XScale® based embedded systems

• High performance processor

• Multimedia interfaces: camera, LCD, touchscreen, audio

• Many peripherals

• Easy to use and reliable connectors

• Low power, small size, low weight

• Low cost, customizable

Software support  Applications  Documentation  Order info, prices

Actual size 72 x 50mm (2.8 x 2")

General description

These boards are ready to run embedded systems dedicated to computer vision and robotics. They offer very high processing performance while maintaining very low power consumption.

Their design is optimized for applications requiring small form factor and extremely low weight. They embed perfectly in UAVs, mobile robots, humanoids or any other mobile system. They are available in standard and weight optimized version for aerial vehicles and handheld applications.

Marvell XScale® processors provide industry-leading computing and communicating capabilities. The Quick Capture interface allows color and gray-level image real-time acquisition with very high resolution (up to 2048 x 2048) without using CPU thanks to Direct Memory Access (DMA). The whole image is accessible in SDRAM memory. Executed with Intel Wireless MMX SIMD instruction set, data processing is parallelized up to 8 times. It is much faster than PXA255 or standard ARM core processors. To learn more about PXA270 adequation with image processing, XScale architecture and WMMX instructions, read Intel engineer Nigel PAVEL's article presented at CASES 2004 conference.

Multimedia interfaces let you build robots that see, talk, hear and display their mood on an LCD.

Our boards are equipped with high quality connectors for flexible and reliable connection of all kinds of peripherals. Many signals are accessible, please consult the hardware manual for connectors pinout and details. 

Software support

XScale® boards run with Linux 2.6 kernel, bringing high performance and much functionality to embedded applications. Development is made easy thanks to available BSP and Open Source Community support:

• Full Linux kernel source code C/C++

• GNU EABI cross compilation tool chain

• V4L2 API for image acquisition

• Extra Mobisense Systems robotics drivers: GPIO, RC servos, ADC, timer

• Source code examples

• Multithread applications, Posix standard

• Eclipse IDE and gdb debugger

• Open Source community: Open Embedded, Angstrom…

BSPs can be downloaded from the software section.

Signal processing is optimized with powerful IPP: Intel/Marvell Integrated Performance Primitives based on WMMX instruction set. IPP libraries can be downloaded from Intel download center (free for non-commercial applications). Select 5.0 Release and download I_ipp_pca_*.tgz.

Applications

• Vision guidance, embedded computer vision

• Mobile robots: humanoids, UAVs, flying robots

• Service robots navigation system: agriculture, industrial cleaning, AGVs

• Interactive robotic heads and humanoids
  

• Wireless camera, network sensors

• Multimedia portable device

Documentation

MBS270 V2 hardware manual

MBS270 V2 software manual

Ordering information and prices

Options (Append them to the product order code):

* US$ prices subject to change according to exchange rate variations.

Note: to run, XScale boards need a power module plugged in X3 connector. Available products are detailed in the power modules page.