Embedded Fusion's
Tahoe Development Kit is built around the company's Meridian CPU module, which in turn is based on the Freescale i.MXS processor, based on an ARM920T core. The board includes 8 MB of SDRAM and 2 MB of flash memory, with options for up to 8 MB of flash. Peripheral interfaces include a pair of UARTs, along with SPI, I2C, and USB. Additionally, from 16 to 32 general purpose I/O lines are available, depending on how the peripherals are configured.
Embedded Fusion's Tahoe Development Kit
(Click image for larger view)In addition to the CPU module, hardware provided in the kit includes a 2.7-inch LCD, a small expansion board with nine push-buttons, and a power supply. The kit also comes with a CD that contains documentation, an SDK (software development kit), and "lots of sample code," including custom emulator extensions and managed drivers, according to the company.
Embedded Fusion's release notes say version 2.1 of the firmware offers a completely new installer that uses Click Once deployment, enabling download installation and updating without administrative privileges. This also facilitates firmware releases independent of the SDK for critical updates, says the company.
The new release also adds support for Microsoft's
.NET Micro Framework 2.0, Service Pack 1, and for the pulse width modulator (PWM) built into the Meridian. In addition, its installer is now digitally signed for security and a better installation experience on Windows Vista, according to the company.
The Tahoe SDK also is said to feature an improved installer, and a variety of other fixes and new functionality. For example, COM2 support has been enabled in the Tahoe.HardwareProvider class so it is available to applications, and the UART2 control definitions have been fixed (RTS and CTS had the wrong pin values), the company said.
About the .NET Micro FrameworkAccording to Microsoft, the
.NET Micro Framework (.NET MF) SDK enables developers to take full advantage of the C# development language and the "rich development and debugging experience" that Visual Studio provides, according to Microsoft. The SDK is also said to offer user-extensible hardware emulation and seamless, graphical debugging of emulated and real hardware.
The .NET MF grew out of Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) initiative, with embryonic versions variously dubbed .NET Embedded and TinyCLR. It supports low-end embedded procesors and doesn't require an MMU (memory management unit). Microsoft says a typical runtime image is about 300 KB in size, and that it runs comfortably on platforms equipped with 256KB of RAM and 512KB of flash memory.
AvailabilityEmbedded Fusion's new Tahoe Development Kit firmware and SDK are available as free downloads from the company's website,
here. The site also includes detailed release notes.
To read the posting about this release on Microsoft's .NET MF team blog and any ensuing comments, go
here.
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