The release also includes an update to the Windows CE 6.0 R3 BSP and the Topaz Flasher application.

You can download a binary image and a binary BSP for free, with the source code available when you purchase support.

GuruCE has done a lot of work on the BSP and it now includes enhanced support for many of the devices on the i.MX25, including a comprehensive GPIO driver.  For a small fee there are also a suite of managed wrappers making it very easy to access hardware from your Compact Framework application.

• We are all OK and so is our office. 
• The staff and families of our extended network of contractors and suppliers we have been able to contact so far (which is most of them) are also fine.   Power is still out to a lot of the city, so we have not been able to contact everyone yet.
• We have heard there is damage to our Contract Manufacturers buildings, and will be updated on that next week.  There will be delays for production, but we can’t say much beyond that right now.
• Couriers are not operating so we are unable to ship orders this week.  Our courier is operating so we can ship orders placed via the web site.
• We are still attending Embedded World in Germany next week. 

The Freescale i.MX25 is at the heart of the Topaz CPU Module. This chip multiplexes it’s many features to a much smaller number of pins, which can give you a headache when trying to get the right combination for a design.

While all the information you need is in the data sheet, Freescale have a tool which makes this task a lot easier!  The IOMux tool can be downloaded from the i.MX25 tools page on the Freescale web site.  Go here and search for “pin mux tool”.

Once you have this downloaded and running, download and open the Topaz file from here.  This defines all the pins used on the Topaz CPU module, so you know that any free signals are available for you to use.  The IOMux tool looks like this:

To use the tool, just select the features you need in your design.  The tool will show pins in use as yellow, and conflicts as orange.  With a bit of trial and error you should be able to come up with a combination that works for your product.

We have found this a useful tool when communicating with customers about their exact requirements and it is an easy way to document your design.

It’s that time of the year again, and we will be at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany as part of the .NET Micro Framework Partners booth.

The trade show is open from Tuesday 1 March until Thursday 3 March.  Come by and visit us on booth 11-F119 (in the foyer near the food) or contact us to arrange a meeting time.

2010 was a busy year, and we didn’t always do a great job of keeping everyone up-to-date on the happenings at Device Solutions.  It’s a new year and as good a time as any to change that!  There are a lot of different ways to interact with companies these days, and we want your input on where we should focus our attention.  Vote away…

Before we get this out to anyone there is some more testing to be done and a couple more drivers to add to make it useful.  This is our priority after returning from a short Christmas/Summer break!

If you would like to be added to the list to receive the alpha release, please contact us here.

The graphics and touch performance has improved in this version.

A demo is available for download, and they have pricing for commercial and non-commercial projects.

Colin talks about the history of the Micro Framework from the beginnings as part of the SPOT watch project, through to the decision to make it  open source.



And no, I’m not an investor in this company – just a fan of the product!