The BSP Layers and Reference Images for Yocto Project are the base for Embedded Linux on Toradex SoMs. They can be used as the starting point for your own customization and are also the foundation of Torizon, our ready-to-use Linux DevOps platform.
Browse for BSP Layers and Reference Images for Yocto Project resources from the tabs below.
To assemble the hardware for the first time, you can follow the first lesson from our Quickstart Guide. The hardware assembly is OS agnostic, therefore you can follow it even if the guide is not available for the Reference Images for Yocto Project.
A Reference Image for Yocto Project is installed via the Toradex Easy Installer that comes pre-installed in Toradex SoMs from the factory. Install the Toradex Embedded Linux Reference Multimedia Image:
Install Toradex Embedded Linux Reference Multimedia Image
The Reference Minimal Image is a good starting point for customization from the bottom up, that is, for adding features on top of it. It is not friendly for evaluation.
The Reference Multimedia Image is a good starting point for customization from the top down, that is, for removing features and only keeping the ones you need. It is also nice for out-of-the-box evaluation of hardware features and system performance. We recommend that you install it for the first time.
You may be presented with two versions of the same Reference Image, with and without the (UPSTREAM). It is only available to some SoMs.
The upstream variant is based on the mainline kernel, usually an LTS version.
The downstream version is based on the kernel provided by the SoC silicon vendor.
For a first-time evaluation, you can install either.
Upon booting one can login on the serial console (debug UART) or from the network via SSH using the following user and password:
Move on to the BSP Layers and Reference Images Documentation tab for a comprehensive list of resources.
An overview of relevant articles is presented in this tab. You can scroll through contents or click on your topic of interest below:
We use icons to help you identify the content in an article:
Command Line 
Conceptual 
Starting Point
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Toradex Easy Installer | Install a pre-built Reference Image for evaluation of the hardware and its features |
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Reference Images for Yocto Project Software Downloads | If your board does not have access to the internet, you can install pre-built images offline |
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Basic Linux Commands | If you are new to Linux, learn some basic Linux commands to help you get started |
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Configuring Serial Port Debug Console (Linux/U-Boot) | Access the Linux console through the debug UART |
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Serial Terminal Emulator | Choose a terminal emulator of choice, in case you don't have one |
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SSH | Access the Linux console (terminal) through the network |
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Scan your local network to find the board IP and MAC address | How to scan you local network and find your board's IP, useful if you don't have access to the debug UART |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Toradex Embedded Linux Offerings | A non-technical overview of our Embedded Linux offerings |
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BSP Layers and Reference Images for Yocto Project | A non-technical overview of our BSP Layers and Reference Images |
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BSP Layers and Reference Images for Yocto Project Software | An introduction to our BSP Layers and Reference Images for Yocto Project, the most essential read for both newcomers and seasoned developers |
| Products | Datasheets, design resources, revision history and more. You must go through the datasheet for your computer on module and carrier board | |
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Long Term Availability | Understand about long term availability from a hardware standpoint |
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Toradex Embedded Linux Support Strategy | Learn about our release types, software alerts and versioning scheme |
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BSP Layers and Reference Images for Yocto Project Issue Tracker | Browse our backlog of feature requests and known issues, learn what is added to each release and subscribe for updates |
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Embedded Linux Release Matrix | Check out our active releases and the version of remarkable components as the Linux Kernel and U-Boot |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Yocto Project | An overview of the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded in the context of Toradex BSPs |
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Build a Reference Image with Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded | This is the base for you to create your own custom Embedded Linux image |
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Custom meta layers, recipes and images in Yocto Project (hello-world examples) | Basic tasks for customizing your image, such as adding your application or customizing the kernel |
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Linux SDKs | For developing applications with a compiled language as C or C++, you need an SDK with a cross-compilation toolchain and root filesystem |
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Build U-Boot and Linux Kernel from Source Code | Customizing U-Boot and the Linux Kernel outside the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded can be handy, speed-up your development |
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Kernel Driver Backports Integration | Some BSP versions include backports. Learn how to compile them outside the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded |
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Build Custom i.MX 8/8X System Controller Firmware (SCFW) | On very specific scenarios, you may need to customize NXP's SCFW. Learn how to build it |
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Device Tree Customization | When creating a custom carrier board or changing pin functionality, you will likely have to customize a device tree |
