17 November 2008

Atmel ARM Based MPU Supported By Mainline Linux Kernel

Atmel Corporation, a member of the ARM Connected Community, has announced the availability of the latest Linux mainline release, v2.6.27, for its 400 MHz ARM926EJ-S-based AT91SAM9G20 embedded microprocessor, and for other members of the AT91SAM9 family.

The short time interval between product availability and publication in the official Linux kernel is due to the well-established Linux support for AT91SAM9 MCUs, and peripheral re-use across the product family, the company said.

“The availability of our development of the latest Linux kernel, for the AT91SAM9 MPUs, demonstrates our commitment to support the strong market demand for Linux on AT91SAM9 products family,” commented Alfredo Vadillo, Atmel’s Managing Director for ARM microcontrollers.

A Linux distribution based on Linux v2.6.27 is available from Atmel’s AT91SAM Linux portal at www.linux4sam.org. It includes the complete Linux v2.6.27 kernel, the Linux patch for the AT91SAM9G20-EK, device drivers, pre-built demonstrations and the Angström/OpenEmbedded building environment. The AT91SAM Linux portal is a gateway to a growing community that provides Linux self-support for Atmel’s entire ARM9-based range of embedded 32-bit microprocessors.

Complementary products and support are available through TimeSys, including an embedded Linux ReadyKit for the entire AT91SAM9 series including the AT91SAM9G20. The ReadyKit comprises a pre-built Linux kernel, device drivers, a GNU-based cross toolchain, a glibc-based root filesystem complete with selected development libraries, 14 days of technical support and access to a wide range of support documentation.

The 400 MHz AT91SAM9G20 features Atmel’s peripheral DMA (direct memory access) and distributed memory architecture that, together with the 6-layer bus matrix, enables multiple simultaneous data transfers between memories, peripherals and external interfaces without consuming CPU clock cycles. The external bus interface (EBI) is clocked at 133 MHz for high-speed transfers to off-chip memories. This architecture gives the device the high internal and external data bandwidth required by many embedded networked applications, Atmel explained. 

Networking and communications requirements are met by an Ethernet 10/100 Base T MAC, seven USARTs, 12M bps USB Full Speed Dual Host and Device ports, dual SPI, SSC and Two-Wire Interface (TWI). Linux device drivers are available for all these peripherals. Image sensing requirements are fulfilled by a fully integrated Image Sensor Interface (ISI).

Power consumption in full-power operating mode at 400 MHz with all peripherals turned on is only 80 mW. The AT91SAM9G20 also features four reduced-power modes, including Backup Mode where the main power supply is off and the device power consumption is sufficiently low (9mW) for an extended period of operation under battery supply, Atmel said.