Metrowerks offers AGL BSP for Freescale telematics dev kit

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Oct. 18, 2004

Metrowerks has released its first "Automotive Grade Linux" (AGL) BSP (board support package). The company says the AGL BSP brings a fast-booting, power-efficient, and highly deterministic Linux OS to Freescale's MPC5200-based mobileGT Total5200 telematics development kit.

(Click for larger view of mobileGT Total5200 Dev Kit)

Automotive Grade Linux is Metrowerks's term for its initiative, announced today, to help Linux meet the requirements of automotive telematics applications.

The MPC5200 telematics chip

Freescale (then Motorola Semiconductor) launched the MPC5200 SoC (system-on-chip) in July of 2003. The chip is based on a 400MHz PowerPC 603e core with FPU, and draws less than 850mW, according to Freescale. It integrates dual CAN (controller area network) buses, along with Ethernet, I2C, I2S, Serial, USB, SPI, AC97, COP/JTAG, J1850, PCI, ATA, BestComm DMA I/O controller, and DDR memory controller. The chip also supports an off-chip audio system and MOST (media oriented systems transport) interface. It supports operating temperatures from -40 to +85C.

MPC5200 block diagram

The MobileGT Total5200

The MobileGT Total5200 is a collection of hardware and software intended to enable telematics systems designers to produce rapid prototypes of systems with graphics, audio, or extensive I/O, according to Freescale. It includes a DIN sized main board with integrated audio and graphics systems.

It also includes Two CAN interfaces, two USB, Ethernet, connections for no less than nine serial ports, MOST, a CompactFlash interface, and a variety of graphics and audio connectors. The development system includes 64MB each of Flash and SDRAM. It accepts 12VDC power.

(Click to enlarge)
The AGL BSP

Freescale says the first AGL BSP was designed specifically for its Digital, Audio, Radio and Telematics (DART) Division. It is intended to help developers "create a wide variety of telematics products that potentially combine wireless, graphics, audio, and GPS technologies into automotive networked products," Freescale says. Additionally, it aims to help automotive OEMs and their Tier One suppliers "incorporate the business and technical advantages of embedded Linux into their next generation navigation, telematics, handsfree phone, radio/telematics hybrids, infotainment, and driver information system designs."

"AGL" includes enhancements around Linux and apps
The Metrowerks BSP includes a 2.6-series Linux kernel enhanced with Automotive Grade features and capabilities, the company says, such as:

sub-40 millisecond response time for in-vehicle bus communications
real-time capabilities to track and qualify response times within Linux
very low power consumption

The BSP also includes Linux drivers to support the graphics, audio, Control Area Network (CAN), USB, Ethernet, ATA, and UART features of the Total5200, Metrowerks says.

Bill Pfaff, GM of Freescale's DART business unit, said, "The world's leading automotive manufacturers are looking for viable, affordable ways to bring the Linux technology to the automotive market."

The BSP is freely downloadable, but intended for use with Metrowerks CodeWarrior embedded Linux development tools, which the company says support the full development process "from board bring-up and kernel-level debugging to applications creation and testing."

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