Tiny, low-cost RISC SBC comes with Linux, tools

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Mar. 24, 2005

Acme Systems is shipping a tiny, inexpensive, RISC CPU-based SBC (single-board computer) that comes preinstalled with embedded Linux. The "Acme Fox" measures 2.6 x 2.8 inches, costs 99 Euros, and offers Ethernet and USB ports, along with optional surface-mount connectors supporting extensive I/O possibilities.

(Click for larger view of the Acme Fox)

The Acme Fox is one of the first SBCs to turn up based on a highly-integrated multi-chip module (MCM) introduced several years ago by Axis Communications. The Axis Etrax 100LX MCM contains Axis's Etrax 100LX 32-bit 100 MIPS (million-instructions-per-second) RISC system-on-chip processor, which includes on-chip controllers for 10/100 Mbit Ethernet, four high speed serial ports, two USB ports for both host and device, IDE, SCSI, and two IEEE-1284 "fast" parallel ports. To that, the MCM adds 4MB Flash and 16MB RAM, as well as an Ethernet transceiver and various interface components.

The Fox board's optional connectors support rich I/O options
I/O interfaces implemented on the Fox board include a 10/100 Ethernet port, two USB 1.1 ports, and pinouts for a 3.3V console port. Additional I/O can be attached through two optional 20-pin surface-mount connectors. These support up to two parallel ports, four IDE ports, two SCSI ports or one wide SCSI port, an I2C bus, up to 62 GPIO lines, or up to three asynchronous serial ports, Acme says.

The Acme Fox requires 280mA of 5VDC power, with no usb devices connected, and draws 1 watt, the company says. It weighs 1.3 ounces (37 grams).

Acme plans several application boards for the Fox, including:

an M2M (machine-to-machine) board with GPRS modem, two relays, two optocoupled input lines, an extended power supply supporting 8-24V AC/DC, and one RS232/RS485 port
A fast prototyping board with soldering area, LCD display, analog lines, high-precision temperature and humidity sensors, relays, RC servo interface, PWM signals for electric motors, and more

Software

The Acme Fox comes with a Linux environment based on a 2.4.29 kernel, with a 2.6 kernel available "very soon." The environment includes kernel drivers for USB-to-serial converters from ProLogic and FTDI, as well as a driver for USB pens. It also includes web, ftp, ssh, scp, telnet, and ppp servers. A Linux software development kit is also for the Fox, as are a number of simple how-to documents.

Availability

The Acme Fox is available now from several resellers in Austria and Italy. It costs 99 Euros, in quantities of 100.

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