The latest member of the BeagleBone Black family of computer boards – the BeagleBone Black Wireless – is a credit-card-sized, easy-to-use Linux computer that integrates Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a significant amount of I/O for sensor and control applications.
It is also ideal for the development of connected applications, including IoT nodes and hubs, using open-source software platforms such as Debian, Android and Ubuntu.
The board builds in high-performance wireless networking capability offering both 2,4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and dispenses with Ethernet-10/100 connectivity. However, like the BeagleBone Black, this Wireless version retains the HDMI output, serial debug port, PC USB interface, USB 2.0 host, reset and power buttons, and adds two more status LEDs for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The main processor is Texas Instruments’ Sitara AM335x running at 1 GHz, which integrates an ARM Cortex-A8 based processor core. The board also offers two 32-bit PRU (Programmable Real-time Unit) microcontrollers, micro-HDMI connectivity, 512 MB of DDR3 RAM, and 4 GB of eMMC onboard Flash memory storage, which includes Debian Linux pre-installed.
A major innovation on the board is use of the Octavo Systems’ OSD3358 SiP (system-in-package), which integrates all the BeagleBone functionality into one easy-to-use BGA package. In addition, because the board is a community-supported open-source hardware computer – created by the BeagleBoard.org Foundation and developed using highly affordable design tools – makers and developers can easily create their own customised variations.
The Wireless board is fully software, hardware and mechanically compatible with the BeagleBone Black, including compatibility with all the existing BeagleBone Black system-expansion capes, which enable hardware expansion and additional peripherals.
For more information contact RS Components, +27 (0)11 691 9300, [email protected], www.zars-online.com or Electrocomp Express, 0860 10 20 20, [email protected], www.eexpress.co.za
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