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your Windows® embedded community
Windows For Devices
your Windows® embedded community
According to ADI, the Blackfin BF518F used here is code-compatible with all its other models, and clocks at up to 400MHz. It includes 116Kb of on-chip memory, an external memory controller, a memory management unit, an Ethernet MAC, a parallel peripheral interface (PPI), two UARTs with IrDA support, a real-time clock, and a watchdog timer, among other functionality cited by the company (see block diagram, below).
Avnet says its new "BF518F FMC Development Kit" is the first to combine the benefits of the Blackfin architecture with Microsoft's .NET Micro Framework (see later in this story for background). The device is touted as "a convenient modular platform for applications that combine FPGAs [field-programmable gate arrays], embedded processors with advanced networking capability, and the familiar Visual Studio software development environment."
The device, whose dimensions were not specified, is said to include a .NET MF port by Adeneo, the Blackfin processor itself, 64MB of memory, and 4MB of flash storage. The device can operate standalone, or as an FPGA mezzanine card (VITA 57), Avnet adds.
The kit includes 10/100 Ethernet with a RJ45 connector, a RS232 port with DB9 connector, a USB 2.0 mini-AB port with supplied cable, and a SD/MMC card slot, according to Avnet. Options include a seven-inch LCD display, plus a "debug agent board," which fits onto the main board as pictured below.
Jeff Ittel, senior vice president of business development and marketing for Avnet, stated, "Embedded devices continue to become a more common part of the larger design solution. Integrating technologies such as the BF518F FMC Development Kit into applications gives designers the capabilities and enhancements they need, without having to acquire a new set of skills and tools for different parts of the solution. Integrating the .NET Micro Framework into embedded development gives customers the capabilities they need to help speed their time to market and cut cost."
Microsoft's .NET Micro Framework
First released back in 2006, .NET MF is Microsoft's development environment for small, deeply embedded devices with constrained processor and memory resources. It originally grew out of the company's SPOT (smart personal objects technology) initiative, which brought about SPOT watches, weather stations from Oregon Scientific, and a coffee maker from Melitta.
Said to require a RAM footprint of as little as 64K, .NET MF can run on an operating system or directly "on the metal" without one. Only one application can run at a time, but it can include multiple threads, according to the company.
In October 2008, Microsoft unveiled Net Micro Framework 3.0, giving the environment a new file system, the ability to link to native code, touchscreen support, USB support, a WiFi infrastructure, and other enhancements. (For further details of .NET MF 3.0, see our earlier coverage, here.)
The environment's previous major update was in February 2008, when .NET MF 2.5 added both a native TCP/IP stack and support for Web Services on Devices (WSD), which aims to allow network-connected devices to discover and connect to one another without user intervention.
Some customers had already gained a file system, thanks to proprietary extensions created for .NET MF 2.5 by GHI Electronics. For its USBizi and Embedded Master modules, GHI devised an embedded FAT (file allocation table) implementation that is said to let the .NET MF-based devices access files on microSD- or USB-based storage.
Earlier this year, Microsoft said it would turn the source code for .NET MF over to the community and make porting kits available for free. The move was the result of layoffs announced in May, following which employees in Redmond's .NET MF team were to be shifted to the broader .NET Framework team.
Further information
Avnet's BF518F MFC Development Kit will be available in early 2010, priced at approximately $350, or $500 including the add-on debug agent board. For further information, see the company's website, here.
For further information about the .NET Micro Framework, see Microsoft's website, here. The .NET MF team's blog can be found here, providing details of a recent .NET MF 4.0 beta release.
