IBM's DeveloperWorks has reviewed an inexpensive PowerPC development board aimed at Linux and eCos projects. The $650 TAMS 3011 “Moab” SBC (single-board computer) is a PCI card for use with passive backplanes. It is available with Linux and eCos tools and a powered three-slot PCI chassis.

(Click for larger view of TAMS “Moab” board)

According to author Peter Seebach, the TAMS Moab developer kit makes embedded development fairly easy, at least in comparison to the Mac Mini and KuroBox platforms he has previously reviewed for DeveloperWorks.

The Moab board includes a pair of Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 port, and a serial port, to which the console can be directed. It also includes JTAG ports, Linux RPMs for cross-platform development, and other amenities. The board is based on a PowerPC 405GPr processor. An available chassis (pictured at right) provides power, as well as a 2.5-inch harddrive adapter.

Seebach discusses booting the Moab board, modifying the filesystem, manipulating the flash media, and the “zork” test — trying to get the board to run Zork, one of the first interactive computer games.

Read the full DeveloperWorks article here.

 
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