Avnet releases Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA development kit based on Intel Atom processor E640

PHOENIX, USA: Global electronic components and embedded solutions distributor Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet Inc., announced the availability of the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit, based on the Intel Atom E640 Processor and Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA. The new development kit is priced at $1,695.

Avnet has combined an Emerson Network Power Nano-ITX motherboard that provides a complete Intel Atom processor E640-based embedded system with a Spartan-6 FPGA PCI Express (PCIe) daughter card for easy peripheral expansion. A reference design, based on an included version of the Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 7 operating system, shows developers how to easily add custom FPGA-based peripherals to user applications.

Key features of the development kit include:
* Emerson Nano-ITX-315 motherboard base on Intel Atom processor E640;
* Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA PCIe card, with PCIe interface directly to the Intel Atom processor using the low-cost Xilinx Spartan-6 LX75T FPGA with its eight 3.125 Gbps GTP on-chip transceivers;
* Low pin count (LPC) FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) connector for expansion modules;
* General purpose input/output (GPIO) connector providing single-ended or differential pairs for custom peripheral or LCD panel interfaces;
* Two independent memory banks of DDR3 SDRAM, each with 128MB of storage, used for data-intensive applications such as video analytics or image manipulation; and,
Maxim SHA-1 EEPROM for FPGA design security.

Designers working in markets such as industrial, scientific, medical and others can utilize the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit to develop applications such as image processing, human machine interface (HMI), machine control, and medical applications such as patient monitoring.

“Avnet has created a small form factor, flexible, and expandable platform with the Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit,” stated Jim Beneke, vice president of global technical marketing at Avnet Electronics Marketing. “We’ve simplified the development process for designers interested in the newest Intel Atom processor E6xx series of processors enabling our customers to shorten their design cycle and move to production faster.”

“This reference design provides designers with a comprehensive way to rapidly develop their application utilize the benefits of the Intel Atom processor E640 when paired with an FPGA,” said Jonathan Luse, director of marketing for the Intel Low Power Embedded Products Division. “We appreciate the value and flexibility Avnet has delivered to the embedded community with this kit.”

“The new Nano-ITX/Spartan-6 FPGA Development Kit provides developers an easy way to evaluate, design and debug Intel Atom based designs that require the flexibility of a high-performance, low-cost FPGA,” said Tim Erjavec, senior director of Platform Marketing at Xilinx.“The powerful combination of the Spartan-6 FPGA and industry-standard FMC in this comprehensive kit enables a straight-forward interface approach to custom peripherals and co-processing.”

“Emerson Network Power is committed to providing innovative platforms that enable our customers to develop their solutions more easily and get to market faster,” said Paul Virgo, director of marketing, Embedded Computing, Emerson Network Power.

“This passion is behind our consistent drive to be one of the first companies to make the latest Intel silicon available on an embedded motherboard. Our ecosystem of great value-added partners such as Avnet is exceptional in its ability to create enabling solutions like this development kit that can accelerate and simplify customers’ solutions based on the latest Intel Atom E640 processor and custom FPGA-based peripherals. This kind of innovation is second-to-none.”

“Microsoft continues to deliver the power of Windows Embedded Standard 7 and provide a high performance, highly reliable platform for our developer partners such as Avnet Electronics Marketing,” said Valerie Olague, group regional marketing manager at Microsoft. “Our collaboration with Avnet showcases our commitment in the evolving embedded marketplace.”