Due to
their pin compatibility and the usability of various CPUs - the current range
is from ARM9 derivatives clocked at 400 MHz up to 1 GHz Cortex-A8 cores - the
new nanoRISC modules offer a high
degree of scalability. The modules measure 50 x 70 mm and feature a low power
consumption of typically < 3 W. Interfaces such as Ethernet, USB, CAN, UART,
I2C, SPI, GPIO, Camera, Audio, ADC, Touch and Display are directly available to
developers via a 230-pin MXM connector. Depending on the CPU used and use of
the integrated 2D/3D graphics engine and corresponding codex, the graphics
performance achieves video resolutions of up to 1080p.
The first
member of the new product family is a nanoRISC module, based on the Samsung
Cortex-A8 S5PC100 processor, with up to 667/833 MHz clock frequency, maximum
512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, up to 4 GByte NAND flash memory (NAND, eMMC and SD/MMC),
audio and touch support, real time clock, system monitoring and watchdog. The
2D/3D graphics engine integrated on the S5PC100 supports video resolutions up
to 720p.
The
evaluation board, which is made available from MSC together with the nanoRISC
module, enables developers to access all input and output pins of the module
via standard connectors. In combination with different modules, the baseboard
can also be used as a starter
kit for
the development of own hardware on the basis of the respective Samsung
processor, which is also available from MSC. Linux and WINCE are offered as
board support packages.
The NAND
flash memories, DDR2-SDRAMs and the wide range of interfaces integrated on the
module minimize the cost of the baseboard; the nanoRISC modules are also
suitable for cost-sensitive projects with large volumes.
In the
lower performance range, the nanoRISC modules are primarily used in
applications where a change from microcontroller to microprocessor is necessary
due to increased demands in the area of visualization and operation as well as
of communication with Ethernet or USB. In the higher performance range, the
nanoRISC modules with Cortex-A8 CPU and clock frequencies up to 1 GHz
particularly attract a great deal of interest when looking for more compact,
lower power and, ultimately, more cost-effective solutions compared to
established technologies.
