EBV Elektronik is providing developers with a tailored development package for Freescale Semiconductor’s MCF532X DragonFire microprocessor family in the form of the COBRA5329 reference platform. This reference board and Linux software environment has been developed in a joint project undertaken by senTec Elektronik and emlix, which was commissioned by Freescale Semiconductor, National Semiconductor and EBV Elektronik. In addition to the MCF5329 microprocessor, which is equipped with extensive peripherals, the board also contains National Semiconductor’s DP83848 Ethernet PHY module as well as appropriate flash memories and SRAM-ICs. The application board is designed for Power over Ethernet operation at 10/100Mbps (National LM5072). The modular COBRA5329 package is provided with an appropriate Board Support Package (BSP), which includes the mCLinux system, with a tailored toolchain and coLinux-based development environment for commissioning and working with the board using Windows XP.
Hardware
SenTec Elektronik GmbH developed the board to offer maximum flexibility: on the main board (the 120x150mm COBRA5329 Base Carrier Board) it is possible, to piggyback the 120-pin Hirose connectors for the insertion of the COBRA5329 processor module and other add-on boards. The dimensions of each of these add-on boards are approximately 48x68mm, which makes them smaller than a credit card.
COBRA5329 Module
The COBRA5329 module (COBRA = ColdFire Board for Rapid Applications) is a versatile processor board which has all the necessary features to build a ‘stand alone’ system.
It can be easily integrated into a customer‘s application and provides:
MCF5329 ColdFire Processor, 240MHz, 200MIPS
SVGA LCD controller (up to 800x600)
10/100Mbps Ethernet interface
Two UARTs, CAN interface
I²C and SPI interfaces
USB On-The-Go (OTG) and USB Host interfaces
Real-Time Clock with additional Watchdog timer
16MByte SDRAM
16MByte Flash (optional 32 or 64MByte)
On-board temperature sensor
Several boot options
Two high density board-to-board connectors
Single 3.3V supply voltage
Dimensions approximately 48x68mm, 4 mounting holes
COBRA5329 Base Carrier Board
The Base Carrier Board provides all functions and connections to evaluate the COBRA5239 module:
Two board-to-board connectors for the COBRA5239 module
3.3 and 5V power supply and voltage regulators
Power ON/OFF switch
10/100 Mbps Ethernet interface connector
12V supply voltage, PoE Option
Optional Power Over Ethernet (POE)
Two RS232 drivers and interface connectors
CAN driver and interface
USB On-The-Go (OTG) and USB Host interface connectors
Multimedia Card interface
LCD interface and breadboard area
Standard Background Debug Mode (BDM) interface
Dimensions approximately 120x150mm
Software
Emlix GmbH has developed an embedded mCLinux package that implements the modular environment envisioned by Freescale and EBV, as well as being a component of the COBRA5329 package. The BSP comprises a current Linux toolchain (compiler, etc.) tailored to the DragonFire, and a core with root file system optimised to the board.
Moreover, the BSP in the COBRA5329 package includes a coLinux-based development environment, which allows simple commissioning of the board, even directly with Windows XP. With the support of the integrated LCD controller and some example programs for the Nano-X graphic user interface, developers can program their own graphic applications quickly. As an additional service for initial entry to the embedded Linux world, emlix offers introductory training seminars with the COBRA5329 board under µClinux as well as project-specific support and services.
