • Note that the SD Card slot on the Carrier board will always work regardless of the setting of SW1-2 because it uses a separate peripheral channel on the RZ/V2L.
  • On the SOM (CPU) board, there is a little switch (SW1) near the SD card socket.
SOM board uses SD Card socket                 SOM board uses eMMC Flash (recommended)
SW1-1 = ON/OFF(JTAG)                          SW1-1 = ON/OFF(JTAG)
SW1-2 = ON                                    SW1-2 = OFF
      +-----+                                       +-----+
      | ON  |                                       | ON  |
      | = = |                                       | =   |
      |     |                                       |   = |
      | 1 2 |                                       | 1 2 |
      +-----+                                       +-----+


7. Boot the Board

Choose option 7-1 or 7-2 or 7-3 below.
Option 7-1 is recommended.


7-1. Boot the Board using SD Card on Carrier Board (Recommended)

  • Insert the SD card into the socket on Carrier Board.
β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
β”‚     β”‚ SOM β”‚     β”‚
β”‚     β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜     β”‚
β”‚  Carrier Board  β”‚
β”‚     β”Œβ”€β”         β”‚
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜
       ↑
 SD Card Socket
  • Press the blue reset button, and then "u-boot" will start. Within 3 seconds, press the space bar on your keyboard in order to stop the auto-boot sequence.
  • At the u-boot prompt ( => ), enter the following commands to boot the board:
   # Create command macros and save them:
=> setenv sd_boot1 'mmc dev 1 ; fatload mmc 1:1 0x48080000 Image ; fatload mmc 1:1 0x48000000 /r9a07g054l2-smarc.dtb'
=> setenv sd_boot2 'setenv bootargs 'root=/dev/mmcblk1p2 rootwait' ; booti 0x48080000 - 0x48000000'
=> setenv bootcmd 'run sd_boot1 sd_boot2'
=> saveenv

   # Reset the board and it will automatically boot

7-2. Boot the Board using eMMC Flash on SOM Board (Advanced)

  • Set switch SW1-2 = OFF
  • The boot loader (u-boot) by default will try to boot from eMMC after 3 seconds.
  • Press the blue reset button and wait.

7-3. Boot the Board using SD Card on SOM Board (eMMC Flash disabled) (Advanced)

  • Set switch SW1-2 = ON
  • Insert the SD card into the socket on SMARC SOM CPU board (not the carrier board).
  • Press the blue reset button, and then "u-boot" will start. Within 3 seconds, press the space bar on your keyboard in order to stop the auto-boot sequence.
  • Note that you will get this message every time "*** Warning - MMC init failed, using default environment" because u-boot environment variables are stored in eMMC Flash (that you disabled)
  • At the u-boot prompt ( => ), enter the following commands to boot the board:
  # Manually enter the following commands to boot
=> mmc dev 0 ; fatload mmc 0:1 0x48080000 Image ; fatload mmc 0:1 0x48000000 /r9a07g054l2-smarc.dtb
=> setenv bootargs 'root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootwait' ; booti 0x48080000 - 0x48000000


8. Linux Login

  • The login will be "root" (no password is needed)

Programming Boot Loaders into SPI Flash

  • The RZ/V2L board come pre-programmed with the boot loaders in SPI Flash. Normally, they should not need to be updated.
  • However, if you wish to update them, please refer to the document RZV2L_SMARC_EVK_Start-up_Guide_rev0.8.pdf for instruction.
  • ⚠️ The RZ/V2L BSP v0.8 will build the bootloader binaries (bl2_bp-smarc-rzv2l.srec, fip-smarc-rzv2l.srec). However, the 'Flash Writer' binary that is needed for programming as described in the Start-up Guide is only provided as binary at this time. Please download them below: