Need Evaluation Board suggestion?

You can use an old X86 mother board.... that is enough Many books take a single PC mother board as example.....

There are several levels of "embedded" computing to go for. You could go small embedded computing, like the microchip PIC or the Zilog Z8 encored (I have seen a lot of cheap development kits for these, zilog is rather agressive in getting these into peoples hands...and they should be... I think freescale needs to learn something here).

There are midrange embedded systems

Also usefull for mid range education is

Up in the queue are the system based devices, VIA Eden embedded PCs and baby linux based embedded arm devices (I think

Tony

OOps, I wasn't looking at the group too closely. You are talking about embedded linux platforms... hmm.. well

I don't think Linux will run on a PIC or Z8.

You can probably get uCLinux running on a '186 if it's got enough RAM. No chance for a PIC or Z8.

I think it's going to be an uphill battle running Linux on it. :)

As long as you don't have to deal with the startup stuff -- starting up and configuring an IA32 mobo is a nightmare.

The OP needs to decided if he wants to do uCLinux or a "full up" Linux kernel with VM. If the former, any of the cheap ARM7 or 68K solutions will work nicely. A Linksys wireless hub running a uCLinux on a Samsung ARM7 can be had for $40, and there's a fairly active development community:

If he want's to run a kernel with VM, I'd recommend something with a StrongARM or maybe ARM9 or PPC. The gumstix products (StrongARM) are pretty cool:

Grant Edwards wrote: I thought I was in comp.arch.embedded , I was making a quick response to a generic embedded programming request. Tony

How about a Linksys WRT54G? Take a look at