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Does 256kByte flash and 64kByte RAM + TCP/IP make sense for eCos?
- From: "Øyvind Harboe" <oyvind dot harboe at zylin dot com>
- To: "eCos Disuss" <ecos-discuss at ecos dot sourceware dot org>
- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:35:39 +0200
- Subject: [ECOS] Does 256kByte flash and 64kByte RAM + TCP/IP make sense for eCos?
It seems like the amount of flash + ram available inside a microcontroller
has been stuck at or below 256kBytes and 64kByte RAM the last 5 years.
I don't know why, but I guess the silicon required for that amount of
RAM/flash is comparable to a CPU core + peripherals. If the amount of
RAM/flash was any larger, the part would be more of a flash / ram than
it would be a CPU. Perhaps the flash/ram produces should chuck in a CPU
core on their biggest flash parts, it would only take up a *TINY* corner.
Perhaps they already do, but we can't get at it. :-)
Certainly I haven't seen anything readily available in the megabytes range
for internal ram+flash. AT91FR40162 is special in that it has 2mBytes
flash + 256kBytes RAM.
These devices can sport *LOTS* of peripherals(USB, ethernet,
etc.), but those peripherals need drivers.
However, eCos is not in the game if flash/ram is stuck at 256kBytes/64kBytes
respectively.
Devices with external RAM/flash, especially DRAM quickly start to
sport uCLinux and Linux ports which gives eCos a run for it's money.
Q: Is 256kBytes flash + 64kByte RAM + ethernet (TCP/IP stack)
out of reach for eCos?
--
Øyvind Harboe
http://www.zylin.com/zy1000.html
ARM7 ARM9 XScale Cortex
JTAG debugger and flash programmer
--
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