Timesys Corporation has collaborated with partner and tools developer Lineo Solutions to provide DIY embedded Linux development subscriptions for two Renesas SH4-family RISC processors. Timesys LinuxLink subscriptions for the Renesas SH7751R and SH7785 processors are available now, says Timesys.

(Click for larger view of the Renesas RTS7751R2D reference board)

Subscribers can use the new Timesys Factory automated build service to build an embedded Linux platform for the venerable Renesas SH7751R processor and the newer, circa 2006, SH7785. Both of these 32-bit RISC processors are based on the Renesas SuperH architecture and SH-4A superscalar CPU core. The newer SH7785 clocks the core to 600MHz, and is further equipped with a FPU (floating point unit), LCD controller, and PCI interface (see diagram below). It targets car infotainment devices with 3D displays, and other multimedia applications.

The SH7751R subscriptions are designed to work with the Renesas RTS7751R2D reference board (pictured at top), and the SH7785 subscription uses the SH7785LCR reference board. The subscriptions offer a configured 2.6.27 Linux kernel with support for multiple devices including gigabit Ethernet, USB, LCD, SATA and PCI, says Timesys.

Each Factory-built Linux platform contains a user-defined mix of GNU-based cross toolchain, a subset of the hundreds of available application-specific root filesystem (RFS) package sources, and commonly used open source development tools, including GDB, OProfile, and Mpatrol. Subscribers are also provided with platform-specific recommendations, advice, technical support, tutorials, and documentation for common embedded Linux development tasks, says Timesys.

The Timesys Factory is part of the more automated LinuxLink 3.0 update of Timesys's embedded Linux development subscription service. Version 3.0 incorporates web services technology to package the Timesys Factory and related services, such as automated patch updates and GIT tree access.

Japanese embedded Linux firm Lineo has been supporting the SH4 processors for many years. Lineo and Timesys forged a broad partnership last April to collaborate on processing tools and services.

Stated Gregory Quiggle, VP of Marketing at Timesys, “The Renesas SH4 architecture provides a powerful suite of features, making it a great platform for implementing designs that provide high throughput for handling multimedia content and communication protocols using embedded Linux.”

Availability

The Renesas SH7751R and SH7785 LinuxLink subscriptions are available now, says Timesys. For a limited time, free Timesys Factory access is available for automated builds and evaluations of the two Renesas SH4 processors, says Timesys. Interested customers should register for a LinuxLink Test Drive, here, and enter promotion code “PR7751” on the registration form, says the company. More information on LinuxLink subscriptions for the Renesas SH7751 and SH7785 may be found here.

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