Digi-Key continues support of innovative line of TI-based ARM development boards from BeagleBoard.org

USA: Digi-Key Corp. announced its continued support of the BeagleBoard line - a series of low-power, open-source, hardware expandable single-board computer development boards - with the addition of the newly-released BeagleBone Black from BeagleBoard.org.

The latest in the BeagleBoard line of development boards, BeagleBone Black, features numerous improvements over the previous iteration. The sleeker, more efficient board features an upgraded 1-GHz Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI), 512 MB DDR3 system memory, reduced power consumption, and the addition of HDMI connectivity, among other improvements.

The original BeagleBone is a credit-card-sized, open-source, hardware expandable Linux computer that connects with the Internet and runs software such as Android 4.0 and Ubuntu. It allows developers to evaluate TI’s Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processors with a single cable and under 10-second Linux boot, enabling development in less than five minutes.

“During our years of collaboration, Digi-Key has demonstrated a distinctive ability to swiftly and efficiently market and distribute the BeagleBoard line to their extensive customer base,” said Jason Kridner, co-founder, BeagleBoard.org. “Their support has been a vital component in the success of the BeagleBoard line, and we are excited to continue this relationship with BeagleBone Black.”

Digi-Key has long been an ardent supporter of the BeagleBoard line. In 2008, Digi-Key was the first to recognize the significance of this newly released development board, and jumped in with both feet, leveraging their marketing and distribution capabilities to fully support this groundbreaking technology.

Surpassing all expectations, demand for the board exploded, and BeagleBoard.org was hard-pressed to keep up with the overwhelming demand generated by Digi-Key. Sales have far exceeded projections and cemented the BeagleBoard line as a fixture within the development community.

“Four years ago, Digi-Key saw exceptional potential in the Beagle Board line of product,” said Mark Zack, VP, Global Semiconductor Product at Digi-Key. “TI’s innovative single-board computing solutions offer outstanding value to our product line and we are excited to strengthen this partnership with the BeagleBone Black.”