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Texas Instruments (TI) has unveiled the new Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 micropressor. The device will enable designers to explore a wider variety of possibilities for upgrading their systems without having to increase either the cost or power consumption. As a result designers will be able to add 3D interactive touch screens, higher resolution displays, faster performance and multiple, flexible integrated connectivity options. Acccording to Dipti Vachani, general manager, Sitara ARM microprocessors, TI will also look to provide tools, free software and 24/7 support.
Starting at $5 and consuming as little as 7 mW of power, the AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 microprocessors will provide low power consumption, prolonging battery life and a reduction in heat emissions, to enable portable, pocket-sized, fan-less applications. Offering developers high performance with advanced 3D graphics capabilities, touch screen controller and sophisticated peripherals all on a single chip reduces printed circuit board (PCB) space, complexity and bill of materials (BOM) costs by as much as $40 for smaller sized applications such as portable navigation, handheld gaming and educational devices, home and building automation and more.
“The AM335x ARM microprocessors and the associated software and hardware development boards provide embedded system designers with low-cost, low-power and easy-to-use solutions,” said Jim McGregor, chief technology strategist, In-Stat. “Total system solutions like these allow embedded designers to take advantage of the huge investments in ARM core technology and open source software, such as the Android operating system, to ensure a roadmap for future investments in silicon and software."
The AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 microprocessors offer multiple robust development tools. Designers can quickly and easily begin development with the $89 BeagleBone, the newest, open source hardware platform from the BeagleBoard.com community. Designers can also use the full-featured evaluation board (EVM) with a seven-inch LCD touch screen and access to all peripherals. The EVM includes TI’s WL1271 single-chip 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth technology in a broadly available module and is the first widely available platform to enable Wi-Fi Direct. The combination of the AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 microprocessors and proven WL1271 solution has been designed to provide a very low-cost, high-performance wireless connectivity platform.
Accompanying both the BeagleBone and full-featured EVM are a host of software solutions: The TI EZ software development kit, allowing demo in minutes and development in less than an hour; support for Linux, Android and Windows Embedded Compact 7 operating systems; compatible security solutions and real-time operating systems (RTOSes) available from third parties, enabling further product customization and simplifying development and a StarterWare software stack allowing developers to program these microprocessors like a microcontroller, without requiring an operating system.
