SBCs Pave The Road To Wireless Product Development January 06, 2009
Smoothing a path for embedded developers to create wireless control products or wireless gateways, the BL4S100 and BL4S200 single board computers (SBCs) feature either Wi-Fi or ZigBee connectivity, a microprocessor, memory and an array of I/O for the deployment of wireless nodes in commercial, industrial, and medical applications. The BL4S100 series offers both ZigBee and Ethernet connectivity and promises a simple approach for machine control and data acquisition without cables and wiring harnesses.
It allows users to deploy ZigBee nodes at various control points and can gather and collate data from the nodes and uplink it to a server via Ethernet. The SBC can also be used in a similar network configuration to control temperature and lighting in a facility. The BL4S200 series delivers higher clock speeds and twice the I/O as the BL4S100 series and offers a choice of Wi-Fi or ZigBee. It targets applications that require significant digital and analog I/O such as data logging, instrument reading, and controlling motors, relays, and solenoids. For support, the BL4S100 and BL4S200 development kits are available that include the essential hardware and software tools necessary including the company’s Dynamic C integrated development environment. Prices for the BL4S100 and BL4S200 SBCs start at $98 and $176 each/500, respectively. The BL4S100 kits are available for $199 and the BL4S200 kits cost $299. RABBIT, Davis, CA. (888) 411-7228.
