GUI for my embedded board

Hi Frank this is good point I think .

I have worked on the ARM emulator provided by OVPworld , and have tested programs before transferring them to the ARM board.

I also searched for ARM emulators for Linux and I got two emulators which according to the documentation were capable of running the whole system inside the emulator

First is Skyeye , which I failed to get installed on my computer .

and the second one is QEMU which I have on my system.

I want to know that can I test all the above discussed processes which you told me for transferring , for initializing the framebuffer and initializing the file system etc. in the QEMU emulator.

will it be same as doing all the processes on the embedded board by doing inside the QEMU emulator.

I am asking this because I have tested small programs on the OVP emulator and had never run a whole kernel or system inside the emulator.

can I test my whole platform inside the emulator and than transfer it to the embedded board.

Is it also possible to test the QT embedded on the emulator, I mean can I interface the linux with the QT embedded in the QEMU and would the result be same.

and I think in this case there will be no memory related problem..huh.......

Thank you

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I don't know. Maybe this is the right time to read the manuals.

But it would never be the same as on real hardware. For me the AT91SAM9263-EK helped a lot for learning the basics and to setup my own embedded system. Looks like the starterkit for the nice new AT91SAM9G45 is even cheaper:

Would be less expensive to buy such an out-of-the-box running system instead of wasting some days trying to run it on an emulator, unless you are a low paid student or you have lots of time to waste :-)

--
Frank Buss, http://www.frank-buss.de
piano and more: http://www.youtube.com/user/frankbuss

That's one way to do it. But I like the NXP way. Upon special startup, the entire system memory would appears as a USB drive. You can just write the kernel on the drive from your PC and reboot.

Well, you still need to JTAG the USB storage code into the CPU first.

Or with a real ROM bootloader, you just insert an SD-Card into a PC, format, and drag and drop the USB code to the FAT partion, and then insert it into your embedded system and boot.

Then you can have the SD-Card look like a USB disk to the PC. A composite device, should allow you to boot, whenever you like. Not 100% there yet, but working on it.

--
Best Regards
Ulf Samuelsson
These are my own personal opinions, which may (or may not)
be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB

ne

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can

Yes, when will we see a USB storage device on the SAM3S boot code? Or at least when will we see a SAM3S available (prototype qty) on Digikey?

I know we can request samples from dist, but we don't want to design- in until we see parts on Digikey/Mouser.

Hi Linnix

I did not get your point of NXP , would you tell me a little bit more about it.

Thank you

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Hey Ulf Samuelsson

are you talking about some other project because I am not getting your point of why should I format my SD card in the FAT format.

Ok suppose if I format the SD card in the FAT format and than why should I drag and drop the USB code in it, here what do you mean by USB code.

Please give some explanation about it.

Thank you

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Hey you guys are I think talking about something else or to something relevant to my project which is to port QT GUI to my linux kernel and providing it a GUI Layer using QT.

I am not getting any of you what are you talking.

Please be clear so that I can also get you that what are you discussing.

Thank you

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is

Hi Frank

I visited the Atmel site of which you given me the Link :

and I got that it's a very beautiful kit I have ever seen on the web almost featuring every peripherals on it.

But the price is far too much for me of $ 750, which is not affordable for me and I think only companies can afford it, so I want to ask you can you tell me the another kit of ARM microprocessor whose price ranges in between $ 50 to $ 100.

If possible can I make my on evaluation board.

Thank you

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Yes, it is really nice. You can't go wrong with it for a wide range of interesting projects.

I think $750 is something many people in this newsgroup earn in one or a few days, so it is affordable even for personal hobby projects.

There are many cheaper ones, but it depends a lot on what you want to do with it. Boards with lots of hardware and TFT touchscreen displays are usually more expensiver. Is this just a toy project which you are doing in your spare time, for learning some embedded Linux programming? Then maybe you'll something cheaper and simpler from eBay.

