Suggestions for ARM Single-Board Computer

I'm doing a little demo application for an upcoming control systems class, and I need a processor board to go with it. Unfortunately there's a gazzilion different vendors out there, and I'm rather overwhelmed by choices.

So if any of you have gone through this exercise in the recent past, could you share your results? I'm willing to entertain both chip manufacturer's eval boards and 3rd-party single board computers.

I'd like to use either a TMS430 part (because it seems to be up-and-coming), or some ARM-based part (because if I'm going to learn one new processor it should be ARM). I think TI has me covered with TMS430 boards, should I go that route.

For an ARM board, I'm looking at something that has:

  1. A serial port for talking to a host
  2. At least one analog input for reading feedback. This (these) would preferably be at least 10 bit sampling ADCs who's sampling can be controlled by a hardware timer.
  3. At least one PWM output for drive.
  4. Some provisions for debugging; an eval board with built in JTAG would be the bees knees, but a second serial port that could be used with GDB would be acceptable.

Comments & suggestions are welcome.

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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
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Tim Wescott
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Hello Tim,

The EZ430 from TI should fit the bill. USB programmable from a laptop which is nice when you hold classes on the road. The target is the

430F2013, not automotive but has 16bit ADC (slow, don't expect much above kHz signal frequency unless you drop the averaging rate and thus ENOB), 16-bit timer, port can be set up for various standards. USB path is used for programming and also for ICE-like debug (spy-by-wire or in short "SBW").

You'd have to probably mount a header and provide a little extra board, or get a 430F1023 (comes in DIP!), solder it in place and wire the USB pod to its SBW lines. That way you'll have space for connectors, potmeters, lamps and whatever else is needed for class. Best of all: This kit is only $20 a pop so you could even consider giving it to paying attendants.

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Hello Tim,

This is the link:

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Uh, Joerg, the 430 isn't an ARM. You're thinking of the 470. Googling TMS470 shows ~60K hits, of which the first page is about half evaluation boards.

John Perry

Reply to
John Perry

If you want Control teaching, and like 'up and coming' and are looking for a PCB candidate, then the new Zilog ZNEO appeals to me for class-room use : 16 x 32 bit registers, with a socketable package!

This has Debug, and FREE tools, Compiler and Simulator included, so every student can grab those. It has PWM drive for motor control, with some smarter features like proper PWM current trip, and a timestamped ADC.

The EVAL PCBs have expended memory Busses, for large systems, Flash+Sram, and they also have IrDA & LIN suport, & Precision OnChip Oscillator.

The peripheral's are similar to the more mature Zilog Motor Control family.

For $99 you get the USB debug link, Eval PCB and all the SW.

Might still be a bit new, but you did mention "up-and-comming" :)

-jg

Reply to
Jim Granville

Hello John,

Correct. I got confused since Tim wrote "I'd like to use either a TMS430 part (because it seems to be up-and-coming), or some ARM-based part ...". Guess he meant the the 470.

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Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Hi Tim,

something to low cost ARM boards:

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As a package deal with integrated JTAG debugger, 32k Compiler from IAR

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Or from Rowley, full featured compiler but restricted to the board (dongle function)

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Also has integrated USB to JTAG

There are more but that should do for beginners.

An Schwob

Reply to
An Schwob in the USA

Yeah. Well, I read too fast, and missed his statement about the 430. Sorry, I should have left it alone, really. You weren't all that wrong.

jp

Reply to
John Perry

My problem is that there are so many to choose from, and not much information about which will actually do what I need.

Hence the desire to hear from someone with recent experience.

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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
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Tim Wescott

I came of age as an engineer in the late '80s, when Zilog was making it clear that they were only interested in Big Customers, thank you very much. Since I was, and still do, work on stuff for smaller companies I let Zilog slide right off my radar screen.

I suppose I need to get un-pissed at them...

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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
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Tim Wescott

Posting from Google? See

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pointless, no cartoons ,2 mny vwls:-(

martin

Reply to
martin griffith

Tim, I am biased of course, but we just released a USB enabled LPC-2103 based board. In the minimum state, you plug it in your USB port and go! You can use the serial bootloader from Philips/NXP, and you can use our fully functional demo C compiler for 45 days. The board is $89 and has been listed on the eeproductcenter.com as one of the Products of the Day. More info at our website. // richard

Reply to
Richard

Hi Tim,

I am a student with no money haha and desperately wanted to try my hand at ARM programming/interfacing so I did buy a board that is quite inexpenisve and is based on the AT91SAM7S256. I think it has everything you need.

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I've been playing with the board and it is quite fast (built in PLL and

32.768kHz RC OSC).

  1. The board has 2 UARTS including a debug UART ( all can be accessed through connectors through the use of jumpers).

  1. The ADC module on this chip is user selectable to 8 or 10-bit sample resolution and can be triggered by external pulse or internal timer. This ADC uses SA.
  2. The chip has numerous PWM channels.
  3. Built in JTAG (of course the debug UART I believe has to be used by your software).

Best of all with the UARTS and ADC you can use the DMA unit of the chip so you can use the ARM to do whatever you need to do while the transfer is in progress.

It cost me $82 CDN which is like maybe $5 US ;) so it probably won't hurt you too much. Comes with 256KB of Flash memory and 64KB of RAM. Hope this helps.

-Isaac

Reply to
Isaac Bosompem

I second this suggestion because I recently just made much the same choice (I started with the sam7-h64 barebones board). I wanted a robot controller - this gets me SPI, TWI, 4 PWM channels + 3 pairs of other timer channels, plus a bunch of other GPIO pins.

Buy the JTAG adapter at the same time so you can develop and debug with the IAR free compiler (it is limited to something like 32k of code, so it fits better with the -h64 chip's capabilities). There's also a Eclipse/GCC/OCD combination, but I'm enough of a microcontroller newbie that I'll wait for a while to get to installing it.

The Atmel AT91 ARM 7 256/128/64/321) chips are pin-compatible, so you can do a design and choose the flash/ram level you want. Olimex seems to have done that same thing.

There are a couple of retailers for the Olimex boards in the US; sparkfun has worked well for me on all 3 of my orders to date.

Pete

Reply to
Pete Bergstrom

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