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ARM9 Linux dev kit includes an LCD
Mar. 06, 2006

An embedded services and board vendor in British Columbia is shipping its first reference design to include an integrated LCD display. The TPC-57 is based on an ARM9-based CPU module, along with a 5.7-inch touchscreen LCD. An included Linux stack supports nearly every imaginable GUI stack, the company says.

(Click for larger view of TPC-57)

The TPC-57 is based on Techsol's SA2410 CPU module (pictured at right), which just shipped last month. The module is powered by a 200MHz Samsung SoC (system-on-chip) claimed to offer better graphics performance than XScale chips clocked much higher.

The kit includes a 5.7-inch, QVGA (320x240), STN (super-twisted nematic) LCD with CFL (compact flourescent lamp) backlight, and an optional touch-panel. Other touted hardware features include:
  • 2MB of NOR Flash for fault-tolerant boot-loaders
  • 32MB or optionally 64MB each of SDRAM and Flash
  • Low-power 10-BaseT Ethernet interface
  • GPIO for push-buttons, etc.
  • 2 RS-232 serial interfaces
  • 1 RS-485 serial interface
  • 2 SMPS (switching-mode power supplies) feeding 5-volts for logic and display, and 12-volts for the backlight inverter
  • High-quality 16-bit audio out
  • 4 channels of 4-20 mA analog sensor Inputs
  • Digital inputs and outputs, pre-configured to drive opto-couplers (with LED drive power)
  • Low-power battery-backed RTC (real-time clock)
  • I2C
  • SD/MMC connector
  • 2 USB host ports
  • USB device (gadget) port
  • Backlight inverter powered from 12-volt switching power supply
  • Display and backlight cables included
  • Size -- 4.5 x 7 x 1.25 in. (114 x 178 x 32 mm)
According to TechSol, the TPC-57 comes preinstalled with a Linux 2.6-based operating system that supports a wide range of graphical environments, including:
  • Linux frame-buffer (FB), operating in 8-bit, 256-color mode
  • Micro-Windows on framebuffer, "a simple, 'windows-like' API," Techsol says
  • Qt/Embedded on framebuffer, "a nicer look and more features"
  • X-11 on framebuffer, for standard Linux/Unix graphics
  • FLTK on X, "a full-featured, extensible, yet free GUI"
  • GTK on X, "for full PC compatibility"
  • Other obscure GUIs, such as EZWGL, "for critical control environments where C++ is not allowed (such as Intel's production lines)"
The company says it has previously developed medical devices, high-volume consumer gadgets, and other products with LCDs. However, the TPC-57 is its first off-the-shelf development system to include a display.

Availability

The TPC-57 is available from stock, priced under $500 in quantities of a thousand or more.



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