Ronetix announced a open-frame panel PC based on Atmel's 400MHz, ARM926-based AT91SAM9G45 processor and intended as a development platform. Now supporting Android as well as Linux, the SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit incorporates a CPU Module PM9G45 with 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash, a seven-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen, and a baseboard with serial, Ethernet, USB, and optional Wi-Fi connectivity, says the company.

In October 2010, Ronetix, which is known primarily for its PEEDI debug emulator, released a PM9G45 module incorporating Atmel's AT91SAM9G45 processor. The module was released with a Starter Kit, which combined a baseboard with a choice of 3.5, 5.7, and 8.0-inch LCD touchscreen options.

SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit
(Click to enlarge)

Now the Austrian firm has now launched a more advanced SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit, providing both a seven-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, and additional I/O. Key enhancements include more serial, UART, and expansion connectors, plus audio ports and optional Wi-Fi.

PM9G45 module

The PM9G45 module, which is also available separately, remains the same, but has been upgraded to v1.3 firmware, according to a Ronetix spokesperson. It's built around the SAM9G45 processor, which is clocked at 400MHz, and provides 32KB each of data and instruction cache, as well as 64K of internal SRAM.

Ronetix PM9G45
(Click to enlarge)

The PM9G45 is equipped with 128MB of DDR2 and 256MB of NAND flash memory, as well as optional Atmel Serial DataFlash, says Ronetix. The module is said to be further equipped with a 10/100Mbps Ethernet MAC controller and an optional DS2401 serial number chip.

I/O is via a 200-pin SODIMM connector, including dual high-speed multimedia card interfaces, plus USB, I2C, SPI, an image sensor interface (ISI), PWM, and JTAG, says the company. LCD and four-wire touchscreen controllers are said to support resolutions up to 800 x 600 pixels.

Measuring 2.6 x 1.3 inches (67 x 35mm), the module runs on a 3.3V power supply and typically consumes 600mW, says Ronetix. The PM9G45 is said to operate over the industrial temperature range of -40 to 185 deg F (-40 to 85 deg. C).

SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit

As noted, only a single seven-inch touchscreen is now offered as a standard option on the new SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit. Mounted on the back of the baseboard, the display is sized to match the 6.5 x 4.1 inch (16.5 x 10.4cm) baseboard, and features 800 x 480 resolution and an LED backlight, says Ronetix.

SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit touchscreen option

The new baseboard design still offers a microSD slot, but loses the former CompactFlash slot. As before, there's a 10/100 Ethernet port, and Ronetix now adds a Wi-Fi option. A USB host port and a micro-USB host and device port are offered on the coastline, says the company.

SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit, detail view
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The previous kit offered only a single RS-232 port, but the new SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit gets five, one of which also supports RS-485 connections. This would appear to be the single real-world serial port on the coastline.

The new model also adds more UART connectivity, as well as a JTAG connector, coastline audio ports, and expansion headers, including an expansion LCD connector, says the company (see spec list below).

SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit, with attached touchscreen, side view
(Click to enlarge)

The new Starter Kit is offered with a Linux distro equipped with the OpenEmbedded build system, previously said to be a version of KaeilOS Linux. As before, Windows CE 6.0 is supported, and now Ronetix has added Android support, as well.

Features and specifications listed for the SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit include:

• Processor module — PM9G45 with 400MHz Atmel SAM9G45
• Memory:
  • 128MB DDR2 SDRAM, 16-bit access, 100MHz bus
  • 256MB NAND flash (bootable)
  • 4MB or 8MB Atmel Serial DataFlash (bootable)
• Flash expansion — microSD card slot
• LCD touchscreen (optional) — 7-inch 800 x 480, 24-bit LCD touchscreen with LED backlight
• Wireless — optional Wi-Fi
• Networking — 10/100 Ethernet port
• Other I/O:
  • USB host port
  • USB host/device (micro-AB connector)
  • 4 x RS232
  • RS232/485 (PTR connector)
  • 3 x UART (1 x on DB-9 male; 2 x via header)
  • USART (header)
  • expansion header pins
  • expansion LCD connector
  • audio headphone and mic jacks; line-in (header)
  • JTAG 20-pin connector
• Other features — DS2401 serial number chip; I2S audio codec; 2 x user-defined LEDs; 2 x power LEDs; reset, wakeup buttons;2 x user-defined buttons
• Power — 5V or 10-24V selectable; DC power jack; linear regulator for permanent 3.3V

Availability

The SK-PM9G45 Starter Kit appears to be available now at an undisclosed price. More information can found in this Ronetix SK-PM9G45 data sheet/manual [PDF], and more may eventually appear elsewhere on the Ronetix website.

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