Two Tiny New Linux Microcontrollers

Posted 11 Mar 2005 at 16:51 UTC by steve

Kontron has announced a new microcontroller board based on the Intel XScale that's just 67 x 49 mm. The board includes a 400MHz XScale, 128MB DRAM, 256MB Flash, 1280x1024 graphics controller, 10/100 Ethernet, AC97 audio, USB 1.1, and other I/O. Pricing starts at $245 for single units. The new board, called the X-Board GP8, is the lastest addition to Kontron's line of tiny X-Board SBCs . Not small enough for you? A Linux Devices article mentions that Oki is about to release the world's smallest ARM processer. The chip is just 5.09 x 4.84mm - bacon-bit sized according to Linux Devices :-). The Oki chip has a 33MHz ARM7TDMI core and includes multi-master I2C, SPI, I2S, and UARTs. Oki will offer SBCs using this chip that also include USB, USB-OTG, JTAG, CAN, Ethernet, RS-232/485, and SP/DIF. Both the Oki and the Kontron microcontrollers run uClinux.

Small is beautiful, posted 12 Mar 2005 at 23:02 UTC by motters » (Master)

As fairly powerful computers become ever smaller and cheaper it will be interesting to see what happens when they become so inconspicuous that they can be incorporated into clothing or jewelry. You could have minature wireless networks around the body. Maybe with Steve Mann style sunglasses you could have full 360 degree vision, or all mannor of bionic vision enhancements such as zoom or overlayed text information.

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