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Pin Multiplexing - Changing Pin Functionalities in the Linux Device Tree | This is a common topic when doing device tree customization |
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Device Tree Overlays (Linux) | Customize a device tree without modifying it, by writing overlays. Toradex pre-compiled overlays allow you to easily evaluate our accessories and add-ons |
| Device Tree Customization Examples | Collection of examples tied to specific BSP releases and hardware versions | |
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Maintaining Open Source License Compliance | Useful methods for complying with open-source licensing when using the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded |
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How to Autorun Application at the Start up in Linux | On most embedded systems, applications must start automatically when the system boots |
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Production Programming for Linux | Learn how to install your custom Embedded Linux image to many SoMs |
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How to Erase the eMMC Flash Memory | Learn how to erase the eMMC, returning to a known state |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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How to setup environment for Embedded Linux application development | Set up the environment between your board and your development PC |
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How to setup Networking for Embedded Linux Application Development | Learn how to configure DHCP, TFTP and NFS servers on your development PC |
| Boot from a TFTP/NFS Server | Booting from the network can be useful during development, so you can update system components on your development PC or server, instead of the board | |
| Boot From an SD Card / USB Stick / SATA drive | Alternative to booting from the network, booting from external media may also be useful on development scenarios | |
| Over-The-Air Update Solutions | Remote updates may be useful during development and are suitable for production. You may consider it over network or external media boot | |
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Hello World application on Embedded Linux | How to cross-compile and debug a C or C++ application |
| Enable and Analyse Core Dumps in Linux | An interesting technique for debugging applications when GDB cannot be used | |
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Python in Linux | How to install Python with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded, write your own recipes and more |
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Node.js in Linux | How to install Node.js and NPM with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded and more |
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Java Virtual Machine | How to install a JVM with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded |
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Web Browser on Toradex Computer on Modules | How to install a web browser with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded, allowing you to run web-based apps on a local display in kiosk mode |
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Cross compiling Pascal on Lazarus IDE | How to cross-compile a Pascal application using the Lazarus IDE and the Free Pascal Compiler (FPC) |
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Web Server (Linux) | How to install a web server with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded, allowing you to serve web-based apps to other services on the board, or over the network |
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How to Autorun Application at the Start up in Linux | On most embedded systems, applications must start automatically when the system boots |
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Production Programming for Linux | Learn how to install your custom Embedded Linux image to many SoMs |
| Partner | Demo Image | Summary Overview | |
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Qt Company | Qt for Device Creation | Light-weight, Qt-optimized, full software stack for embedded Linux systems |
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Kynetics | Kynetics Android | Android port to Toradex hardware by Kynetics |
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Acontis Technologies | acontis EC-Master EtherCAT Stack | EtherCAT System implementation by Acontis Technologies |
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BlackBerry QNX | QNX Neutrino Real-time Operating System | QNX Neutrino RTOS port to Toradex hardware |
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Direct Insight | Direct Insight - QNX Neutrino Real-time Operating System | Direct Insight - QNX Neutrino RTOS port to Toradex hardware |
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Amazon Web Services | AWS AI at the Edge Pasta Detection | End-to-end demonstration of pasta detection using deep learning and connected to the AWS cloud |
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MVTec Software GmbH | MVTec Embedded Vision HPeek Demo | The essence of MVTec HALCON's key features and performance, ease of use in Machine Vision |
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Mender.io | Mender Easy Installer | Secure and robust Over The Air update manager solution for connected embedded Linux devices |
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DiSTI Corporation | DiSTI GL Studio | DiSTI's technology of GL Studio showcased in a UI with the look and feel of automotive design |
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TES Eletronic Solutions | TES 3D Surround View | 3D representation of a vehicle driver assistance system based on the input of cameras, GPU optimized |
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ITTIA | ITTIA DB SQL for Device Data Management | Interactive relational database utilities and management system for intelligent embedded systems |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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First Steps with Capacitive Touch Display 10.1 Inch LVDS | How to assemble the hardware and make the display work with Linux |
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First Steps with Capacitive Touch Display 7" Parallel | How to assemble the hardware and make the display work with Linux |
