Digi Connect ME
Encyclopedia
Introduced in 2003, the Digi Connect ME (Micro Embedded) is an 8P8C connector-style embedded module from Digi International
with a 10/100 Mbit Ethernet
interface and a 230k UART serial interface. The original Digi Connect ME module is based on the 55 MHz NS7520 ARM7 processor. The module's form factor resembles an 8P8C connector, and integrates up to 4 MB flash memory
, 8 MB of SDRAM
, 5 GPIO
pins as well as an optional JTAG
port (for development purposes). Development platform support is available for the ThreadX
based NET+OS, and the Microsoft .NET Micro Framework
.
Early 2009, the footprint-compatible next-generation module Digi Connect ME 9210 was added to the product family. In addition to a much more powerful 75 MHz NS9210 ARM9 processor with MMU
and 4k of instruction/data cache
, it also offers a wider range of I/O capabilities for more complex applications. Apart from the 10/100 Mbit Ethernet
interface, the module now supports power management modes, a 921k UART interface, I2C, SPI
, up to 10 shared GPIO
s, 3 external IRQs, 802.3af compliant power pass-thru, and a number of additional programmable peripheral interfaces such as 1-Wire
, a second 460k UART, CAN
2.0b, USB device low-speed, or customer-specific options. With respect to software development options, in addition to NET+OS, the Digi Connect ME 9210 now also provides a complete Embedded Linux
development environment with an Eclipse
based IDE
.
Digi International
Digi International was founded in 1985 as DigiBoard and is headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA. The company went public as Digi International in 1989 and is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol DGII. The company initially offered intelligent ISA/PCI boards with multiple...
with a 10/100 Mbit Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
interface and a 230k UART serial interface. The original Digi Connect ME module is based on the 55 MHz NS7520 ARM7 processor. The module's form factor resembles an 8P8C connector, and integrates up to 4 MB flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
, 8 MB of SDRAM
SDRAM
Synchronous dynamic random access memory is dynamic random access memory that is synchronized with the system bus. Classic DRAM has an asynchronous interface, which means that it responds as quickly as possible to changes in control inputs...
, 5 GPIO
GPIO
General Purpose Input/Output is a generic pin on a chip whose behavior can be controlled through software....
pins as well as an optional JTAG
JTAG
Joint Test Action Group is the common name for what was later standardized as the IEEE 1149.1 Standard Test Access Port and Boundary-Scan Architecture. It was initially devised for testing printed circuit boards using boundary scan and is still widely used for this application.Today JTAG is also...
port (for development purposes). Development platform support is available for the ThreadX
ThreadX
ThreadX, developed and marketed by Express Logic, Inc. of San Diego, California, USA, is a real-time operating system . Similar RTOSes are available from other vendors such as VxWorks, Nucleus RTOS, OSE, QNX, LynxOS, etc...
based NET+OS, and the Microsoft .NET Micro Framework
.NET Micro Framework
The .NET Micro Framework is an Open Source .NET platform for resource-constrained devices with at least 256 KBytes of flash and 64 KBytes of RAM. It includes a small version of the .NET CLR and supports development in C#, Visual Basic .NET, and debugging using Microsoft Visual Studio...
.
Early 2009, the footprint-compatible next-generation module Digi Connect ME 9210 was added to the product family. In addition to a much more powerful 75 MHz NS9210 ARM9 processor with MMU
Memory management unit
A memory management unit , sometimes called paged memory management unit , is a computer hardware component responsible for handling accesses to memory requested by the CPU...
and 4k of instruction/data cache
Cache
In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere...
, it also offers a wider range of I/O capabilities for more complex applications. Apart from the 10/100 Mbit Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
interface, the module now supports power management modes, a 921k UART interface, I2C, SPI
Serial Peripheral Interface Bus
The Serial Peripheral Interface Bus or SPI bus is a synchronous serial data link standard named by Motorola that operates in full duplex mode. Devices communicate in master/slave mode where the master device initiates the data frame. Multiple slave devices are allowed with individual slave select ...
, up to 10 shared GPIO
GPIO
General Purpose Input/Output is a generic pin on a chip whose behavior can be controlled through software....
s, 3 external IRQs, 802.3af compliant power pass-thru, and a number of additional programmable peripheral interfaces such as 1-Wire
1-Wire
1-Wire is a device communications bus system designed by Dallas Semiconductor Corp. that provides low-speed data, signaling, and power over a single signal. 1-Wire is similar in concept to I²C, but with lower data rates and longer range. It is typically used to communicate with small inexpensive...
, a second 460k UART, CAN
Controller Area Network
Controller–area network is a vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other within a vehicle without a host computer....
2.0b, USB device low-speed, or customer-specific options. With respect to software development options, in addition to NET+OS, the Digi Connect ME 9210 now also provides a complete Embedded Linux
Embedded Linux
Embedded Linux is the use of Linux in embedded computer systems such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, media players, set-top boxes, and other consumer electronics devices, networking equipment, machine control, industrial automation, navigation equipment and medical instruments...
development environment with an Eclipse
Eclipse (software)
Eclipse is a multi-language software development environment comprising an integrated development environment and an extensible plug-in system...
based IDE
Integrated development environment
An integrated development environment is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development...
.