Embedded Linux stack, tools support TI DaVinci

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Aug. 16, 2007

A small Canadian company specializing in hardware/software reference designs for handheld Linux devices has introduced a Linux OS stack and software development kit for Texas Instruments's (TI's) DaVinci processors. Empower Technologies claims that its LDK6446 (LEOs development kit) includes the first available LCD touchscreen support for TI's DM6446 development board.

The LDK6446 includes Empower's LEOs (Linux embedded OS) Linux implementation, together with a toolchain and software development kit. It was designed for use with an unidentified DM6446 evaluation board, and features support for a 4.3-inch WQVGA (480 x 270) touch panel in landscape mode, "ready for 16:9 widesreen movie presentation," Empower said.

Empower announced plans for a DaVinci port of its LEOs stack and LDK in February. At that time, the company also announced a "digital media device" reference design based on TI's TMS320DM6441, a RISC/DSP SoC (system-on-chip) targeting digital set-top boxes. The design is still under development, it says; however, the company decided to first ship an LDK for the DM6446, a more general-purpose SoC targeting a range of digital video applications, including mobile, set-top box, and telematics devices.

TI DaVinci DM644x architecture diagram
(Source: TI)
TI's DM6446 integrates a little-endian ARM926EJ-S core clocked at 297MHz, together with a C64+ DSP core clocked at 594MHz. Integrated on-chip peripherals include a Jazelle Java acceleration engine, "single-cycle MAC" (multiply-accumulate device), and "EmbeddedICE-RT" logic for real-time debugging, TI says.

Empower calls the DM6446's integrated C64x+ DSP "the most powerful feature" of the chip, providing "major technical advantages in video/audio encoding/decoding, video analytic, and sound processing." These advantages can be applied in fields that include surveillance, wired/wireless media streaming, automotive infotainment, portable navigation, and video telephony, it said.

Empower is best-known for LinuxDA (digital appliance), a uClinux-based software stack for Motorola Dragonball processors that powered several generations of inexpensive "PowerPlay" Palm Pilot clones (pictured at right) sold in Canada and elsewhere. With the market for PDAs declining rapidly, Empower ported LinuxDA to TI's OMAP5910 RISC/DSP processor in September of 2004, and joined TI's partner network a few months later. It subsequently shipped an OMAP5910-based audio/visual product, and then announced plans for a DaVinci port and digital media tablet reference design.

Empower says the LDK6446 represents the first architecture port of its LEOs (Linux embedded OS) stack since May of 2005, when it introduced its LDK591x product for TI's OMAP591x embedded CPU platform.

Availability

The LDK6446 appears to be available now, via Empower's online store, priced at $1,800. The development board with 4.3-inch LCD module costs an additional $1,000.

Empower said it plans to follow up with LDK6441 and LDK6443 releases "later this fall," it said. The aforementioned digital media tablet reference design based on the DM6441 is on track for delivery in December, it said.

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