Product category:
Embedded Computing and Control
News Release from: Luminary Micro | Subject: Stellaris MDL-IDM and MDL-S2E modules
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 18 March 2008
MCU modules make light of network
applications
Communications modules and reference design kits enable Ethernet-enabled display applications and serial-to-Ethernet communications applications.
Luminary Micro has released a range of rapid-time-to-market communications modules and reference design kits for Ethernet-enabled display applications and serial-to-Ethernet communications applications Based on the company's powerful real-time Stellaris microcontrollers, the communications modules and accompanying reference design kits provide OEMs with a production-ready solution to immediately integrate high performance communications into their end products at cost-effective volume pricing
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 25 May 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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The compact networked MDL-IDM intelligent display module offers a complete graphical touchscreen user interface solution for control, automation, and instrumentation applications.
Featuring a 2.8in QVGA 16bit colour LCD resistive touch panel display and power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capability, the Stellaris MDL-IDM offers a simple method to produce intelligent terminals that can be simultaneously powered and network-connected by a single Cat5 Ethernet cable.
Alternatively, the module can be powered with a standard 24V DC power supply or through 5V DC terminals.
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The MDL-IDM module also features additional serial connectivity options for easy implementation as a human machine interface (HMI) touch display panel in an embedded control device.
Built on the high performance Stellaris LM3S6918 MCU with 256Kbyte of single-cycle Flash memory and 64Kbyte of single-cycle SRAM, the module also includes an additional 128Kbyte of display memory, an SD Card interface, an audio transducer, a relay output and four analogue measurement inputs.
Software for the intelligent display module includes the Stellaris Graphics Library and Stellaris Peripheral Driver Library.
The libraries provide an easy C/C++ applications programming interface that generates graphical elements for the IDM and that controls the peripherals found on the LM3S6918 MCU, respectively.
The Stellaris Graphics Library supports widgets (pushbuttons, check boxes, radio buttons, text or image canvas elements), and basic graphical primitives (lines, circles, rectangles and text rendering).
The software support also includes a board support package that provides software drivers for the touch screen, the SD Card interface, the relay output, the sound capability and the analogue inputs.
The reference design kit for the intelligent display module includes an Ethernet cable, wall power supply, and CD containing all the module design information, including schematics, BOM, Gerber files, software source code, and documentation.
All of the module design information is openly available, NRE- and royalty-free, for use and modification on any Stellaris-based design.
The tiny-footprint Luminary Micro Stellaris MDL-S2E serial-to-Ethernet module offers a complete, ready-to-implement solution designed to add web connectivity to any serial device.
The most common application for the MDL-S2E is for augmenting legacy products that only contain a serial port for a configuration or control interface.
Many newer computers, especially laptop computers, do not have serial ports.
In addition, a serial connection is limited by cable length (typically 10m).
Simply installing a Stellaris serial-to-Ethernet module into the legacy serial design provides many benefits including no major board redesign or software changes, easy sharing on a network other than Ethernet, tiny form-factor for unobtrusive implementation, and freedom from the 10m maximum cable length limitation for serial connections.
The MDL-S2E is the first serial-to-Ethernet convertor available with a highly integrated ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller with 50MHz of performance and ample single-cycle, on-chip Flash memory and SRAM for efficient network traffic handling.
For maximum space savings, the Stellaris microcontroller is offered in a small BGA package and integrates the 10/100 Ethernet MAC and PHY on-chip.
Preprogrammed software included in the module supports IP configuration with static IP address or DHCP; a Telnet server for access to serial port; a web server for module configuration; UDP responder for device discovery; a Telnet client for Ethernet-based serial port extender; and SSH server for secure communications.
The reference design kit for the serial-to-Ethernet module includes a retractable Ethernet cable, USB cable for power from a PC, DB9 serial cable, an adapter board containing the DB9 serial connector, and CD containing all the module design information, including schematics, BOM, Gerber files, software source code and documentation.
All of the module design information is openly available, NRE- and royalty-free, for use and modification on any Stellaris-based design.
Both Stellaris communications modules accelerate time to market with cost-effective volume production price points.
Luminary Micro supports very high volume applications by "open-tooling" each module: all the module design information is openly available, NRE- and royalty-free, for use and modification on any Stellaris-based design.
Available module design information includes schematics, BOM, Gerber files, software source code, and documentation.
Luminary Micro also provides a Reference Design Kit version of each module that contains all components and cables for out-of-the-box use in development environments.
Available in April through Luminary Micro's global sales channel, the Stellaris MDL-IDM and MDL-S2E modules will be priced at US $189 and $49, respectively, with the respective reference design kits at US $219 and $139 (all pricing one-off).
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