ARM single-board computers offer configuration flexibility

For greatest convenience, customers may purchase a fully-configured off the shelf solution from Diamond, including a select ARM module and heat sink installed, or they may purchase the baseboard and ARM module separately for greater configuration flexibility and lower unit cost. Development lits, including the fully configured SBC, pre-configured Linux OS on a microSD card, and a full cable kit, are available from Diamond Systems.

Key highlights of the Eagle/Eaglet family are long product lifetime, configuration flexibility, and a wide range of I/O.

According to Diamon Systems, one of the most difficult challenges in embedded systems is the frequent and often painful technology refreshes during the product’s lifecycle, due to the relatively short life of the processor. The Eagle/Eaglet family with the Toradex Apalis family of ARM modules solves this problem, providing a long life, scalable platform for embedded computing applications with interchangeable processors similar to the well-known COM Express concept. All COMs in the Apalis Family are pin-compatible to ensure seamless platform upgrades. Eagle enables customers to extend their product’s lifecycle by simply upgrading to a new Apalis module and installing new driver software. Currently available models offer product lifetimes extending through 2028.

Eagle/Eaglet users have great flexibility in selecting not only the price/performance characteristics of the installed COM but multiple configurations, including the number of cores, memory and flash size, and operating temperature range. Both Eagle and Eagle baseboards support the following Toradex Apalis COM families:

Eagle and Eaglet feature a variety of I/O functionality as described in the following table. Eaglet provides the core functionality of the installed Apalis COM. Eagle adds extra functionality including more Ethernet, serial, and GPIO ports, for applications requiring more I/O.

* same as Eagle

Low-cost expansion socket
Eagle includes a novel low-cost I/O expansion socket. This can be used to attach low-cost compact I/O expansion modules such as analog and digital I/O. The first expansion module for Eagle/Eaglet is a dual CAN isolated transceiver module measuring 1.1x1.4” (29x35mm) that provides access to the two CAN ports native on each Apalis COM. Due to the simplicity of the I2C and SPI interfaces provided on the connector, even novice users can easily design their own custom I/O modules to use on Eagle/Eaglet.

Panel I/O board
Most of Eagle’s I/O connectors are located along the front edge of the board. A panel I/O board accessory is available to plug onto these connectors in place of cables. This provides a convenient solution for customers looking to achieve a compact, low-cost, rugged solution without cables. The remaining I/O features are still accessible with cables if needed.