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First Steps with Resistive Touch Display 7" Parallel | How to assemble the hardware and make the display work with Linux |
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Display Output, Resolution and Timings (Linux) | Comprehensive source of information on how to configure video outputs, display resolution and timings |
| Resistive Touch Screen (Linux) | Overview information on resistive touch screen implementation on Toradex SoMs | |
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Touch Screen Calibration (Linux) | How to calibrate a touch screen, particularly useful for resistive touch panels |
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Framebuffer (Linux) | Tips on how to disable the console on a screen and how to write directly to the framebuffer using Cairo |
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Display drive strength configuration | Advice on how to configure the display driver strenght to reduce EMC emission |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Getting Started with Qt | An overview page about Qt on Toradex |
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Qt for Device Creation | An overview of Qt for Device Creation, a commercial offering for embedded systems |
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How to set up Qt Creator to cross compile for embedded Linux | Build an image and SDK with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded, and setup Qt Creator for application development |
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TotalCross | How to add the TotalCross framework with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded |
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Crank Storyboard | How to get started with Crank Storyboard on Toradex SoMs |
| 2D/3D Graphics Acceleration (GPU) | Compare OpenGL and OpenGL ES performance, and learn how to run some samples |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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ADC (Linux) | How to use analog inputs, also known as analog to digital converters (ADC) |
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Backlight (Linux) | How to control display backlight power and brightness |
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CAN (Linux) | How to use the Controller Area Network, widely known as CAN bus |
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EtherCAT | How to get started with EtherCAT on Toradex SoMs |
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GPIO (Linux) | How to use GPIO as a toggle or input device, a power-off button, an LED driver, a pulse-per-second (PPS) signal and more |
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How to Use GPIO on TorizonCore | How to use libgpiod, the kernel interface that superseded sysfs GPIO |
| GPIO Alphanumeric to GPIO Numeric Assignment | Lookup the Linux pin number from the SoC vendor pin name | |
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Real-Time Clock (Linux) | How to manually set the date and time, or use the alarm feature to wake up from suspend |
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I2C (Linux) | How to use the I2C bus from the Linux userspace |
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PWM (Linux) | How to use the PWM |
| SATA (Linux) | Useful information about SATA | |
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SD/MMC Card (Linux) | Useful information about SD Card and MMC on Linux |
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SPI (Linux) | How to use the SPI |
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UART (Linux) | Hwo to configure and use the UART, also known as serial interface. Also, contains information about RS-485 |
| USB Host Mode (Linux) | Information on the USB when used as host | |
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USB Device Mode (Linux) | Information on how to use the USB as a gadget, mass storage, RNDIS and more |
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External Bus Memory (Linux) | How to use the External Memory Bus, typically used to connect high speed devices like FPGAs, DSPs and others. |
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
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CPU (Linux) | How to configure some CPU parameters, for example how to power-off CPU cores |
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CPU Frequency and DVFS (Linux) | How to configure the CPU frequency and governor, learn about the Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) |
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Suspend/Resume (Linux) | Put the system on a sleep state to save energy |
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Linux - Booting | learn about different boot scenarios, such as booting from the internal flash, external media or the network |
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Distro Boot | Learn about Distro Boot and the boot process on our BSP |
| Using DIP Switches to change the boot process | How to use GPIO on U-Boot to set configuration based on the state of DIP switches | |
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eMMC (Linux) | Learn more about eMMC in the context of Linux. Several of our SoMs are equipped with eMMC flash memory as the primary storage device |
| Flash Layout (Linux) | How the interal flash - either eMMC or raw NAND - is partitioned | |
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Updating NAND-based modules from userspace | How to update the U-Boot, Kernel and device tree from Linux on raw NAND-based SoMs |
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TRIM and ubihealthd Support (Linux) | Learn how to use the TRIM and ubihealthd commands to keep your flash memory healthy |
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Contiguous Memory Allocator - CMA (Linux) | Learn how to check and change the CMA value in our BSP |
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MAC Address | How to force a custom MAC Address. Learn the relationship between the MAC Address and the Toradex unique Serial Number |
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Serial Number | Learn about the unique Toradex Serial Number |
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SoC Unique ID (Linux) | SoCs have a unique ID, learn how to read it |
