Embedded HMI – ready to use with starter-package HMI-SK250

Ready-to-use starter package HMI-SK520 reduces development of graphical interfaces extremely

Tilcon Software, MicroSys and Wind River present the HMI-SK520 ready-to-use starter package – it addresses developers in the markets automotive, industrial automation, medical, defense and consumer devices. Embedded developers leverage from extremely reduced development times from 9 months down to 1 to 8 weeks. With this one-stop solution they can make the conceivably simple entry into embedded graphics. The starter package is composed of four different boards of MicroSys (PM520 processor module, CPU module carrier, carrier extension, graphic extension), the VxWorks operating system (evaluation version) and Workbench from Wind River, the IDS graphic solution (interface development suite) from Tilcon along with a bootloader, plus the associated documentation. The graphics constitute a typical application example which serves as the starting point for a designer’s own development work. The starter package has been fully tested and is supplied ready for use. It is available for €1400 from MicroSys. MicroSys provides “one-stop support”, with backup from Tilcon and Wind River.

The starter package includes the miriac™ PM520 processor module, which is based on Freescale’s MPC5200. It is a combination of a powerful MPC603e PowerPC core with numerous I/O functions (e.g. PCI, Ethernet, CAN, USB, IrDA, ATA, Sound). For this purpose, the PM520 CPU module is mounted on an I/O carrier. Measuring 65 mm x 87 mm, the CPU module itself is extremely compact and can be used by OEMs as a COTS (commercial off the shelf) component on their own base boards. The CPU module carrier, namely the carrier board for the PM520, provides the fastest facility for evaluating the MPC5200 platform. The carrier extension for the PM520 and the carrier board are equipped with two CAN, USB, ATA ports, a CompactFlash slot and BootProm. The graphic extension is based on the Coral-P controller from Fujitsu. Its features include 64-MB SDRAM, an embedded 2D/3D graphics accelerator, alpha blending, geometry engine and ITU656 video capture.

By way of software components, the VxWorks 6.2 real-time operating system (evaluation version) and Workbench from Wind River are integrated. The scalable development environment Workbench boosts individual productivity and allows hardware and software developers to work together within one project team. It permits simplified testing and diagnoses during the entire development and device lifecycle.

With the Tilcon IDS (Interface Development Suite) graphics solution it is possible to develop high-grade HMIs (Human Machine Interfaces) in an extremely short time ready for the production stage. Since, with standard tools, the graphics development is part of the embedded application, such processes as the design, testing, verification, quality testing, etc. of a new HMI are immensely involved. Not so with Tilcon technology. This technology does not feature any graphic code within the embedded application, instead the HMI layout is selected simply like a skin file - dynamically “on the fly”, just like with cell phones. Skins are generated with the aid of the Tilcon EVE (Embedded Vector Engine) in real time via a low-performance network in which multiple client/server connections are possible. Since the data exchange is restricted to object parameters, only a minimum load is placed on the network. Booting within 1 second on the VxWorks real-time operating system is standard. With a size of only 1.5 MB, the Tilcon EVE is instantly ready for use and fully functional. What is more, it is highly versatile in terms of its uses, with a single version catering to applications in the markets of defense, medical technology, industrial automation, automotive and consumer equipment.

Particularly in the case of embedded graphics used in the generation of HMIs, it is essential that leading manufacturers cooperate for complete solutions and advice/support. On the one hand, producers of graphics software are required to incorporate their many years of experience and ongoing innovations, since standards continue to develop even faster than for other embedded technologies. On the other hand, the graphics depend on numerous factors, starting with the graphic controller modules with their highly varying ranges of functions, which are incorporated into embedded hardware, to the embedded hardware with a myriad of processors through to the associated real-time operating systems with the matching drivers. No manufacturer masters this long chain of hardware and software products single-handedly.

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About Tilcon Software, Ltd. (www.tilcon.com)
Tilcon Software, based in Ottawa/Canada, has been developing exceptional graphic software for consumers and developers since 1987. The Tilcon IDS is a multiplatform GUI development environment. Designed to meet the specialized needs of embedded HMI developers, Tilcon’s products are tailored for market segments such as automotive, medical instrumentation, vehicle electronics, consumer devices and industrial machinery. Based in Ottawa, Canada, Tilcon has enabled device manufacturers to quickly deliver sophisticated, customized graphic displays and instrument clusters that perform within the constraints of real time and embedded environments. Customers include leading companies i.e. Denso, COMET, Gambro Renal, Ericsson, GE Transportation, Philips Medical, Nissei, Scott Lab and Raytheon.

Editorial Contacts:
Tilcon Software, Ltd., Prosanto Sarkar; eMail: infonews@tilcon.com

Agentur Lorenzoni GmbH, Public Relations, Beate Lorenzoni,
Ph +49 (0)8122 / 55917-0, eMail: beate@lorenzoni.de, www.lorenzoni.de

This release was published on openPR.