If you've never done some embedded system develpment before, maybe start with something like this:

It's a cool gadget (and the STM32 microcontrollers are cool, too), and no operating system is required, but you have even a graphics display, without costing an arm and a leg for you :-)

Something like the Atmel board? If you are a hardware professional with many years experience, and doing a 10 layer PCB with lots of fine pitch BGAs and impedance matched traces is no problem at all for you, and if you have some good >10k$ PCB layout and routing program, then go ahead! :-)

--
Frank Buss, http://www.frank-buss.de
piano and more: http://www.youtube.com/user/frankbuss

ut

With the ISP boot code activated. The NXP flash memory appears as a USB drive. You can program it from your PC without special programmers, just with the USB port.

Atmel is a bit behind in bring out the SAM3S (Cortex M3). I think they should follow NXP with having the boot USB code, unless NXP patented it (secretly?).

In case you don't know, Ulf is our Atmel insider here.

We were burned with the Atmega32u6 that was announced for more than 6 months as non-stocking parts at Digikey. But was withdrawn without notice by Atmel. We don't want to risk that again.

It's irrelevant to the boot process.

It's too much for me to pay for hobby unless I knew well in advance that it would be what I actually needed in the end. Which I couldn't know without getting it and seeing. Multiply that by several more such cases until I found the right fit and it's become real money. And if all it is for is enjoying some time plinking around, it's still expensive.

My price target for development/experiment boards, without knowing in advance it is a fit, is probably under US$200. And much less, most of the time. I did spend $150 recently for a fantastic TI system, which was discounted from $450 and well worth every penny. But $200 is probably a limit without a specific application in mind and an almost certainty of successful use of what I get out of it in the end.

I'm trying to imagine a hobby where I'd spend $750 on a single, highly unique and specialized tool where I didn't even know for sure I needed it....

Jon

I think I can build a 4 layers CPU modules Cortex M1 with 32Mx16 SDRAM using two chips. The module can then be mounted on another 2 layers board for other stuff. It's around 70% done. The BGA designer software will also be posted here:

Hi Frank

Actually I am not a professional neither in a company as an employer.

I am just a student in an engineering college and doing this as my project .

So this is the reason why I can't afford this kit.

So if you have some other alternative please tell me.

Well I am also browsing for the same on google.

Thank You

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Hi Linnnix

Look if I am correct than you want to tell that the Linux kernel can be loaded to SD card through USB port just by connecting the USB cable only.

I mean that can I communicate with the SD card with just only a USB cable and no other special software or tool would be required.

Please clarify my points.

ok this is your part:

Now I want to know whether this way is possible or not , and if possible than how much it is effective.

Actually my PC has SD port in it . So I was thinking that can I boot the uCLinux Kernel by putting the SD card in my SD port of my computer and than do all file related activities on it , which would be very easy and everything would get resolved, I think it could be an another way of doing all those activities .

I think it is just like making one part of kit of vehicle in one plant and another in some other plant and than assemble all these parts together to get the whole vehicle...........isn't it ........huh......

Thank you

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1996 and Linux 2.0 for me ('Monkey Linux' distro). And that included running Netscape, and a lot of swapping. Fast it was not :-)

Theo

The NXP bootloader can load the flash memory of the micro via USB. If you load it with the Linux kernel, it can then load the rest from SD.

I've thought about an interesting possibility. There are edimax webcams and they run an embedded Linux. They connect through ethernet. This software is published. The webcams have a $50 price tags, and -- surprise! -- they have a built in camera to play with. If you fail to learn anything, you have at least a usable peripheral for your system. If you manage to add a useful facility (like exporting pictures in tif format or ocr), you might get famous.

The economy of scale is enormous, compared to evaluation SBC's. (A similar thing applied to linux based routers.)

Groetjes Albert

--

--
Albert van der Horst, UTRECHT,THE NETHERLANDS
Economic growth -- being exponential -- ultimately falters.
albert@spe&ar&c.xs4all.nl &=n http://home.hccnet.nl/a.w.m.van.der.horst