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Observing-ethos-u-on-nxp
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‎content/learning-paths/embedded-and-microcontrollers/observing-ethos-u-on-nxp/1-overview.md‎

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---
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title: Overview
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weight: 2
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### FIXED, DO NOT MODIFY
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layout: learningpathall
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---
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## Hardware Overview - NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 Board
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Selecting the best hardware for machine learning (ML) models depends on effective tools. You can visualize ML performance early in the development cycle by using NXP's [FRDM i.MX 93](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/frdm-i-mx-93-development-board:FRDM-IMX93) board.
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<center>
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<iframe src='//players.brightcove.net/4089003392001/Sk5u9ln3l_default/index.html?videoId=6366294691112' allowfullscreen frameborder=0 width="800" height="400"></iframe>
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*Unboxing NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 board*
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</center>
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![NXP FRDM i.MX 93 Board SoC Highlighted alt-text#center](./nxp-frdm-imx-93-board-soc-highlighted.png "Arm Ethos-U65 NPU location")
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### NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 Processor Decoded
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![i.MX 93 Processor SoC alt-text#center](./imx-93-application-processor-soc.png "NXP's FRDM i.MX 93 processor")
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**NXP's Processor Labeling Convention:**
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|Line|Meaning|
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|----|-------|
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|MIMX9352|• MI – Microcontroller IC<br>• MX93 – i.MX 93 family<br>• 52 – Variant:<br>• Dual-core Arm Cortex-A55<br> • Single Cortex-M33<br>• Includes **Ethos-U65 NPU**|
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|CVVXMAB|• C - Commercial temperature grade (0°C to 95°C)<br>• VVX - Indicates package type and pinout (BGA, pitch, etc.)<br>• MAB - Specific configuration (e.g., NPU present, security level, memory interfaces)
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|
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|1P87F|• Silicon mask set identifier|
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|SBBM2410E|• NXP traceability code|
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## Software Overview - NXP's MCUXpresso IDE
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NXP generously provides free software for working with their boards, the [MCUXpresso Integrated Development Environment (IDE)](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/software/development-software/mcuxpresso-software-and-tools-/mcuxpresso-integrated-development-environment-ide:MCUXpresso-IDE). In this learning path, you will instead use [MCUXpresso for Visual Studio Code](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/software/development-software/mcuxpresso-software-and-tools-/mcuxpresso-for-visual-studio-code:MCUXPRESSO-VSC).
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## Software Overview - Visual Studio Code
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[Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) is a free integrated development environment provided by Microsoft. It is platform independent, full featured, and accomodating of many engineering frameworks. You will use Visual Studio Code to both configure NXP's software and connect to NXP's hardware.
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## Software Overview - TinyML.
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This Learning Path uses TinyML. TinyML is machine learning tailored to function on devices with limited resources, constrained memory, low power, and fewer processing capabilities.
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For a learning path focused on creating and deploying your own TinyML models, please see [Introduction to TinyML on Arm using PyTorch and ExecuTorch](/learning-paths/embedded-and-microcontrollers/introduction-to-tinyml-on-arm/)
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## Benefits and applications
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NPUs, like Arm's [Ethos-U65](https://www.arm.com/products/silicon-ip-cpu/ethos/ethos-u65) NPU are available on physical devices specifically made for developers. Development boards like NXP's [FRDM i.MX 93](https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/development-boards-and-designs/frdm-i-mx-93-development-board:FRDM-IMX93) also connect to displays via a HDMI cable. Additionally the board accepts video inputs. This is useful for for ML performance visualization due to:
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- visual confirmation that your ML model is running on the physical device
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- image and video inputs for computer vision models running on the device
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- clearly indicated instruction counts
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- confirmation of total execution time and
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- visually appealing output for prototypes and demos

‎content/learning-paths/embedded-and-microcontrollers/observing-ethos-u-on-nxp/10-deploy-executorchrunner-nxp-board.md‎

