Getting hardware into the hands of software developers before a real product is available significantly reduces system development time. That's why Accelent Systems' Integrated Development Platform (IDP) makes a big difference to systems developers working on StrongARM-based Internet appliances, including handheld devices.
The IDP uses a 206-MHz SA-1110 StrongARM processor with the SA-1111 companion chip. The 32-Mbyte onboard SDRAM is expandable to 256 Mbytes. An expansion bus is available for third party memory-mapped devices. JTAG debug support is included as well. The display is a four-wire resistive touch panel with a 1024-by-769 VGA screen. And, the IDP supports normal, suspend/resume, and soft-reset power modes.
This platform incorporates a complete line of peripheral interfaces, including 10BaseT Ethernet, USB host and client, IrDA, PCMCIA, Compact Flash, IDE, plus PS/2, and serial and parallel ports. Multiple audio interfaces include AC'97, I2S, and UCB 1200. This collection of hardware tends to be a superset of most IA designs, allowing developers to get up and running quickly. Accelent provides support for Windows CE and Linux.
Accelent's DeviceWare complements the standard operating systems with a system boot loader and device driver modules for all built-in hardware. The loader supports a variety of sources from the serial port to Compact Flash. The plethora of hardware and supporting software lets developers concentrate on application-specific development. Accelent actively supports new development tools, such as Microsoft's Talisker beta for Windows CE.
The IDP SA-1110/SA-1111 for Linux or Windows CE is $2995. Both operating systems are supported for an additional $400.
Accelent Systems Inc., 3480 W. Market St., Suite 105, Akron, OH 44333; (330) 864-2300; www.accelent.com.
