On 2/1/08, Peter Todd <pete@petertodd.ca> wrote:
> A bit tangential... but does anyone know anything about the "Classix
> Flight Computer, with 600 Mhz Linux Gumstix"? It says it has two
> processors on it, and the picture shows a board with what looks like two
> TQFN chips on it. I've never encountered a processor capable of running
> linux in a TQFN formfactor before. I've soldered TQFN's before, and
> quite like the idea of being able to build my own embedded linux thing.

The Gumstix is a seperate PCB with an embedded linux system on it.
They don't mention two linux OS's, simply two processors.

They don't have a schematic in the downloads section, but from the
description it appears that they have an embedded processor onboard,
and then a connector for the Gumstix embedded computer.  It doesn't
appear that they run Linux on their board, only on the gumstix.  The
linux processor is likely BGA on the gumstix board, but you can do a
search and find out what they offer.

If you don't mind working with UCLINUX, then there are several ARM7
processors in TQFP that will run it.  UCLINUX is characterized by lack
of a Memory Management Unit (MMU) which allows for seperate program
spaces, paging, and memory management by the OS.

If you want real linxu you have to use a processor with an MMU.  If
your processor has an MMU then it's designed to connect to external
memory.  If it connects to external memory then it needs a lot of
pins.

Still, you can find a few processors that both have an MMU and are
TQFP.  For instance, the AVR32 AP7001 is a TQFP 208, has an MMU and
should run linux just fine:
http://atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?part_id=4084

The $100 development board uses the higher end BGA part, but the core
is the same.

I'm sure there are others out there.

-Adam
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