Hackszine pal Patti Schiendelman tipped me off to the Beagle Board, a spartan little embedded platform, perfect for all things hackable. It’s based on the TI OMAP3 processor, which is packaged with 128MB of DDR RAM and 256MB of NAND Flash all on the single chip in the center of the board.
Instead of including things like ethernet and 802.11 on-board, they opted to keep the footprint small and only include the bare essentials: DVI for monitor output, SD/MMC for storage, audio in/out, and USB for device expansion. If you need any other hardware, just get a USB device that has a Linux driver.
Did I mention it’s $150 and draws less that 2 Watts? This is definitely what you need for your next autonomous spy weather blimp.
BeagleBoard.org
BeagleBoard Embedded Linux Wiki
Linux Journal – The BeagleBoard: $149 Linux System
there is no ethernet or 802.11 anything onboard.
DVI-D through an HDMI plug
S-Video
1USB mini-A port
1 DC barrel-type plug
1 Stereo audio output
1 stereo audio input
1 serial port (needs a header/plug adapter)
1 “expansion” port with several general I/O pins but no declared/announced daughterboards yet