COBRA5272

The Legend lives on!

COBRA5272 is a versatile single board computer module based on the Freescale ColdFire microprocessor MCF5272. It may be used as a powerful microprocessor based controller in a variety of applications. The acronym COBRA stands for ColdFire Board for Rapid Applications.

The ColdFire processor family is the successor of the legendary Freescale (formerly: Motorola) 68000 series and was optimized especially for Embedded Applications. It delivers high arithmetic performance at low current consumption. Today, several ColdFire processor derivatives are available; the MCF5272 is one of the most recent and most integrated derivatives.

The COBRA5272 module contains a powerful processor and a complete set of peripheral functions. The large on-board memory enables the use of operating systems like Embedded Linux.

Software Development for ColdFire

Just like for the 68000 series, a large number of development tools are available for the ColdFire processors. Many of them are freeware, such as compilers for C, Pascal or Basic. Also, the well-known GNU tool chain (C, C++ and debugger) supports the ColdFire processors as well. It is available for a number of platforms, e.g. Windows-based PCs.

dBug Monitor

dBug is a traditional ROM monitor/debugger that offers a comfortable and intuitive command line interface that can be used to download and execute code. It contains all the primary features needed in a debugger to create a useful debugging environment, such as edit and display memory, line assembler, disassembler, break points and single step operation. dBug is a resident firmware package for the ColdFire family single board computers. The firmware provides a self-contained programming and operating environment. dBug interacts with the user through pre-defined commands that are entered via the terminal.

The COBRA Starter Kit

The Starter Kit contains:

• one COBRA5272 module with dBug Monitor software (pre-installed)
• Carrier Board 160mm x 100mm with sockets for the COBRA module, mit voltage regulator, two RS-232 interfaces, Ethernet connector, USB connector, wire-wrap area
• CD-ROM with developmen tools (GNU Compiler and Debugger for Windows-Host)
• Documentation incl. Quick-Start-Guide

uClinux

Linux is an operating system widely used on Desktop PCs. uClinux is a derivative of the original Linux kernel intended for microcontrollers without Memory Management Unit (MMUs). The uClinux kernel is much smaller than the original Linux kernel, while retaining the main advantages of the Linux operating system: stability, superior network capability, and excellent file system support. uClinux comes equipped with a full TCP/IP stack, as well as support for numerous other networking protocols. Pretty much all the networking protocols are implemented. uClinux is an internet-ready OS perfect for embedded systems.

We enable users of the COBRA5272 module to quickly start with uClinux development by offering a uClinux distribution, which contains full support for our COBRA5272 board. Using uClinux as an operating system, a number of complex functions can be implemented on the COBRA5272 module easily, e.g.:

• File System Management
• Graphical User Interface
• Connectivity (Ethernet)
• Embedded Internet

We deliver uClinux as an optional software package including a Linux tool chain and additional documentation. As development environment we recommend a PC with Linux operating system.

Microcontroller Info

• MCF5272 ColdFire MCU
• 32 Bit RISC processor with 63 MIPS at 66 MHz clock
• Standard Background Debug Interface
• 32 Bit data and 32 bit address bus
• USB Full Speed interface
• two UART intefaces
• 10/100 Ethernet Controller
• SPI interface
• 3 PWM outputs
• 16 universal port I/Os
• 3.3V supply voltage

Board Features

• Clock speed of 66 MHz, providing 63 MIPS performance
• 2 Mbytes Flash and 16 Mbytes RAM on board
• Two UARTs with RS-232 driver
• One Queued Serial Peripheral Interface (QSPI)
• One USB (Full Speed) Interface with physical driver
• One 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interface including PHY
• 16 General Purpose Input / Output Pins
• Several interrupt inputs and chip select outputs
• 32 Bit data bus and 23 Bit address bus with drivers
• Two 100 pin connectors for the bus and all signals
• Standard Background Debug Interface for software development
• Dimensions of the module: 80mm x 100mm (1/2 Euro)
• Supply voltage 3.3V, typical power consumption appr. 1W at 66 MHz
• Freescale dBug ROM monitor pre-installed
• uClinux software package optionally available