October 4, 2013. Texas Instruments has announced that the Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor has been selected to power the newest Arduino board, the Arduino TRE. TI’s 1-GHz Sitara AM335x processor offers up to 100x more performance on the Arduino TRE, compared with the Arduino Leonardo or Uno. For the first time, Arduino users can use the full capabilities of Linux and gain access to a variety of new on-board connectivity options to develop a range of powerful, advanced applications while leveraging the simplicity of the Arduino software experience. The Sitara-processor-powered Arduino TRE serves as a network hub that can connect to millions of classic Arduino nodes, enabling customers to be at the forefront of the Internet-of-things (IoT) era.
“Arduino is already the biggest name in the open-source board market. By choosing TI’s Sitara AM335x processor to power the Arduino TRE, we’re enabling customers to leverage the capabilities of an exponentially faster processor running full Linux,” said Massimo Banzi, cofounder, Arduino. “Our customers now have a scalable portfolio at their fingertips, from the microcontroller-based Uno to the TRE Linux computer.”
By integrating TI’s Sitara AM335x processor into the Arduino TRE, Arduino is making its entrance into the popular Linux computer market. For the first time, Arduino users no longer need a PC, but can access the full capabilities of Linux as well as a variety of connectivity options, including Ethernet, XBee wireless radios, USB, and CAN. As a result, users can implement more advanced applications with high-resolution LCDs, hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, and increased connectivity. The AM335x processor also includes two on-chip 200-MHz 32-bit Programmable Real-time Unit (PRU) microcontrollers, which can be used for innumerable real-time applications, including motor control and pulse-width modulation.
Arduino TRE is two Arduinos in one: the Sitara-based Linux Arduino plus a full AVR-based Arduino. The integration of the AVR Arduino enables the Arduino TRE to use the existing shield header ecosystem so that innovators can expand the Arduino TRE to develop a wide range of high-performance applications such as 3D printers, gateways for building automation and lighting automation, telemetry hubs that collect data from nearby sensors wirelessly, and other connected applications that require host control plus real-time operations. The Sitara-processor-based Linux Arduino can run high-performance desktop applications, processing-intensive algorithms, or high-speed communications.
The Sitara-processor-powered Arduino TRE is expected to be available in spring 2014.