I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
the requirements:

- Run full Linux with MMU support
- External bus support for more than 256MB of RAM, preferably DDR2
- Support for 64MB+ of NAND FLASH
- Support for 8MB of NOR FLASH
- I2C (2 ports ideal, one is OK)
- SPI
- USB Host x2
- 10/100 Ethernet
- At least two serial ports, four even better
- LCD interface highly desirable
- 16 to 32 available parallel I/O pins
- Expansion bus for external peripherals
- Low cost

Something like the Coldfire MC5329 would be perfect, except that this
chip does not have a MMU and you are forced to use uCLinux, which I
want to avoid due to the lack of memory protection and other
limitations.

I'd appreciate a shove in the right direction.

Thanks,

-Martin

On Sep 26, 9:33 am, m <martin.use...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
> the requirements:

I will be interested to hear what you come up with.   The USB host,
memory, etc requirements say to me "just buy a tiny form factor PC"
but any other alternatives
would be quite interesting.

Some of the smartphone chips would probably do everything but the
ethernet,
though there are of course ways to add that.

> "just buy a tiny form factor PC"

That would be an obvious choice if one was after a small Linux box.
However, this is going to be part of a product and, as such, there is
no way to include a small PC in it.  My build cost needs to be in the
$100 (USD) range at most.

Since the other part of the design will have a large Xilinx FPGA the
right approach could very well be to use Microblaze and implement the
Linux subsystem that way.  Frankly, to me it seems like it would be
using an expensive FPGA for the wrong purpose.  You still need the
SDRAM, FLASH and any supporting I/O bits.  So, the only "savings"
would be not having to buy a separate processor.  If it is true that
something like that '5329 can be had with a MMU, then pricing for the
processor might be in the $15 to $20 range.  I'm not sure that it
makes sense to implement Microblaze and use-up valuable high-speed
FPGA resources to save twenty bucks.  But I could be wrong...

-Martin

In comp.arch.embedded,
m <m...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
> the requirements:
>
> - Run full Linux with MMU support
> - External bus support for more than 256MB of RAM, preferably DDR2
> - Support for 64MB+ of NAND FLASH
> - Support for 8MB of NOR FLASH
> - I2C (2 ports ideal, one is OK)
> - SPI
> - USB Host x2
> - 10/100 Ethernet
> - At least two serial ports, four even better
> - LCD interface highly desirable
> - 16 to 32 available parallel I/O pins
> - Expansion bus for external peripherals
> - Low cost
>
> Something like the Coldfire MC5329 would be perfect, except that this
> chip does not have a MMU and you are forced to use uCLinux, which I
> want to avoid due to the lack of memory protection and other
> limitations.
>
> I'd appreciate a shove in the right direction.

The Atmel AT91RM9200 has a lot of the listed features, I know it has
MMU, USB HOST (1 or 2), 10/100 Ethernet, SPI, 3/4 Serial, I2C. It has
some support for FLASHes, check atmel site for details, they're not
all in my head at this time. :-)
While you're there, check the other ARM9 chips as well.

-- 
Stef    (remove caps, dashes and .invalid from e-mail address to reply by mail)

"I'll rob that rich person and give it to some poor deserving slob.
 That will *prove* I'm Robin Hood."
-- Daffy Duck, Looney Tunes, _Robin Hood Daffy_

m wrote:
> I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
> the requirements:
> 

This is a bit over your specs and maybe your price, but if you aim only 
a few units or if it's a personal project it might be what you're 
looking for:

http://www.beagleboard.org/

TI OMAP3 dev-board with 128mb RAM, 128mb Flash, lots of peripherals for 
just ~~ $150. Runs linux of course.

   Nils

On Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:33:43 -0700 (PDT)
m <m...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
> the requirements:
> 
> - Run full Linux with MMU support
> - External bus support for more than 256MB of RAM, preferably DDR2
> - Support for 64MB+ of NAND FLASH
> - Support for 8MB of NOR FLASH
> - I2C (2 ports ideal, one is OK)
> - SPI
> - USB Host x2
> - 10/100 Ethernet
> - At least two serial ports, four even better
> - LCD interface highly desirable
> - 16 to 32 available parallel I/O pins
> - Expansion bus for external peripherals
> - Low cost
> 
> Something like the Coldfire MC5329 would be perfect, except that this
> chip does not have a MMU and you are forced to use uCLinux, which I
> want to avoid due to the lack of memory protection and other
> limitations.
> 
> I'd appreciate a shove in the right direction.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -Martin

I actually just had a Freescale rep in yesterday afternoon, and he pointed me at an extremely interesting new widget. 
It's the MCF5445x (0 <= x <= 5).  V4 Coldfire chip with an MMU, DDR2 controller, really all sorts of stuff.  I've
barely cracked the datasheet myself so far, but at first glance it seems to meet your requirements, and was just south
of $10/ (at 10Kunit pricing!).

