Texas Instruments: TMDXICE3359 AM3359 Industrial Communications Engine (ICE)

Kit Overview

The AM3359 Industrial Communications Engine (TMDXICE3359TMDXICE3359) is a development platform targeted for systems that specifically focus on the industrial communications capabilities of the Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 Processors. The EVM is used to evaluate industrial communication protocols such as EtherCAT, PROFIBUS and others based on AM335x. The AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 Processors integrate the Programmable Real-time Unit (PRU) that has been architected to implement the real-time communication technologies used in a broad range of industrial automation equipment. It enables low foot print designs with minimal external components and with best in class low power performance.

It has been equipped with a TI AM3359AM3359 processor and a defined set of features to allow the user to experience specifically industrial communication solutions using serial or Ethernet based interfaces. It is not intended as a generic development platform as some of the features and interfaces supplied by the AM335x are not accessible from the ICE board. Using standard interfaces, the ICE board may interface to other processors or systems and act as a communication gateway in this case.

In addition it can directly operate as a standard remote I/O system or simple sensor connected to an industrial communication network. The embedded emulation logic allows emulation and debug using standard development tools such as TI’s Code Composer Studio by just using the supplied USB cable.  It is not intended for use in end products. All of the design information is freely available and can be used as the basis for the development of an AM335x based product.

The AM335x microprocessors, based on the ARM Cortex-A8 , are enhanced with image, graphics processing, peripherals and industrial interface options such as EtherCAT and PROFIBUS. The device supports high-level operating systems (HLOSs) suxh as Linux and Android.

The AM335x microprocessor contains these subsystems:

• Microprocessor unit (MPU) subsystem based on the ARM Cortex-A8 microprocessor.
• POWERVR SGX Graphics Accelerator subsystem for 3D graphics acceleration to support display and gaming effects.
• The Programmable Real-Time Unit and Industrial Communication Subsystem (PRU-ICSS) is separate from the ARM core, allowing independent operation and clocking for greater efficiency and flexibility. The PRU-ICSS enables additional peripheral interfaces and real-time protocols such as EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS, Ethernet Powerlink, Sercos, and others.

Key Applications: Industrial communication modules, Industrial communication interfaces for sensors and input/output (I/O) systems, Industrial communication gateways, Industrial drives with integrated communications, Motor feedback systems