Solution in Detail
XKIT
An XKIT consists of all possible hardware and software solutions we are offering you with our EPC concept: The Processor Module with a state-of-the art 32-Bit processor solution as the computational heart of the complete system.
- The BASE-BOARD providing the electrical and mechanical connection to processor and extension boards
- The DC/DC board as the power supply for powering the system
- The Extension board Breakout Module for rapid prototyping
The XKIT01
The XKIT01 is a ready to use Linux Development System running the powerful Blackfin® ADSP-BF527 533 MHz processor from Analog Devices. The system provides several different memory options and therefore allows for flexible boot configurations of your LINUX System. The included DVD features a complete source code LINUX BSP with additional tools to ease development. These include the fully tested GNU tool chain for Blackfin Linux, the Eclipse IDE with several project templates and a complete Linux development system installed in a VMware virtual machine. All required documentation for both hardware and software is also part of the DVD. To start evaluation and development most easily, several step-by-step guides show all required configurations and installations when installing the tool chain manually.
BASE-BOARD
The electrical and mechanical connection between the most boards is the main function of the base board. In addition to this, it is possible to connect up to three extension boards.
The base board provides all standard connectors such as Ethernet, USB, UART and SD-Card, and allows user interaction via a few keys, LEDs and jumpers. Serving as "glue" that connects all other boards, the base board is less important for the overall functionality as it contains no essential ICs. All functionally relevant components are located on the modules. For your application the different fragments from all these boards can be fused to a single PCB, which eliminates the need for the connection matrix function of the base board.
DC/DC BOARD
Powered with an input voltage of 15 V (coming from a wall power supply) and 12 V respectively 24 V (when an offline power board is connected), the DC/DC board simply generates three bus voltages for the base board: 12 V, 5 V and 3.3 V. Of course the design is created with the highest respect for the accurate behaviour regarding efficiency, EMC and stability.
But in addition to this, there are several other interesting functions possible as well: A DC/DC board can be powered by wall power supply, an EPC offline power board, via Ethernet, USB or batteries. Using SMBus, it is possible to control and read an intelligent power supply. For future or application-specific use, there are a couple of reserved pins available on the connector to the base board.
EXTENSION BOARD
Out of all different types of EPC boards the extension board provides the widest options with regard to its functionality: All peripherals which can be connected to GPIO pins, PWM signals, UART, SPI, I2C and interrupt pins can be used in this position.
Possible extension boards are motor control, industrial I/O, LED lighting, industrial field busses, sensor front-ends, wireless interfaces (e.g. ZigBee®, WLAN, Bluetooth®, ISM, Wireless M-Bus and others), power line communication, battery management, level shifter, data converter, mechanical and capacitive keys, rotary encoder, intelligent power supplies and flexible interface cards to allow individual use of the above-mentioned interfaces. The development of your customized extension board is easy. Simply use our layout template, which is available for EAGLE, a well-known CAD software. All specifications and pin configurations for the extension board connector, the dimensions and connector types are of course a part of the documentation.
OFFLINE POWER BOARD
Whenever a target application is supplied directly by mains voltage or when an extension board needs a little more power than provided by the base board, it is possible to connect an offline power board to the EPC system.
Using an offline power board makes it possible to evaluate the specific characteristics of different offline topologies like Primary Side Regulation (PSR), Quasi Resonant Controller (QRC) and Resonant Switching (LLC). The different available offline power boards are suited for different output power values between 30W and 200W. As an option, a power factor correction (PFC) is available as well.
PROCESSOR MODULE
The processor modules are connected to the base board through high density connectors.
To maximize the flexibility within an EPC-based system, only those peripheral components are installed on the processor modules which are needed, while preserving different boot or connectivity options. The selection of modules focuses on 32-bit processors suitable for operating systems.
ADD-ON-MODULE
Whenever an extension has to communicate via fast, normally synchronous, serial or parallel ports or while using the external data and address bus in order to work as a memory-mapped peripheral, the track length between the processor and the peripheral should be short.
The number of connectors on these tracks should be as small as possible, too. On EPC, this is implemented by two sockets which can carry an add-on module. Examples of this approach might be the connection to other peripherals like high-speed data converters, mass storage devices, displays or networking interfaces.
ACCESSORIES
There is a range of accessories available for the boards of the Embedded Platform Concept.
These accessories facilitate the use of the system, ensure a safe handling of the hardware, or represent a sophisticated complement to the various boards.