Platforms - Reference Designs and BSPs

When developing high-volume (tens of thousands upwards) products based on Windows CE or Linux, it may not be cost-effective to use a production-ready module Particularly in cases where the development team is not experienced in 32-bit RISC-based design, the learning curve for both hardware and software teams can be daunting. Direct Insight can help to bridge the gap by providing training and support, and by providing a suitable reference kit on which to base the design. A Reference Kit provides a platform based on a real implementation of the chosen OS on the chosen hardware and thus provides a starting point for the project. A standalone Board Support Package (BSP), similarly brings a high quality implementation of an OS to a standard platform - usually the microcontroller manufacturer's recommended evaluation platform.

While the microcontroller vendor might appear to be the most obvious starting point in sourcing a suitbale reference kit, and this can sometimes prove to be true,  in some cases, the vendor chooses to provide only restricted BSP functionality and very limited technical support unless the customer happens to be designing a consumer device. A complete reference kit, or a BSP sourced from Direct Insight may prove to be the best course in such situations

Working with Sophia Systems, Direct Insight offers reference kits and development support for Marvell PXA270, PXA310 and PXA320 micros running Windows CE, Windows Mobile and Open-Source Linux, and the Intel Atom Z530 and E6x0 processor running Moblin and Meego. We also provide and support reference BSPs based on Windows CE 6.0 / Compact 7 for Freescale i.MX kits, TI ARM Cortex-A8 processors, and Atmel EVK development boards, from fellow Windows Embedded Gold Partner Adeneo.