Question: In the CY3663 development kit, what is the purpose of the StrongArm SBC and how can I use it for my desired development ? Can I purchase just a mezzanine board from the CY3663?
Answer: The purpose of the SBC in CY3663 DVK is used to demonstrate the co-processor interface available on both EZ-OTG and EZ-Host. These two parts have three separate co-processor interfaces available. These are HPI, SPI and HSS. For more information on these particular interfaces please refer to the appropriate datasheet. The SBC runs a Linux kernel, which is a popular RTOS used by the development community for embedded systems. By demonstrating Linux on the Cypress SBC, a user can run experiments until their hardware, with their target processor is available. The Linux driver can then be ported over to their development system.
The CY3663 DVK contains design examples which require the SBC for some of the examples to operate. Also include is a book written by John Hyde, which contains several simple examples used to demonstrate various OTG-Host concepts. Some of these simple examples require the SBC to complete.
The CY3663 DVK comes with the SBC and two mezzanine boards for maximum configurability by the user. These mezzanine boards cannot be purchased separately although there is another option for those who want to run only in a stand-alone mode. This is to purchase the CY4640, which is a mass storage reference design. This board is very similar to the EZ-Host mezzanine board in the CY3663. The key difference in the boards is the fact that the CY4640 has some of the parts physically removed although the pads are still available for re-populating the board. These parts are not necessary for the CY4640 and may not be necessary for your design either. The document called CY4640 Hardware User Manual is included in the CY4640 documents describes the components that are not loaded.
Keywords:
CY7C67200, CY7C67300, EZ-OTG, EZ-Host, CY3663, CY4640, mezzanine board, Linux
ID: VCS05050502
