Embedded World: RS Components showcases DesignSpark Synergy boards

The boards are part of the company's ongoing collaboration with ARM for advanced mbed mcu based module based embedded development, with the first three members being AnimatronicLab, the AudioCODEC and the DisplayBoard. RS will be exhibiting on Stand 156, Hall 1 at Embedded World. According to RS, embedded system developers can plug their mbed microcontroller module into the ready made application specific breakout boards and take full advantage of the interface features available via the NXP LPC1768 Cortex-M3 mbed microcontroller module, providing easy access to peripherals such as I²S, USB and Ethernet. Embedded developers can take the existing Synergy breakout board designs, modify, add and remove sections and republish their designs for the DesignSpark community. "The DesignSpark Synergy boards represent a key milestone in the creation of an innovative mbed microcontroller based hardware prototyping ecosystem," said Mark Cundle, technical marketing manager, RS Components. "This new family enables embedded engineers to use DesignSpark PCB and quickly develop and prototype their designs in a myriad of exciting applications." Designed for experimenting with Animatronics applications, the AnimatronicLab board opens up the mbed module to a range of functions by allowing quick and easy access to its features via the I²S, I²C, SPI, Ethernet and USB pin headers. Primarily aimed at rapid prototyping, its feature set makes this a highly functional platform for a wide variety of applications. According to RS, the inclusion of convenient test points for probes, oscilloscopes and protocol analysers brings 'a new dimension of visibility' in the lab environment. The onboard half bridge driver is designed to allow the easy control of stepper motors, actuators or leds. The board also allows engineers to plug in the AudioCODEC board for high quality audio via I²S. Based on the TLV320AIC23B audio codec from Texas Instruments, the AudioCODEC board allows audio playback and recording at a range of resolutions and sample rates. Together the boards allow experimentation with movement, light and audio all on the same platform. Using a separately plugged in mbed microcontroller module, the DisplayBoard is designed to provide users with a range of experimentation options. Offering an array of six large seven segment display modules and associated drivers, the board's design means it can display a range of data types. The board is suitable for displaying clocks, timers and counters, either stand alone or via a network. RS will be previewing its DesignSpark Synergy boards at Embedded World, Nuremburg, Germany from 28 February to 1 March 2012.