BeagleV-Ahead RISC-V computer from BeagleBoard.org available now under $150

BeagleBoard.org®, a leading developer of open-source hardware platforms, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated launch of BeagleV®-Ahead, an innovative single board computer (SBC) based on TH1520, a quad core 64-bit RISC-V SoC from T-Head. This groundbreaking open-source SBC brings … Continue reading BeagleV-Ahead RISC-V computer from BeagleBoard.org available now under $150

BeaglePlay® from BeagleBoard.org® brings fun to building with computers

BeaglePlay is an easy to use, affordable single board computer that allows you to create connected devices that work even at long distances. Not only that, BeaglePlay is fully open source and built on top of open standards so that you can hack and play… It’s your BeaglePlay! Continue reading BeaglePlay® from BeagleBoard.org® brings fun to building with computers

BeagleBone® AI-64, our first broadly available 64-bit open hardware single board computer

Updated: BeagleBone® AI-64 represents a major milestone for BeagleBoard.org, satisfying some of the most requested features from our developer community. Continue reading BeagleBone® AI-64, our first broadly available 64-bit open hardware single board computer

Using the U-Boot Extension Board Manager – BeagleBone Boards Example

This article follows two earlier blog posts about Device Tree overlays: Using Device Tree Overlays, example on BeagleBone boards Device Tree: Supporting Similar Boards – The BeagleBone Example Introduction As explained in the first two blog posts, the BeagleBone boards are supported by a wide number of extension boards, called capes. When such a cape is plugged in, the description of the devices connected to the board should be updated accordingly. As the available hardware is described by a Device Tree, the added devices on the cape should be described using a Device Tree Overlay, as described in the first … Continue reading Using the U-Boot Extension Board Manager – BeagleBone Boards Example

Device Tree: Supporting Similar Boards – The BeagleBone Example

Most of the BeagleBone boards from BeagleBoard.org share the same form factor, have the same headers and therefore can accept the same extension boards, also known as capes in the BeagleBoard world. Of course, a careful PCB design was necessary to make this possible. This must have been relatively easy with the early models (BeagleBone Black, Black Wireless, Green, Green Wireless, Black Industrial and Enhanced) which are based on the same Sitara AM3358 System on Chip (SoC) from Texas Instruments. However, the more recent creation (2019) of the BeagleBone AI board and keeping compatibility with existing capes must have been … Continue reading Device Tree: Supporting Similar Boards – The BeagleBone Example

Using Device Tree Overlays, example on BeagleBone Cape add-on boards

The concept of Device Tree overlays The Device Tree language is a way to describe hardware that is present in a system and cannot be automatically detected. That’s the case of devices directly implemented on a System on a Chip, such as serial ports, Ethernet or Nand flash controllers. That’s also the case of devices connected to a number of buses, such as I2C and SPI, that do not provide mechanisms for dynamic enumeration and identification of devices. For a given CPU architecture (ARM, PowerPC, etc), such a description allows to have a unique kernel supporting many different systems with … Continue reading Using Device Tree Overlays, example on BeagleBone Cape add-on boards

Improving usage of device trees

Using device trees is one of the most complicated and important, and sometimes risky, elements of using a Beagle to make use of add-on hardware. With the addition of the AM5729-based BeagleBone AI to the family of boards sporting BeagleBone headers, the complications have increased, requiring additional considerations with dependencies on different processor pins connected to different header pins and a different peripheral mix. Further, AM5729 won’t be the last processor where Beagle uses on a board with BeagleBone headers! Further, in community efforts to add dynamic support for device tree overlays into the upstream Linux, much has changed for … Continue reading Improving usage of device trees

Call for topics for open-source embedded systems education projects

It’s that time again, time to start gathering project ideas and possible mentors for Google Summer of Code. This year, you can be a student even if you aren’t enrolled in school! That’s got me thinking about the key areas we need to help advance education around open source embedded systems. One of the early Beagle community development focuses was software defined radio (SDR). With updates to available CBRS bands, enabling personally unlicensed 5G small cell creation, and unlicensed radio frequency (sub-GHz) low-power wireless networks like IEEE 802.15.4, LoRa, and Wi-SUN, and many new silicon solutions, there are many opportunities … Continue reading Call for topics for open-source embedded systems education projects

Students can submit proposals now for Google Summer of Code

BeagleBoard.org has been selected as a mentoring organization for 2021 and the project possibilities this year, I believe, are especially interesting. With BeagleBone AI in production and BeagleV (RISC-V) and BeagleConnect (6lowpan subGHz wireless MCU running Zephyr) designs available in … Continue reading Students can submit proposals now for Google Summer of Code

BeagleBoard.org® and Seeed Introduce the First Affordable RISC-V Board Designed to Run Linux

Seeed and BeagleBoard.org® have announced an official collaboration with the leading RISC-V solutions provider, StarFive, to create the latest member of the BeagleBoard.org® series, BeagleV™ (pronounced Beagle five.) BeagleV™ is the first affordable RISC-V board designed to run Linux. BeagleV™, … Continue reading BeagleBoard.org® and Seeed Introduce the First Affordable RISC-V Board Designed to Run Linux

BeagleBoard.org update for the Open Hardware Summit 2020 @ohsummit #OpenCovid19Initiative

Open hardware community advances environmental testing for COVID-19 to help clean up schools and libraries Continue reading BeagleBoard.org update for the Open Hardware Summit 2020 @ohsummit #OpenCovid19Initiative