Neuros Technology

July 22, 2008Tom Bruno

tbruno@neurostechnology.com

Embedded Challenges

•Lack of documentation on how to setup embedded development enviroments

•High cost of developer hardware

•Proprietary hardware very common

•Developer Hardware commonly limited in function and features

•Stale & seldom updated tools

•Limited information on how to Cross Compile, Net Boot, and use other commonly used embedded methods of development available online

High Cost Embedded Devkits•Devkits often can cost upwards of $400+ for base hardware

• Devkits usually involve other costs such as:– JTAG flashing

– Special serial or I/O connectors

– Special non-standard expansions for Video, Audio, Network etc

– High cost for ram/flash space

– Custom software to connect to devkit

– Speical PC interfaces (PCI, etc)

– Special PC software to connect to devkit

•Neuros offers a fully running system with uboot updating/flashing, Serial interface for developer access, and modifiable flash memory.

•Developer Hardware commonly limited in function and features

•Other vendors– No VGA, video out or other forms of Graphical interface

– No audio/video abilities

– No expansion slots built in

– Only purpose of devkit is to write software

•Neuros OSD1&2– TV out (OSD1), HDMI, Component, Composite (OSD2)

– Built in audio/video abilities

– External Storage (SD, Memstick, CF) built into units (IDE on OSD2)

– Dual purpose Board works great for video/audio playback when not developing (divx,mp3,xvid,wav, etc)

Proprietary hardware very common

•Other vendors

– Closed interfaces

– Custom interfaces for connecting to PC

•Neuros brings standard ports, and open access to hardware

– No DRM to block custom modifications to firmware

– Easy to use flash tools

– NFS rootfs support so flashing software is not needed

– TFTP kernel loading so can upload custom kernels easily

– Great open documentation on Wiki so even you can modify and add to the knowledge

Stale & Seldom updated tools

•Neuros hardware is under current development– OSD1

• Hardware is now in maintenance mode but still receiving critical updates

– OSD2• Based on OpenEmbedded Toolchains making it easy to build

and update core libraries and tools• Under active development for consumer usage unlike many

devkits that are just produced and forgotten.

Cross Compiling Software

•Neuros' enviroment allows simple compile of applications

– By placing the tools in the developers ENV compiling is very simple

– Running compiled software is easy just copy to the nfs rootfs

– Using gcc cross compiling toolchain provided by Neuros

9

Cross Compiling Software Sample Code:

#include <iostream>

int main(int argc,char *argv[]){

std::cout << “Hello OSCON!” << std::endl;

return 0;}

Cross Compiling Software

~:$ arm-linux-g++ hello.cpp

~:$ cp a.out /neuros/neuros-bsp/rootfs/fs/hello

In Minicom (Serial Console):

~:# /hello