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---
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title: Deploy and test on FRDM-IMX93
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weight: 11
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### FIXED, DO NOT MODIFY
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layout: learningpathall
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---
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## Connect to the FRDM-IMX93 board
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The FRDM-IMX93 board runs Linux on the Cortex-A55 cores. You need network or serial access to deploy the firmware.
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Find your board's IP address using the serial console or check your router's DHCP leases.
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Connect via SSH:
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{{< tabpane code=false >}}
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{{< tab header="Windows/Linux" >}}
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```bash
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ssh root@192.168.1.24
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```
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Alternative with PuTTY on Windows:
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- Host: `192.168.1.24`
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- Port: `22`
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- Connection type: SSH
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- Username: `root`
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="macOS" >}}
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```bash
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ssh root@192.168.1.24
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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Replace `192.168.1.24` with your board's IP address.
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## Copy the firmware to the board
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Copy the built firmware file to the board's firmware directory:
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{{< tabpane code=false >}}
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{{< tab header="Windows/Linux" >}}
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```bash
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scp debug/executorch_runner_cm33.elf root@192.168.1.24:/lib/firmware/
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="macOS" >}}
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```bash
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scp debug/executorch_runner_cm33.elf root@192.168.1.24:/lib/firmware/
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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Verify the file was copied:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" output_lines="2" }
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ls -lh /lib/firmware/executorch_runner_cm33.elf
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-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 601K Oct 24 10:30 /lib/firmware/executorch_runner_cm33.elf
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```
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## Load the firmware on Cortex-M33
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The Cortex-M33 firmware is managed by the RemoteProc framework running on Linux.
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Stop any currently running firmware:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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echo stop > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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```
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Set the new firmware:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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echo executorch_runner_cm33.elf > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/firmware
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```
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Start the Cortex-M33 with the new firmware:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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echo start > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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```
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Verify the firmware loaded successfully:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" output_lines="2-5" }
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dmesg | grep remoteproc | tail -n 5
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[12345.678] remoteproc remoteproc0: powering up imx-rproc
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[12345.679] remoteproc remoteproc0: Booting fw image executorch_runner_cm33.elf, size 614984
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[12345.680] remoteproc remoteproc0: header-less resource table
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[12345.681] remoteproc remoteproc0: remote processor imx-rproc is now up
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```
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The message "remote processor imx-rproc is now up" confirms successful loading.
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## Load a model to DDR memory
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The executor_runner loads `.pte` model files from DDR memory at address 0x80100000.
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Copy your `.pte` model to the board:
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{{< tabpane code=false >}}
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{{< tab header="Windows/Linux" >}}
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```bash
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scp model.pte root@192.168.1.24:/tmp/
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="macOS" >}}
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```bash
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scp model.pte root@192.168.1.24:/tmp/
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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Write the model to DDR memory:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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dd if=/tmp/model.pte of=/dev/mem bs=1M seek=2049
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```
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The seek value of 2049 corresponds to address 0x80100000 (2049 MB = 0x801 in hex).
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Verify the model was written:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" output_lines="2-5" }
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xxd -l 64 -s 0x80100000 /dev/mem
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80100000: 504b 0304 1400 0000 0800 0000 2100 a3b4 PK..........!...
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80100010: 7d92 5801 0000 6c04 0000 1400 0000 7661 }.X...l.......va
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80100020: 6c75 652f 7061 7261 6d73 2e70 6b6c 6500 lue/params.pkl.
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80100030: ed52 cd4b 0241 1cfd 66de 49b6 9369 1ad9 .R.K.A..f.I..i..
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```
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Non-zero bytes confirm the model is present in memory.
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## Monitor Cortex-M33 output
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The executor_runner outputs debug information via UART. Connect a USB-to-serial adapter to the M33 UART pins on the FRDM board.
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Open a serial terminal (115200 baud, 8N1):
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{{< tabpane code=false >}}
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{{< tab header="Windows/Linux" >}}
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```bash
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screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200
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```
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Alternative with minicom:
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```bash
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minicom -D /dev/ttyUSB0 -b 115200
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="macOS" >}}
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```bash
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screen /dev/tty.usbserial-* 115200
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```
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Alternative with minicom:
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```bash
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minicom -D /dev/tty.usbserial-* -b 115200
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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You should see output from the ExecuTorch runtime:
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```output
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ExecuTorch Runtime Starting...
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Loading model from 0x80100000
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Model loaded successfully
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Initializing Ethos-U NPU delegate
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NPU initialized
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Running inference...
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Inference complete: 45.2ms
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```
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{{% notice Tip %}}
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If you don't see UART output, verify the serial connection settings (115200 baud, 8N1) and check that the UART pins are correctly connected.
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{{% /notice %}}
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## Test inference
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The executor_runner automatically runs inference when it starts. Check the UART output for inference results and timing.
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To restart inference, you can reload the firmware:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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echo stop > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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echo start > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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```
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Monitor the UART console to see the new inference run.
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## Verify deployment success
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Confirm your deployment is working correctly:
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1. **RemoteProc status shows "running":**
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" output_lines="2" }
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cat /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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running
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```
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2. **Firmware is loaded:**
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" output_lines="2" }
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cat /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/firmware
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executorch_runner_cm33.elf
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```
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3. **Model is in DDR memory** (non-zero bytes at 0x80100000)
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4. **UART shows inference output** with timing information
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## Troubleshooting
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**RemoteProc fails to load firmware:**
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Check file permissions:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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chmod 644 /lib/firmware/executorch_runner_cm33.elf
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```
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Verify the file exists:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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ls -la /lib/firmware/executorch_runner_cm33.elf
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```
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**Model not found error:**
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Verify the model was written to memory:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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xxd -l 256 -s 0x80100000 /dev/mem | head
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```
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If all zeros, re-run the `dd` command to write the model.
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**No UART output:**
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Check the serial connection:
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- Baud rate: 115200
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- Data bits: 8
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- Parity: None
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- Stop bits: 1
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Try a different USB port or serial terminal program.
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**Firmware crashes or hangs:**
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Check kernel logs for errors:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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dmesg | grep -i error | tail
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```
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This might indicate memory configuration issues. Reduce the memory pool sizes in `CMakeLists.txt` and rebuild.
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## Update the firmware
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To deploy a new version of the firmware:
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1. Build the updated firmware on your development machine
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2. Copy to the board:
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{{< tabpane code=false >}}
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{{< tab header="Windows/Linux" >}}
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```bash
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scp debug/executorch_runner_cm33.elf root@<board-ip>:/lib/firmware/
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< tab header="macOS" >}}
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```bash
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scp debug/executorch_runner_cm33.elf root@<board-ip>:/lib/firmware/
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```
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{{< /tab >}}
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{{< /tabpane >}}
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3. Restart RemoteProc:
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```bash { command_line="root@frdm-imx93" }
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echo stop > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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echo start > /sys/class/remoteproc/remoteproc0/state
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```
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4. Monitor UART output to verify the new firmware is running

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