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Volume 1, Issue 1
June 27, 2006 |
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Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Quadros Systems newsletter
We developed this newsletter to provide you with information to help you manage complex embedded applications in a fast-moving world.
It has been said that in the embedded systems industry, the only constant is change. How true. Our industry is in continuous flux with each new week bringing us new choices in processors, peripherals, software, tools and methodologies. This rate of change affects all of us, but especially the developer, who not only must take on the rather daunting effort to try to keep up with these changes, but also decide how and when utilize these new technologies in his product.
Our goal with RTXC I/O is to begin a flow of information that helps you better manage that change so that you can build better systems. Whether it is presenting a solution to a common problem or telling you about new products we've developed, we hope that we can provide you with a fresh perspective and ideas from our corner of the industry.
As the name implies, RTXC I/O is not intended to be a one-way communication. We want your inputs. Please send your comments and suggestions to stephen.martin@quadros.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Stephen Martin
Director of Marketing
Quadros Systems, Inc.
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In This Issue
We kick off the first issue of RTXC I/O with some timely information about USB development. Then learn more about interfacing a PC-compatible file system with NAND flash arrays.
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Development Trends
Today's fastest-growing embedded I/O system is USB (Universal Serial Bus). The adoption of USB has been driven by the prevalence of USB in desktops, laptops and peripherals, and the availability of low-cost USB peripherals. Numerous embedded processors are now available with a USB device or host controller on-chip.
While USB is of keen interest to OEMs, most developers we talk with are not familiar with the details of USB implementations and do not have the time to learn. In fact, we spend a lot of time helping our customers figure out what they need to know to add USB to their systems.
The most common reason we see for adding USB to an embedded system is to support a removable USB-based memory device. This allows the embedded system to read and save PC-compatible files from/to the memory stick. The inverse set-up is also popular where the embedded system looks like a remote drive to a PC. Other typical embedded USB applications include adding WLAN/WiFI and replacing a DB9 serial cable.
Important info for embedded USB decisions1. USB is a complex system with a lot of interaction between the host stack, class driver and controller driver. If you do not have any USB experience we do not recommend writing your own USB software.
2. Differences between controllers. USB host controllers are generally designed to tight standards for USB compliance. Standard host controller drivers (UHCI, OHCI, EHCI) can be easily adapted to almost any host controller. Manufacturers of device controllers have been given much more flexibility by the USB specification so drivers have to be built for the specific controller. One of the significant differences between controllers is the amount of intelligence built in: some are dumb controllers while many of the on-chip controllers have much more intelligence built in.
3. Don’t forget the integration between the USB stack and other system software. For instance, a USB memory stick application needs the mass storage class driver to integrate with a FAT file system. And a WiFi implementation needs the USB communications class driver (CDC Ethernet) to integrate with TCP/IP software.
4. Will the solution you choose work with your existing software? We have designed our USB solutions to be portable to almost any RTOS and development environment.
Quadros Systems offers USB host and device development software that includes the USB protocol stack, controller drivers, and class drivers. Our software is provided in source code, ready to be used with the RTXC real-time operating system, but it is also portable to virtually any RTOS and development environment.
Click here to find out more about RTXCusb solutions
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New Products
New File Translation Layer software allows FAT file system to be used on NAND flash devicesAlthough NAND flash is a very cost effective flash storage media it has certain characteristics prevent its use as a simple continuous storage array: it may contain bad blocks; bad bits may develop in previously good blocks; and heavily used blocks will wear out.
For a higher level file system to use NAND flash effectively it is important to employ a File Translation Layer to carefully manage the flash device while providing a simple logical sector interface.
RTXCftl is flash translation layer software that allows a FAT file system to address NAND flash memory in standard 512 Byte logical sectors. In addition, RTXCftl provides bad block management, wear-leveling and clean handling of unexpected power loss or system reset.
Find out more about RTXCftl
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Quadros Systems is an RTOS-based embedded solutions provider. Our goal is to deliver powerful and compact development and run-time solutions in a flexible, easy-to-use environment. Please contact us if we can be of assistance in your next project.
Quadros Systems
+1 978-838-0175 (North America)
+44 207 993 6334 (UK & Ireland)
+49-703/339-1561 (Central Europe)
sales@quadros.com
© 2006 Quadros Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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