It looks like several of the V4 flavors have MMUs, so if you're extremely lucky some Linux jock may have even gotten the
code working for it already. 

-- 
Rob Gaddi, Highland Technology
Email address is currently out of order

> I actually just had a Freescale rep in yesterday afternoon, and he pointe=
d me at an extremely interesting new widget. =A0It's the MCF5445x (0 <=3D x=
 <=3D 5). =A0V4 Coldfire chip with an MMU, DDR2 controller, really all sort=
s of stuff. =A0I've barely cracked the datasheet myself so far, but at firs=
t glance it seems to meet your requirements, and was just south of $10/ (at=
 10Kunit pricing!).
>
> It looks like several of the V4 flavors have MMUs, so if you're extremely=
 lucky some Linux jock may have even gotten the code working for it already=
.

Thanks Rob, I'll look over the datasheet and contact my Freescale FAE
for more info.  If these chips are like the '53xx series but with MMU
they might just do the trick.

-Martin

"Nils" <n...@cubic.org> wrote in message 
news:4...@cubic.org...
>m wrote:
>> I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
>> the requirements:
>>
>
> This is a bit over your specs and maybe your price, but if you aim only a 
> few units or if it's a personal project it might be what you're looking 
> for:
>
> http://www.beagleboard.org/
>
> TI OMAP3 dev-board with 128mb RAM, 128mb Flash, lots of peripherals for 
> just ~~ $150. Runs linux of course.

In what way is this over the OP spec? It doesn't have ethernet or expansion 
bus as such (it has an unpopulated expansion connector with various 
peripheral signals on it).

Peter 

>
> - Run full Linux with MMU support
> - External bus support for more than 256MB of RAM, preferably DDR2
> - Support for 64MB+ of NAND FLASH
> - Support for 8MB of NOR FLASH
> - I2C (2 ports ideal, one is OK)
> - SPI
> - USB Host x2
> - 10/100 Ethernet
> - At least two serial ports, four even better
> - LCD interface highly desirable
> - 16 to 32 available parallel I/O pins
> - Expansion bus for external peripherals
> - Low cost
>
> Something like the Coldfire MC5329 would be perfect, except that this
> chip does not have a MMU and you are forced to use uCLinux, which I
> want to avoid due to the lack of memory protection and other
> limitations.
>
> I'd appreciate a shove in the right direction.
>

How large is your FPGA?

With the AT91CAP9 you can have a dedicated
bidirectional interface to an FPGA which then
can be integrated into the built in 500k gate metal
programmable logic block.
Only limitation I can see is that you support 256 MB SDRAM/Mobile DDR.

The 256 MB limitation exist in most AT91 chips, but some
chips like the AT91SAM9263 and the soon to be available
AT91SAM9G40 supports dual buses.
If you plan to have a large LCD (VGA or more), then the dual
bus might be desirable anyway.


-- 
Best Regards,
Ulf Samuelsson
This is intended to be my personal opinion which may,
or may not be shared by my employer Atmel Nordic AB

m escribió:
> I am trying to select a uP to build into an embedded device.  Here are
> the requirements:
> 
> - Run full Linux with MMU support
> - External bus support for more than 256MB of RAM, preferably DDR2
> - Support for 64MB+ of NAND FLASH
> - Support for 8MB of NOR FLASH
> - I2C (2 ports ideal, one is OK)
> - SPI
> - USB Host x2
> - 10/100 Ethernet
> - At least two serial ports, four even better
> - LCD interface highly desirable
> - 16 to 32 available parallel I/O pins
> - Expansion bus for external peripherals
> - Low cost


Have a look at NetDCU10 and similar products from http://www.fs-net.de . 
ARM9 based, comes with Linux 2.6 or Windows CE.