| Tiny ARM9 CPU module contains Linux 2.6 |
Feb. 09, 2006
 Canadian board design and fabrication house Techsol is shipping an ARM9-based version of its Medallion CPU module. The roughly two-square-inch SA2410 can be clocked from 12MHz to 266MHz, and comes with a Linux 2.6 kernel, drivers, and filesystem. It shares a pin-out with earlier ARM7-based Medallion modules.
(Click for larger view of SA2410)
Techsol says it plans to produce pin-compatible Medallion modules and Linux implementations based on a range of CPUs. So far, it has produced the ARM-720T based HY7201 module, which it says has been used in "tens of thousands" of credit-card payment terminals.
Techsol says that compared to its older HY7201 module, the new SA2410 module offers better LCD support, DMA, SPI, and SD-card support. Compared to a 400MHz XScale module, a 266MHz version of the SA2410 compared favorably in graphics performance tests involving two "otherwise similar iPaq devices," Techsol says, while using less power.
The SA2410 is based on a Samsung s3c2410a, an SoC (system-on-chip) powered by an ARM-920T core with MMU (memory management unit) and 16KB each of instruction and data cache.
Other claimed features and specs of the SA2410 include:- Clock speed variable from 12MHz to 266MHz
- Onboard memory:
- Up to 2GB of onboard NAND Flash
- Up to 128MB of SDRAM
- Memory expansion interface:
- MMC (multimedia card)
- SD/SDIO (secure digital and secure digital I/O)
- Serial ports:
- 1 x UART with modem control lines
- 1 x UART with RX/TX
- 1 x IrDA
- 1 x I2C (in HW)
- 1 x SPI (serial peripheral interface)
- USB:
- 3 x full-speed host ports (12 Mbps)
- 1 x full-speed device (gadget) port
- Sound:
- Stereo line-in (8 to 48 kHz)
- Stereo line-out (8 to 48 kHz)
- LCD interface:
- 4 or 8-bit STN and CSTN
- 18-bit TFT
- Integrated touch-panel controller
- FETs on-board
- Keypad interface:
- Key-matrix scan hardware supporting up to 88 keys (8 x 11)
- Expansion bus:
- 32 data lines
- 26 address lines
- 3 chip-selects
- 4 write "lanes"
- 1 read controls
- 3 IRQs
- Expansion clock and ready
- Power:
- On-board 1.8-volt power supply
- Powered by single 3.3-volt input
- On-board reset controller
Bootloaders are stored in 2MB of onboard NOR flash, while a Linux 2.6 kernel and root-file-system are stored in the onboard NAND Flash, according to the company. The embedded OS includes drivers for all the on-board peripherals, a framebuffer video driver, microwindows window manager, QtEmbedded, X-11, audio play and record programs, file-systems support, USB drivers for storage, keyboard, mouse, USB gadget drivers (including MS "RNDIS" support), and more.
Techsol claims the SA2410 has already been deployed in over 1,000 test units, involving industrial, medical, and security applications. It says the module and its Linux 2.6 OS are also being used to build educational and consumer products that are expected to ship "in the hundreds of thousands" per year.
CEO Brian Empey stated, "We've added features to maximize battery life, including a miniature on-board switching supply for the CPU's core voltage. We've also added capacitor backup for the on-board RTC to deal with battery changes. All in a package less than 2 inches square!"
Availability
 Techsol says the SA2410 is available now, priced at $180 in quantity for a version with 64MB each of Flash and RAM. A version with 32MB of each costs $168 in quantity.
A "development kit" version housed in a small case (pictured at right) is also available, priced at $1,000, or $1,250 with an LCD module and touchscreen.
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