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Real-Time Linux | An overview of real-time in the context of Linux, mostly focused on the PREEMPT_RT patch approach |
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Splash Screen on Toradex Computer on Modules | Overview page with an index to different splash screen methods on different stages of the boot process |
| Splash Screen on U-Boot | Display a splash screen as early as possible, on U-Boot | |
| Splash Screen on the Linux Kernel | Display a splash screen early on the Kernel boot process | |
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Temperature Sensor (Linux) | Read the internal temperature of the SoC |
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U-Boot fw-utils | Read and write to U-Boot environment variables from the Linux userspace |
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Watchdog (Linux) | How to enable the hardware watchdog available on the SoC |
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Ethernet/Network (Linux) | Learn about the network manager used in our Reference Images, how to configure static IP and more |
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Wi-Fi on Toradex Computer on Modules | An overview and entry point to Wi-Fi resources on Toradex SoMs |
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Toradex’s Linux Images - How to connect to a Wi-Fi network | How to connect to a Wi-Fi network and more |
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Using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on Single Antenna Configuration | How to use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth with a single antenna |
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How to Setup Wi-Fi Access Point Mode (Linux) | How to configure a Wi-Fi adapter as access point |
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VPN on Toradex Computer on Modules | Overview of VPN usage |
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OpenVPN (Linux) | How to install OpenVPN with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded |
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SMB support | How to install Samba with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Bluetooth on Toradex Computer on Modules | Overview of Bluetooth on Toradex SoMs |
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Bluetooth (Linux) | How to use Bluetooth |
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Cellular Modem on Toradex Computer on Modules | Overview of cellular modems (GSM, LTE and others) on Toradex SoMs |
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Modem Support | How to use ModemManager to configure a cellular connection |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Camera on Toradex Computer on Modules | An overview of how to use cameras with Toradex SoMs |
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How to use Analogue Camera Adapter on Embedded Linux | How to use the Toradex Add-on Analogue Camera Adapter |
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Video Encoding and Playback With GStreamer (Linux) | How to play and record videos, a must-read if you plan to use multimedia features |
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Webcam (Linux) | How to use a webcam with GStreamer |
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Audio/Video over RTP (Linux) | How to stream audio and video over a network with GStreamer |
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Audio (Linux) | How to playback and record audio |
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Bluetooth Audio (Linux) | How to use audio over Bluetooth |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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AI, Computer Vision and Machine Learning on Toradex Computer on Modules | An overview of computer vision and machine learning on Toradex SoMs |
| Building Machine Learning Software with Reference Images for Yocto Project | How to add dependecies to run machine learning models with the Yocto Project/OpenEmbedded | |
| OpenCV (Linux) | Tips on how to use OpenCV on Toradex SoMs |
| Article | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Verdin iMX8M Plus Power Consumption | Power consumption of Verdin iMX8M Plus SoMs | |
| Verdin iMX8M Mini Power Consumption | Power consumption of Verdin iMX8M Mini SoMs | |
| Colibri iMX8X Power Consumption | Power consumption of Colibri iMX8X SoMs | |
| Colibri iMX6ULL Power Consumption | Power consumption of Colibri iMX6ULL SoMs | |
| Colibri VFxx Power Consumption | Power consumption of Colibri Vybrid SoMs | |
| Colibri Tegra Power Consumption | Power consumption of Colibri Tegra SoMs | |
| Apalis iMX8 Power Consumption | Power consumption of Apalis iMX8 SoMs | |
| Apalis Tegra Power Consumption | Power consumption of Apalis Tegra SoMs | |
| iMX7 Power Consumption | Power consumption of NXP i.MX 7-based Toradex SoMs | |
| iMX6 Power Consumption | Power consumption of NXP i.MX 6-based Toradex SoMs | |
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Thermal Management | Tips on thermal management, including how to reduce the power consumption |
| Suspend/Resume (Linux) | How to put the Linux system in a low-power state | |
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CPU Frequency and DVFS (Linux) | How to reduce the CPU frequency, impacting on the power consumption |
| Article | Brief Description | |
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Acontis Technologies | acontis provides an EtherCAT Master Stack |
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Codesys Software PLC Solution | CODESYS is a Software PLC |
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Crank Storyboard | Crank Storyboard is a suite for GUI development |
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e-con Systems | e-con Systems is a camera partner with MIPI CSI-2 cameras compatible with Toradex SoMs |
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Gumstix Upverter | Upverter is a drag and drop carrier board designer tool that automatically generates a compatible BSP |
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Getting Started with Qt | Qt is a widely adopted GUI framework |
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TotalCross | TotalCross is a cross-platform GUI framework |
You can find other articles using our search by tags and selecting the BSP Layers / Reference Images for Yocto (Linux) tag:
