The package includes an Applied Data Systems (ADS) Graphics Client Plus 4 x 6-inch single-board computer and ATI's Nucleus Plus real-time operating system kernel. The two companies said that the production-ready package simplifies the process of developing an embedded system. "We try to make programming an embedded system analogous to programming a desktop," said Larry Ricci, business-development manager for Applied Data Systems. "When people go to a desktop system, they don't have to deal with the hardware registers. We do the same thing here-all they have to deal with is Accelerated Technology's API application programming interface."

By making the package production-ready, the two companies said that they can cut time-to-market for developers. "We allow them to go from the back of a napkin to the distributor's shelf in 12 to 16 weeks," Ricci said.

The two companies said that their product also breaks from convention in its use of an unusual embedded systems business model. Instead of typical up-front costs in excess of $250,000 to $1 million for an integrated hardware-software package, the ADS model employs no up-front charges. Instead, the company makes the single-board computers and sells them, or allows customers to produce the boards under license from ADS. ATI's Nucleus Plus also employs a nontraditional approach, using a royalty-free model similar to that of Linux.

Ricci said that approach offers several advantages for developers: It streamlines the design process; eliminates supply chain concerns; and does away with issues involving obsolete parts, because the board maker handles that for the customer.

The two companies said that's especially important for engineers who are developing products that have long life cycles. "Some people want to put the board in a medical device and have it work for 10 years," Ricci said. "Ordinarily, if their supplier changes a chip, they would have to re-qualify their design. Here, they don't have to worry about that."

The ADS Client Plus board provides I/O on a single-board platform designed to meet industrial requirements, including extended temperature range (-40 degrees to +85 degrees C). It also supports an array of on-board communication devices, highlighted by controller-area network, Ethernet, three serial ports and PCMCIA. Video support goes as high as VGA.

The Nucleus Plus kernel provides high-performance task management, intertask communication, intertask synchronization, memory management and component query features. Licenses for the Nucleus Plus kernel start at $12,495.

Applied Data Systems
(301) 490-4007, ext. 117
www.applieddata.net
EETInfo No. 616

Accelerated Technology
(800) 468-6853
www.acceleratedtechnology.com
EETInfo No. 617