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your Windows® embedded community
Windows For Devices
your Windows® embedded community
Pictured above, the access control system will include Windows Embedded Compact 7, the BeagleBoard-XM, a Wiegand interface for door control, and an iris camera. According to MPC, both the application software -- built using Smart Sensors' MIRLIN SDK -- and a 2000-user database are able to fit onto a 4GB microSD card.
It's said the access control system could be used in boarding aircraft, entering an office building, or even logging onto computing resources. Given the BeagleBoard-XM's low cost, we can also envision this being deployed as an automotive anti-theft system or in various hobbyist applications.
Neville Bulsara, business development manager for MPC Data, stated:
The BSP allows developers to access, from the application layer, the peripherals of high-end architectures like the DM3730, using high quality drivers and frameworks designed by Windows Embedded Specialists, without having to worry about the low-level driver code. We are delighted to partner with Smart Sensors and to host their product on our stand at Embedded World and show case our services for the embedded security and access control industry.
Background
Designed by a small group of Texas Instruments employees, the $150 BeagleBoard measures just over three inches square. It offers a SD/MMC slot, a USB host port, a DVI-D port, audio jacks, an S-Video output, and an expansion connector.
Later BeagleBoard revisions -- Rev. B, Rev. C, and January's Rev C4, for example -- doubled up on RAM, added an additional high-speed USB port, and provided improved power management. The device now employs TI's OMAP3530 Rev. E, which clocks its Cortex-A8 core at 720MHz and bumps the TMS320C64x DSP to 520MHz.
Last June, the BeagleBoard, which boasts an open hardware design and active online community, got another improvement in speed. The $180 BeagleBoard-xM (above) features an onboard four-port USB hub, 512MB of RAM, and a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU, the TI DM3730.
But amidst these hardware improvements, BeagleBoard development was Linux-dominated until MPC Data arrived on the scene. The company announced a BSP for the device in February 2009, citing Windows CE 6.0 R2 compatibility and support for the following features:
In May 2009, MPC Data announced a Windows CE 6.0 R3 BSP for the BeagleBoard. Among the new features, the BSP was said to support integration with Datalight's Reliance and FlashFX products, which have been separately claimed to make flash memory performance "100 times faster."
In July of the same year, MPC Data announced a 1.1 release of its BSP, including additional tools, documentation, and configurable support for both 128MB and 256MB hardware revisions of the BeagleBoard. According to the company, the BSP allows graphics-intensive Silverlight 3.0 application to "run efficiently and with minimal impact on hardware utilization."
At the time, MPC Data also promised the Windows Embedded Compact 7 BSP that is now being delivered in CTP form. The BSP supports hardware-accelerated 2D/3D, with OpenGL, as demonstrated in the video below.
Further information
MPC Data says its main stand at the Embedded World show will be #363, in Hall 12. It will also have a presence at the Microsoft pavilion, which is stand #318 in hall 11, according to the company.
Further details of MPC Data's BSPs for Windows CE and Windows Embedded Compact 7 may be found on the company's website. Information on the BeagleBoard-xM may be found on the BeagleBoard.org website.
