Product category:
Design and Development Hardware
News Release from: Tilcon Software | Subject: HMI starter package
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 11 April 2006
Turnkey package is quick start for HMI
designs
A ready-to-use HMI starter package will appeal to developers in automotive, industrial automation, medical, defence and consumer devices markets.
Tilcon, MicroSys and Wind River have developed a ready-to-use HMI starter package for developers in automotive, industrial automation, medical, defence and consumer devices markets The package can reduce the time required for implementing embedded graphics applications from a typical 9 months down to 1 to 8 weeks
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 21 Dec 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Platform promises flexible graphical interfaces
The Tilcon Interface Development Suite is billed as the fastest, most cost effective way to create today's demanding embedded graphical interfaces.
Graphical development optimised for PowerPC
The Tilcon IDS is now fully optimised for the AMCC PowerPC 440 processor family, allowing customers to harness the speed and rich graphics offered by Tilcon.
The starter package combines four different boards from MicroSys (PM520 processor module, CPU module carrier, carrier extension, graphic extension), the VxWorks operating system (evaluation version) and Workbench from Wind River, the IDS (interface development suite) graphics solution from Tilcon along with a bootloader, plus the associated documentation.
The graphics include a typical application example which serves as the starting point for a designer's own development work.
The starter package has been fully tested and is supplied ready for use.
Further reading
Embedded graphics provide custom GUI
Tilcon Software has been working with with Lectronix to provide a new embedded software framework for automotive and commercial vehicle OEMs and Tier 1 integrators.
Software supports OpenGL environments
Tilcon Software has extended it support for OpenGL environments to include QNX Software Systems' implementation of the OpenGL ES graphics API.
Graphical development expands to Windows CE 5.0
The Tilcon Interface Development Suite and Embedded Vector Engine are now available for Windows CE 5.0.
It is available for Eur 1400 from MicroSys.
MicroSys provides "one-stop support", with backup from Tilcon and Wind River.
The package includes the miriac PM520 processor module, which is based on Freescale's MPC5200.
It is a combination of a powerful MPC603e PowerPC core with numerous I/O functions (including PCI, Ethernet, CAN, USB, IrDA, ATA and sound).
For this purpose, the PM520 CPU module is mounted on an I/O carrier.
Measuring 65 x 87mm, the CPU module itself is extremely compact and can be used by OEMs as a COTS (commercial off the shelf) component on their own baseboards.
The CPU module carrier, namely the carrier board for the PM520, provides the fastest facility for evaluating the MPC5200 platform.
The carrier extension for the PM520 and the carrier board are equipped with two CAN, USB, ATA ports, a CompactFlash slot and BootProm.
The graphic extension is based on the Coral-P controller from Fujitsu.
Its features include 64Mbyte SDRAM, an embedded 2D/3D graphics accelerator, alpha blending, geometry engine and ITU656 video capture.
On the software side, the scalable Wind River Workbench development environment boosts individual productivity and allows hardware and software developers to work together within one project team.
It permits simplified testing and diagnoses during the entire development and device lifecycle.
With the Tilcon IDS (interface development suite) graphics solution it is possible to develop high-grade HMIs (human machine interfaces) in an extremely short time ready for the production stage.
This technology does not feature any graphic code within the embedded application, instead the HMI layout is selected simply like a skin file - dynamically "on the fly" - just like with cellphones.
Skins are generated with the aid of the Tilcon EVE (embedded vector engine) in real time via a low-performance network in which multiple client/server connections are possible.
As the data exchange is restricted to object parameters, only a minimum load is placed on the network.
Booting within 1s on the VxWorks real-time operating system is standard.
With a size of only 1.5Mbyte, the Tilcon EVE is instantly ready for use and fully functional.
What is more, it is highly versatile in terms of its uses, with a single version catering to applications in the markets of defence, medical technology, industrial automation, automotive and consumer equipment.
Particularly in the case of embedded graphics used in the generation of HMIs, it is essential that leading manufacturers co-operate for complete solutions and advice/support.
On the one hand, producers of graphics software are required to incorporate their many years of experience and ongoing innovations, since standards continue to develop even faster than for other embedded technologies.
On the other hand, the graphics depend on numerous factors, starting with the graphic controller modules with their highly varying ranges of functions, which are incorporated into embedded hardware, to the embedded hardware with a myriad of processors through to the associated real-time operating systems with the matching drivers.
No manufacturer can master this long chain of hardware and software products single-handed.
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