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        SBCs get flash-based Windows SDKs

        Eric Brown | Date: Jan 12, 2010 | Comments: 1


        Diamond Systems announced Windows software development kits (SDKs) that include solid-state IDE flashdisk modules. Preloaded with Windows CE or Windows Embedded Standard, the bootable modules plug directly into Diamond's boards, supplying all required drivers, the company says.

        Diamond's new bootable flashdisk SDKs are designed to work with Diamond's single board computers (SBCs) and embedded-ready systems, creating solid-state Windows-based computers, says the company. For example, one of the four supported products is the PC/104-format Helios SBC (right), which uses DMP's 800MHz Vortex86DX SoC.

        Other supported products are the Athena II and Hercules II, respectively using PC/104 or EBX formats and Via Mark CoreFusion CPUs, and the Pegasus, a PC/104-Plus SBC featuring AMD's Geode LX800. According to Diamond, the Athena II and Hercules II are available with 512MB flashdisks loaded with Windows Embedded Standard; the Helios and Pegasus, meanwhile, employ 128MB flashdisks with an x86 version of Windows CE.


        The Diamond Systems SDKs come on 1.7 x 1.2-inch flashdisks
        (Click image to enlarge)

        Diamond says its Windows CE SDKs include not only bootable Windows CE 6.0 R2 operating system images -- stored on the 1.7 x 1.2-inch flashdisks pictured above -- but also CDs with a board support package (BSP) and all relevant device drivers. The latter include PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports, RS232 serial ports, IDE storage devices, and Ethernet, the company adds.

        Additionally, for products having onboard data acquisition functions, each SDK contains Diamonds "Universal Driver," which supports the associated boards onboard data acquisition capabilities. Demo programs for analog and digital I/O operation are also provided, the company says.

        The Windows Embedded Standard SDKs -- Windows XP Embedded is apparently also offered -- offer similar facilities and once again come with a BSP stored on a CD. In both cases, the SDKs also include trial versions of trial versions of Microsoft's Windows CE and Windows Embedded Standard development tools, usable without charge for 180 and 120 days, respectively, says Diamond Systems.

        Further information

        Diamond's flashdisk-based SDKs are "immediately available," according to the company, priced at $350 for the Windows Embedded Standard versions (for the Athena II and Hercules II), or $200 for the Windows CE versions (for the Helios and Pegasus). Linux versions are also available, as previously covered by LinuxDevices.com, here.

        More information on the Windows CE SDKs may be found on the Diamond Systems website, here. More information on the Windows Embedded Standard SDKs may be found on the Diamond Systems website, here.

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