8.2 Tools and Software
TI offers an extensive line of development tools. Tools and software to evaluate the performance of the device, generate code, and develop solutions are listed below.
Design Kits and Evaluation Modules
AM335x Evaluation ModuleEnables developers to immediately start evaluating the AM335x processor family (AM3351, AM3352, AM3354, AM3356, AM3358) and begin building applications such as portable navigation, portable gaming, home/building automation and others.
AM335x Starter KitProvides a stable and affordable platform to quickly start evaluation of Sitara ARM Cortex-A8 AM335x Processors (AM3351, AM3352, AM3354, AM3356, AM3358) and accelerate development for smart appliance, industrial and networking applications. It is a low-cost development platform based on the ARM Cortex-A8 processor that is integrated with options such as Dual Gigabit Ethernet, DDR3 and LCD touch screen.
BeagleBone Black Development BoardLow-cost, open source, community-supported development platform for ARM Cortex-A8 processor developers and hobbyists. Boot Linux in under 10-seconds and get started on Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor development in less than 5 minutes with just a single USB cable.
BeagleBone Development BoardLow-cost, community-supported development platform for ARM Cortex-A8 processor developers. Boot Linux in under 10-seconds and get started on Sitara AM335x ARM Cortex-A8 processor development in less than 5 minutes with just a single USB cable. For TI-supported hardware platforms, consider the Sitara ARM AM335x Starter Kit or AM335x Evaluation Module.
Data Concentrator Evaluation ModuleBased on AM3359 as the main processor and has Power Line Communication (PLC) Module to support various OFDM PLC communication standards. TMDSDC3359 also has capability to support multiple interfaces, sub-1GHz and 2.4GHz RF, Ethernet, RS-232, and RS-485. This evaluation module is ideal development platform for smart grid infrastructure applications including data concentrator, convergent node of grid sensor network, and control equipment of power automation.
WiLink™ 8 Dual Band 2.4 & 5 GHz Wi-Fi® + Bluetooth® COM8 Evaluation ModuleEnables customers to add both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to home and building automation, smart energy, gateways, wireless audio, enterprise, wearables and many more industrial and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. TI’s WiLink 8 modules are certified and offer high throughput and extended range along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth coexistence in a power-optimized design. Drivers for the Linux and Android high-level operating systems (HLOSs) are available free of charge from TI for the Sitara AM335x microprocessor (Linux and Android version restrictions apply).
WiLink 8 Module 2.4 GHz WiFi + Bluetooth COM8 Evaluation ModuleEnables customers to add Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (WL183x module only) to embedded applications based on TI's Sitara microprocessors. TI’s WiLink 8 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth modules are pre-certified and offer high throughput and extended range along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth coexistence (WL183x modules only) in a power-optimized design. Drivers for the Linux and Android high-level operating systems (HLOSs) are available free of charge from TI for the Sitara AM335x microprocessor (Linux and Android version restrictions apply).
TI Designs
EtherCAT Communications Development PlatformAllows designers to implement real-time EtherCAT communications standards in a broad range of industrial automation equipment. It enables low foot print designs in applications such as industrial automation, factory automation or industrial communication with minimal external components and with best in class low power performance.
PROFIBUS Communications Development PlatformAllows designers to implement PROFIBUS communications standards in a broad range of industrial automation equipment. It enables low foot print designs in applications such as industrial automation, factory automation or industrial communication with minimal external components and with best in class low power performance.
Ethernet/IP Communications Development PlatformAllows designers to mplement Ethernet/IP communications standards in a broad range of industrial automation equipment. It enables low foot print designs in applications such as industrial automation, factory automation or industrial communication with minimal external components and with best in class low power performance.
Acontis EtherCAT Master Stack Reference DesignHighly portable software stack that can be used on various embedded platforms. The EC-Master supports the high performane TI Sitara MPUs, it provides a sophisticated EtherCAT Master solution which customers can use to implement EtherCAT communication interface boards, EtherCAT based PLC or motion control applications. The EC-Master architectural design does not require additional tasks to be scheduled, thus the full stack functionality is available even on an OS less platform such as TI Starterware suported on AM335x. Due to this architecture combined with the high speed Ethernet driver it is possible to implement EtherCAT master based applications on the Sitara platform with short cycle times of 100 microseconds or even below.
Solar Inverter Gateway Development Platform Reference DesignAdds communication functions to solar energy generation systems to enable system monitoring, real-time feedback, system updates, and more. The TIDEP0044 reference design describes the implementation of a solar inverter gateway using display, Ethernet, USB, and CAN on the TMDXEVM3358 featuring TI's AM335x processor.
G3 Power Line Communications Data Concentrator on BeagleBone Black PlatformOffers a simplified approach for evaluating G3-PLC utilizing Beagle Bone Black powered by the Sitara AM335x processor. Users can establish a G3-PLC network with one service node. Single phase coupling is supported.
IEC 61850 Demonstration of Substation Bay Controller on Beaglebone Cape and Starter KitLow-cost, simplified implementation of an IEC 61850 Substation Bay Controller is demonstrated by running the Triangle MicroWorks IEC 61850 stack efficiently on the TI AM335X platform with a Linux target layer definition. Many different substation automation applications can be built on top of the AM335X platform and 61850 stack demonstration.
