SAN BRUNO, Calif., Jan. 28, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MSC Embedded Inc., manufacturer of highly integrated standard board level products and customer-specific boards and systems, today announced a new nanoRISC embedded processor module which is based on the Texas Instruments AM335x. Different members of the AM335x family of ARM Cortex-A8 processors, clocked from 300 to 800MHz, are used for the module offering a wide variety of features and interfaces. The module can hold up to 512 Mbyte of DDR3 DRAM, up to 512 Mbyte of SLC NAND Flash and optionally up to 64 Gbyte eMMC Flash. A microSD card holder on the module enables the addition of Flash memory cards. The MSC nanoRISC-AM335x module is fully compliant to the nanoRISC specification and provides for popular embedded I/O signals such as Ethernet, USB, CAN, UART, SPI, I2C and I2S audio.
Initially, two processors from TI's AM335x family will be used for the nanoRISC-AM335x module. The AM3352 clocked at 300MHz with its very low power consumption and basic feature set will mark the economic entry-level module, while the AM3354 at 800MHz will provide very high computing power as well as hardware 3D graphics acceleration. Therefore, the new nanoRISC module based on these AM335x processors gives designers of target systems the opportunity to achieve two different performance and price points by alternatively using the entry-level module or the high-performance product, making use of the total hardware and software compatibility between them. Considering the other nanoRISC modules available from MSC and its nanoRISC partners, system designers have a very wide choice of performance, price and features among the versatile nanoRISC family of embedded "supercomponents".
The new module supports direct LCD drive (16/18/24 bit RGB) at a resolution of up to HD (1366 x 768 pixels). Some members of the module family provide 3D graphics acceleration built into the CPU's SGX530 graphics subsystem. The 10/100 Base-T Ethernet interface can optionally be used as Gigabit LAN or as two independent 10/100 LAN interfaces. Further options include a versatile Programmable Realtime Unit (PRU) allowing fast response to real-time events and Industrial Ethernet for industrial field bus applications.
The 70 x 50mm nanoRISC module consumes less than 2W of power (1.7W for the 300-MHz version) and can be operated without any cooling. It is interchangeable with the other nanoRISC modules from MSC and its partners if the minimum feature set is used. Future enhancements to the nanoRISC family will further widen the list of alternative devices.
MSC provides Board Support Packages (BSPs) as well as Boot Loader, drivers and Operating System (OS) implementations for Linux and Windows Embedded Compact 7 (Android on request).
Samples of the MSC nanoRISC-AM335x module are available immediately based on the TI AM3359 processor including 3D acceleration. For evaluation and test of the nanoRISC family of processor modules, a Starterkit is available consisting of a versatile 3.5" baseboard with power supply, 7" TFT and cable set. A Linux installation on SD card will be provided ensuring immediate operation of the kit.
The nanoRISC standard for processor modules was created by MSC in order to shorten the design and development time for the use of advanced, complex ARM CPUs. This standard is currently supported by MSC and F & S Elektronik Systeme GmbH who both are committed to regularly adding new products to the nanoRISC family.
Pricing
In OEM quantities, the module with the Quad-Core CPU will cost $168.
MSC Embedded Inc.
MSC Embedded Inc. is a manufacturer of board-level products and customer specific industrial embedded computers. Products include COM Express™, Qseven™ and ETX ® modules as well as products that interface to COM modules like carrier boards, I/O technologies for displays or other process interfaces. MSC Embedded also offers custom BIOS adaptation, BSP and device drivers for all of its products to OEM customers worldwide. The company's headquarters are based in San Bruno, CA and Stutensee, Germany.
For more information about MSC Embedded, visit www.mscembedded.com