This blog demonstrates Windows CE 7 porting on NXP iMX6 UltraLite EVK — a showcase of Embien's proven capability in bringing up the Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating system on NXP's iMX6 UltraLite evaluation kit. The NXP iMX6UL EVK features an LCD display, audio playback, and rich connectivity options, making it an ideal platform to validate OS functionality at an early stage of product development. Embien's Digital Transformation Services leverage such porting exercises to help customers accelerate their time-to-market on embedded hardware platforms.
The iMX6UL evaluation kit is designed to showcase the most commonly used features of the iMX6UL processor in a small, low-cost package. Its purpose is to facilitate software development and facilitate faster time to market. Our engineers completed Windows CE 7 porting on NXP iMX6 UltraLite EVK including full BSP bring-up, peripheral driver validation, and HMI application testing — all documented in the video demonstration below.
Below is the video demonstration of Windows Embedded Compact 7 running on the NXP iMX6UL evaluation kit:
NXP iMX6UL Based SoM: Platform Capabilities
The NXP iMX6UL based SoM (System-on-Module) is built around the ARM Cortex-A7 processor, which offers an excellent balance of compute performance and power efficiency for industrial and commercial applications. The NXP iMX6UL based SoM supports a wide range of peripherals including capacitive touch LCD, audio codec, USB OTG, Ethernet, CAN, and multiple serial interfaces — making it a versatile foundation for HMI products, medical instrumentation displays, smart home controllers, and industrial gateways.
Key capabilities of the NXP iMX6UL based SoM platform include:
- ARM Cortex-A7 core running at up to 696 MHz — sufficient for WinCE 7 and embedded Linux workloads
- Integrated LCD controller supporting WVGA and higher display resolutions
- Onboard audio subsystem for voice UI and alarm notification
- Multiple connectivity options: USB, Ethernet, CAN, UART, SPI, I2C
- Low-cost, compact footprint — suitable for space-constrained industrial enclosures
- Support for both Windows CE and embedded Linux operating systems
Embien's Industrial Communication and Connectivity Services extend this hardware capability with production-ready protocol stacks and gateway firmware for Modbus, CANopen, and EtherNet/IP.
NXP BSP Development: WinCE 7 on Evaluation Kit
NXP BSP Development for the iMX6UL family involves configuring the Board Support Package to enable all hardware peripherals under the target operating system. Embien's BSP team performed end-to-end NXP BSP Development covering bootloader configuration, clock tree setup, peripheral driver integration, and OS image generation. The result of this work is the fully functional Windows CE 7 porting on NXP iMX6 UltraLite EVK captured in the demonstration video above.
During NXP BSP Development, the following features were validated on the iMX6UL EVK under WinCE 7:
- LCD display driver with touch panel calibration
- Audio playback and recording via I2S codec interface
- USB host and OTG connectivity
- Ethernet networking with DHCP support
- Serial communication (UART, SPI, I2C) for peripheral interfacing
- Power management and sleep/wake sequences
Use cases enabled by Windows CE 7 porting on NXP iMX6 UltraLite EVK include HMI panels for factory automation, medical instrumentation displays, smart home control panels, and legacy application migration from older hardware platforms. The WinCE runtime also supports Mono and OpenNETCF, allowing legacy Windows applications to run on this modern NXP hardware without full rewrites.
NXP Embedded Solutions for Industrial Applications
NXP Embedded Solutions based on the iMX6 family address a broad range of industrial verticals. From energy meters and building automation controllers to medical imaging devices and automotive HMI, the NXP iMX6UL provides the right compute density and peripheral set. Embien's experience with NXP Embedded Solutions spans OS bring-up, middleware integration, and application layer development — covering Linux, Android, Windows CE, FreeRTOS, uC-OS, and QNX environments. The iMX6UL's industrial-grade temperature range and long lifecycle commitment from NXP make it a preferred choice for 10+ year product deployments.
BSP Porting Services for WinCE and Embedded Linux
BSP Porting is a foundational step in any new hardware bring-up project. Embien's BSP Porting practice covers the full stack — from U-Boot and bootloader configuration to kernel driver integration and OS image build systems. Whether the target OS is Windows CE 7, embedded Linux, or a real-time OS variant, our engineers apply a structured methodology: hardware schematics review, BSP baseline selection, peripheral driver port and validation, and integration testing on the target board. This structured approach is what made the Windows CE 7 porting on NXP iMX6 UltraLite EVK project reproducible and well-documented for customer handoff.
About Embien: Embien Technologies is a leading embedded product engineering service provider. Our team has extensive experience working with operating systems including Linux, Android, Windows CE, FreeRTOS, uC-OS, and QNX. We have built and deployed applications on WinCE systems covering HMI, medical instrumentation displays, smart home control systems, and industrial gateways. We have also enabled legacy Windows applications to run on modern hardware using technologies such as Mono and OpenNETCF. Our NXP design house practice spans NXP BSP Development, driver porting, and full system integration for iMX6, iMX8, and LPC families — delivering turnkey Windows CE 7 porting on NXP iMX6 UltraLite EVK and similar projects for customers across automotive, medical, and industrial sectors.