$45 BeagleBone Black Linux Computer Debuts, Mouser Accepting Orders
April 23, 2013. BeagleBone Black, the next-generation offering from BeagleBoard.org, enables everyone from electronic artists to engineers to access to a ready-to-use, 1-GHz computer for $45. This credit-card-sized, Linux computer is an open hardware and software development platform that helps transform ideas into products. BeagleBone Black allows developers to leverage the ideas and knowledge of the BeagleBoard.org community, who support each other from concept through development. Opportunities for innovation are endless.
BeagleBone Black includes all the necessary components to connect a display, keyboard, and network. BeagleBone Black is based on the 1-GHz Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor from Texas Instruments. TI’s Sitara AM335x processor enables an advanced graphical user interface and more than 2x higher performance than ARM11-based solutions. BeagleBone Black includes 2 GB of on-board storage to run preloaded Linux software, as well as a USB cable to power the board. Featuring USB, Ethernet, and HDMI interfaces, BeagleBone Black can connect to a wide variety of devices such as a mouse, keyboard, or LCD. BeagleBone Black offers designers flexibility with expansion headers, including 65 digital I/O lines, seven analog inputs, and access to a variety of analog and digital peripherals.
BeagleBone Black is based on production-ready hardware and software, helping developers, makers, hobbyists, and students speed development time. In addition, all of the components on BeagleBone Black, including TI’s Sitara AM335x processor, are commercially available.
BeagleBone Black comes pre-loaded with a Linux operating system and Cloud9 IDE to kickstart development and keep the microSD slot available for additional storage. The software is optimized to help new users explore embedded Linux and become proficient quickly. The ecosystem includes free access to documentation, sample code, and mainline kernel support for other software distributions like Ubuntu, Android, and Fedora. BeagleBone Black’s kernel and driver flexibility allows users to easily integrate new hardware and software.
More than 30 plug-in boards, called capes by the community, are compatible with BeagleBone Black, with more capes to come. Integrating BeagleBone Black with these capes—such as 3D printers, a DMX lighting controller, a Geiger counter, a telerobotic submarine, and LCD touch screens—extends the functionality of the board to enable an even broader range of projects and accelerate the development process.
In related news, Mouser Electronics Inc. announced it is accepting orders for BeagleBone Black. “Mouser Electronics is delighted to partner with BeagleBoard.org and offer the new BeagleBone Black,” stated Russell Rasor, Mouser Electronics’ vice president of advanced technology. “With the new enhanced features, the BeagleBone Black represents an excellent value and further accelerates the design engineer’s job of developing hardware and software applications for embedded systems quickly and cost effectively. As the trend moves toward more highly integrated systems on a chip, having readily available, cost-effective tools to develop, prototype and test are crucial.”