BeagleBoard.org, who are considered to be an open hardware, credit-card sized, low-power boards specialist, recently announced the launch of two new boards, namely, the compact Beagle Connect Freedom and the rapid prototyping BeaglePlay. The latter of the two is claimed to offer “the most adaptable open source performance platform available.”
About BeagleBoard.org
The BeagleBoard.org Foundation is a Michigan,USA-based non-profit corporation aimed at providing education in and collaboration around the design and use of open-source software and hardware in embedded computing.
The BeagleBoard.org community collaborates on the development of open source physical computing solutions including robotics, personal manufacturing tools like 3D printers and laser cutters, and other types of industrial and machine controls. The recently launched two boards are a further addition to the same.
Let’s Talk the Launch
When asked about the recent launches, the Foundation Chief Executive Christine Long claimed, “BeaglePlay is an exciting addition to the BeagleBoard.org family and will enable thousands of applications to be prototyped faster than ever before.”
BeaglePlay:
Linux computing made simple and fun with 1,000s of available off-the-shelf sensors, actuators, indicators and connectivity options over mikroBUS, Grove, and QWIIC connections, a TI Sitara AM625 system-on-chip with 1.4GHz quad-core Arm Cortex-A53, PRU and M4 microcontrollers, Gigabit Ethernet, full-size HDMI, USB, 5GHz, 2.4GHz and sub-1GHz wireless, and single-pair Ethernet with power-over-data-line. Camera and touchscreen display ribbon-cable connectors also included.
The Processor includes Quad Arm Cortex-A53 microprocessor subsystem @ 1.4GHz, Arm Cortex-M4F @ 400MHz, Dual-core PRU subsystem @ 333MHz.
Board Feature Highlights:
- Small 8cm x 8cm form-factor
- 2GB RAM and 16GB on-board eMMC flash with high-speed interface
- USB type-C for power and data and USB type-A host
- Gigabit Ethernet, Single-pair Ethernet with PoDL
- Integrated 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi
- 2.4GHz and Sub-GHz programmable wireless MCU, integrated IEEE802.15.4 drivers/firmware
- Full-size HDMI, OLDI, 4-lane CSI
- Expansion via mikroBUS, Grove, QWIIC
- Zero-download out-of-box software experience with Debian GNU/Linux
Beagle Connect Freedom:
With 2x mikroBUS connections, there are over 1,000 different add-on options. On-board sensors include temperature, humidity and light level. There’s even a battery charger to assist with battery-backed-up designs.
Based on the Texas Instruments SimpleLink CC1352P7 wireless microcontroller running Zephyr and Micropython, utilizing the 2.4GHz and sub-1GHz IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networks are made easy. BeagleBoard.org lists numerous additional wireless networking stacks available from TI, including Wi-SUN and Amazon Sidewalk, enabling you to take your IoT designs wherever you might want to go.
Board Feature Highlights:
- Type-C USB based serial console and firmware updates
- 2x mikroBUS sockets to support Click boards from MikroE
- 2MB SPI flash
- TI OPT3001 light sensor
- TI HDC2010 humidity/temperature sensor
- TI BQ2104 battery charger
- 4 programmable LEDs
- 1 programmable button
- 1 reset button
- On-board 2.4GHz chip antenna
- Enclosure and SubGHz antenna
BeagleConnect is a revolutionary technology that virtually eliminates low-level software development for IoT and IIoT applications, such as building automation, factory automation, and home automation.
Further, the need for a layer of software development is eliminated. While numerous IoT and IIoT solutions available today provide massive software libraries for microcontrollers supporting a limited body of sensors, actuators and indicators as well as libraries for communicating over various networks, BeagleConnect simply eliminates the need for these libraries by shifting the burden into the most massive and collaborative software project of all time, the Linux kernel.
Purchase Link
Both development boards are available to order from DigiKey, Mouser and others now, with the BeaglePlay priced at $99 along with immediate delivery and the BeagleConnect at $28.50, however the shipping for the same is expected to begin later this month. More information on both boards can be found on the BeagleBoard.org website.
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