Qt Embedded on i.MX53

This page contains instructions how to set up

• Qt Embedded (running natively on the Linux frame buffer, but without OpenGL support)
• Qt/X11 (running on X11 server, with OpenGL support)

for Bluetechnix i.MX53 modules.

Software versions

• Bluetechnix Linux BSP release 1.4
  • based on Freescale Linux Board Support Package
• Qt Embedded 4.6.0
  • LTIB will handle the download

See the Software User Manual how to install LTIB (i.e., Freescale and Bluetechnix Linux packages), if you have not done so yet.

Instructions

Host packages

• We need to install some additional host packages.

sudo apt-get -y install gettext libgtk2.0-dev rpm bison m4 libfreetype6-dev
sudo apt-get -y install libdbus-glib-1-dev liborbit2-dev intltool
sudo apt-get -y install ccache ncurses-dev zlib1g zlib1g-dev gcc g++ libtool
sudo apt-get -y install uuid-dev liblzo2-dev
sudo apt-get -y install tcl dpkg
sudo apt-get -y install libx11-dev libpng-dev libjpeg-dev libxext-dev x11proto-xext-dev qt3-dev-tools-embedded libxtst-dev 
sudo apt-get -y install bison flex libqt4-dev libqt4-opengl-dev libphonon-dev libicu-dev libsqlite3-dev libxext-dev libxrender-dev gperf libfontconfig1-dev libphonon-dev g++

Multimedia Codec Libraries

• Download the i.MX53 hardware codecs package from the Freescale website (open the Codecs and other Algorithms menu).

IMX_MMCODECS_11.05.tar.gz

• Unpack it and copy the following files to /opt/freescale/pkgs/:

IMX_MMCODECS_11.05/Ltib Files/fsl-mm-codeclib-2.0.1.tar.gz
IMX_MMCODECS_11.05/Ltib Files/gst-fsl-plugin-2.0.1.tar.gz

• Extract the file

IMX_MMCODECS_11.05/Ltib Files/ltib_spec_patch_base_on_11.05.01.zip

• Copy the resulting files to (Important: If you are using BSP release 1.6 or newer, don't copy the gst-fsl-plugin.spec file.)

ltib/dist/lfs-5.1/fsl-mm

LTIB configuration (Qt Embedded)

• In ltib/ folder, start LTIB's configuration dialog:

./ltib -c

• Go to

Package list  --->

• Select the following packages:

[*] amd-gpu-bin-mx51
[*] libz160-bin
Freescale Multimedia Plugins/Codecs  --->
  [*] fsl-mm-codec-libs
  [*] gstreamer-fsl-plugins
[*] fontconfig
[*] freetype
[*] gstreamer
[*] gstreamer-plugins-base
[*] gstreamer-plugins-good
[*] gstreamer-plugins-bad
[*] gstreamer-plugins-ugly
[*] Liberation fonts
[*] libjpeg
[*] libpng
[*] liboil
[*] libxml2
[*] mysql
Qt --->
  Qt (...) --->
    (X) Qt Embedded
  [*] Phonon
[*] zlib

• Exit from LTIB and save your new configuration (you will be asked).
• LTIB will build Qt Embedded now.

LTIB configuration (Qt X11)

NOTE: We have marked differences to Qt Embedded configuration in green.

• In ltib/ folder, start LTIB's configuration dialog:

./ltib -c

• Go to

Package list  --->

• Select the following packages:

[*] amd-gpu-x11-bin-mx51
[*] libz160-bin
Freescale Multimedia Plugins/Codecs  --->
  [*] fsl-mm-codec-libs
  [*] gstreamer-fsl-plugins
[*] fontconfig
[*] freetype
[*] gstreamer
[*] gstreamer-plugins-base
[*] gstreamer-plugins-good
[*] gstreamer-plugins-bad
[*] gstreamer-plugins-ugly
[*] Liberation fonts
[*] libjpeg
[*] libpng
[*] liboil
[*] libxml2
[*] mysql
X11  --->
  Install X11 --->
    (X) X.Org 7.5
  X11 libraries and packages  --->
    [*] libICE
    [*] libSM
[*] zlib

• Exit from LTIB and save your new configuration (you will be asked).
• LTIB will build Qt for X11 now.

Error handling

The following errors were observed, here is how to handle them:

LTIB cannot download the qt package.

Download the file from here: https://get.qt.nokia.com/qt/source/qt-everywhere-opensource-src-4.6.0.tar.gz

and save it to /opt/freescale/pkgs/

ubinize complains that there is not enough space in the UBIFS partition.

If you do not plan to set up the NAND flash with Qt Embedded, you can ignore this error. But if you plan, edit the file

bin/ubifs_ubinize_tmpl.ini

Change the parameter

vol_size

You also have to change the NAND flash's rootfs partition's size in the Linux kernel code. Open the platform file for the module you have:

rpm/BUILD/linux/arch/arm/mach-mx5/mx53_qseven.c
rpm/BUILD/linux/arch/arm/mach-mx5/cmimx53.c

and increase the size of the nand.rootfs partition (given in bytes):

static struct mtd_partition nand_flash_partitions[] = {
[...]
	 .name = "nand.rootfs",
	 .offset = MTDPART_OFS_APPEND,
	 .size = 256 * 1024 * 1024},
[...]
};

Start Qt Embedded

Path Stroking

Fluid Launcher

• Bring Qt Embedded to the target module
  • by rebooting (if you mount the root file system via NFS from your host machine) or
  • by setting up a new SD card (using the setup_sdcard.sh script).

• After booting Linux on the MX53 module, set Qt's font path:

export QT_QWS_FONTDIR=/usr/lib/fonts/

• Pathstroke demo application

cd /usr/local/Trolltech/demos/pathstroke/
./pathstroke -qws

• Fluid Launcher demo

cd /usr/local/Trolltech/demos/embedded/fluidlauncher
./fluidlauncher -qws

• LTIB installs a whole host of demos and examples which you may browse through:

/usr/local/Trolltech

Start Qt/X11

• Bring Qt/X11 to the target module
  • by rebooting (if you mount the root file system via NFS from your host machine) or
  • by setting up a new SD card (using the setup_sdcard.sh script).

• After booting Linux on the MX53 module, start the X-server (assuming you have a keyboard connected as /dev/input/event2):

export DISPLAY=:0.0
Xfbdev -mouse mouse,,device=/dev/input/mice -keybd keyboard,,/dev/input/event2 &

• Pathstroke demo application

cd /usr/local/Trolltech/demos/pathstroke/
./pathstroke -qws

• LTIB installs a whole host of demos and examples which you may browse through:

/usr/local/Trolltech

OpenGL comparison

The pathstroke demo application features the Use OpenGL button which lets us easily switch on/off using OpenGL from the MX53 internal GPU.

Here is a short comparison we did with a CM-i.MX53-C-C-Q24S1024F4N2048 running in a DEV-i.MX53 development board, using default HDMI output of 1280x720 pixels, frame buffer color format RGB565.

fbset output:

mode "1280x720-60"
	# D: 74.505 MHz, H: 44.774 kHz, V: 59.859 Hz
	geometry 1280 720 1280 2160 16
	timings 13422 192 64 3 20 128 5
	accel false
	rgba 5/11,6/5,5/0,0/0
endmode

Data:

OpenGL	DEV-i.MX53 power consumption @12V	Total CPU usage	Xfbdev (X-server) CPU usage	Pathstroke CPU usage	FPS
disabled	0.43A	100%	92%	8%	10-15
enabled	0.42A	58%	17%	41%	25