PRU Real-Time I/O Evaluation Reference DesignBeagleBone Black add-on board that allows users get to know TI’s powerful Programmable Real-Time Unit (PRU) core and basic functionality. The PRU is a low-latency microcontroller subsystem integrated in the Sitara AM335x and AM437x family of devices. The PRU core is optimized for deterministic, real-time processing, direct access to I/Os and ultra-low-latency requirements. With LEDs and push buttons for GPIO, audio, a temp sensor, optional character display and more, this add-on board includes schematics, bill of materials (BOM), design files, and design guide to teach the basics of the PRU.
Smart Home and Energy Gateway Reference DesignProvides example implementation for measurement, management and communication of energy systems for smart homes and buildings. This example design is a bridge between different communication interfaces, such as WiFi, Ethernet, ZigBee or Bluetooth, that are commonly found in residential and commercial buildings. Since objects in the house and buildings are becoming more and more connected, the gateway design needs to be flexible to accommodate different RF standard, since no single RF standard is dominating the market. This example gateway addresses this problem by supporting existing legacy RF standards (WiFi, Bluetooth) and newer RF standards (ZigBee, BLE).
Streaming Audio Reference DesignMinimizes design time for customers by offering small form factor hardware and major software components, including streaming protocols and internet radio services. With this reference design, TI offers a quick and easy transition path to the AM335x and WiLink8 platform solution. This proven combo solution provides key advantages in this market category that helps bring your products to the next level.
Software
Processor SDK for AM335X Sitara Processors - Linux and TI-RTOS SupportUnified software platform for TI embedded processors providing easy setup and fast out-of-the-box access to benchmarks and demos. All releases of Processor SDK are consistent across TI’s broad portfolio, allowing developers to seamlessly reuse and migrate software across devices. Developing scalable platform solutions has never been easier than with the Processor SDK and TI’s embedded processor solutions.
G3 Data Concentrator Power-Line Communication ModemG3-PLC standard for narrowband OFDM Power Line Communications. The data concentrator solution is designed for the head-end systems which communicate with the end meters (“service node”) in the neighborhood area network.
PRIME Data Concentrator Power-Line Communication ModemPRIME standard for narrowband OFDM Power Line Communications. The data concentrator solution is designed for the head-end systems which communicate with the end meters (“service node”) in the neighborhood area network.
TI Dual-Mode Bluetooth StackComprised of Single-Mode and Dual-Mode offerings implementing the Bluetooth 4.0 specification. The Bluetooth stack is fully Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) qualified, certified and royalty-free, provides simple command line sample applications to speed development, and upon request has MFI capability.
Cryptography for TI DevicesEnables encryption, crypto for TI devices. These files contain only cryptographic modules that were part of a TI software release. For the complete software release please search ti.com for your device part number, and download the Software Development Kit (SDK).
Development Tools
Clock Tree Tool for Sitara ARM ProcessorsInteractive clock tree configuration software that provides information about the clocks and modules in Sitara devices.
Code Composer Studio (CCS) Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Sitara ARM ProcessorsIntegrated development environment (IDE) that supports TI's Microcontroller and Embedded Processors portfolio. Code Composer Studio comprises a suite of tools used to develop and debug embedded applications. It includes an optimizing C/C++ compiler, source code editor, project build environment, debugger, profiler, and many other features. The intuitive IDE provides a single user interface taking you through each step of the application development flow. Familiar tools and interfaces allow users to get started faster than ever before. Code Composer Studio combines the advantages of the Eclipse software framework with advanced embedded debug capabilities from TI resulting in a compelling feature-rich development environment for embedded developers.
Pin Mux ToolProvides a Graphical User Interface for configuring pin multiplexing settings, resolving conflicts and specifying I/O cell characteristics for TI MPUs. Results are output as C header/code files that can be imported into software development kits (SDK) or used to configure customer's custom software. Version 3 of the Pin Mux utility adds the capability of automatically selecting a mux configuration that satisfies the entered requirements.
Power Estimation Tool (PET)Provides users the ability to gain insight in to the power consumption of select TI processors. The tool includes the ability for the user to choose multiple application scenarios and understand the power consumption as well as how advanced power saving techniques can be applied to further reduce overall power consumption.
Uniflash Standalone Flash Tool for TI Microcontrollers (MCU), Sitara Processors and SimpleLink devicesPrograms on-chip flash memory on TI MCUs and onboard flash memory for Sitara processors. Uniflash has a GUI, command line, and scripting interface. CCS Uniflash is available free of charge.
XDS200 USB Debug ProbeConnects to the target board via a TI 20-pin connector (with multiple adapters for TI 14-pin, ARM 10-pin and ARM 20-pin) and to the host PC via USB2.0 High Speed (480Mbps). It also requires a license of Code Composer Studio IDE running on the host PC.
XDS560v2 System Trace USB and Ethernet Debug ProbeAdds system pin trace in its large external memory buffer. Available for selected TI devices, this external memory buffer captures device-level information that allows obtaining accurate bus performance activity and throughput, as well as power management of core and peripherals. Also, all XDS debug probes support Core and System Trace in all ARM and DSP processors that feature an Embedded Trace Buffer (ETB).
XDS560v2 System Trace USB Debug ProbeAdds system pin trace in its large external memory buffer. Available for selected TI devices, this external memory buffer captures device-level information that allows obtaining accurate bus performance activity and throughput, as well as power management of core and peripherals. Also, all XDS debug probes support Core and System Trace in all ARM and DSP processors that feature an Embedded Trace Buffer (ETB).
Models