The most intriguing feature of the M-502 System on Module (SoM) is its compact size. Chris A. Ciufo, OpenSystems Media’s Group Editorial Director, Military and Aerospace Group, said, “The M-502 is not a credit card, but it’s the same size as one. It is a credit card-size ARM9 Linux-based SoM for embedded applications….it’s ready to rock and roll on the embedded scene.” He added, “The M-502, measuring a mere 50 x 80mm, is perfect to pull out of an engineer’s arsenal and slide into an industrial application such as energy-saving systems, building automation, scenario control systems, and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs).” With a 400MHz AT91SAM9G20 processor complete with Memory Management Unit (MMU) at the helm, the M-502 consumes an ultra-low 2.5 W.
The M-502 is powered by 400MHZ ARM926EJ-S ARM Thumb Processor with memory management unit, and equipped with 64MB SDRAM, 128MB NAND Flash, and 2MB DATAFlash. M-502 is also pre-installed with Linux 2.6.29 OS, busybox utility collection, lighttpd Web server, and various hardware device drivers. M-502 also provides flexibilities in peripheral expansion by integrating one 10/100Mbps Ethernet, two USB 2.0 hosts, four UARTs with hardware/software flow control, and 32 programmable digital I/Os. In addition, M-502 comes with Secure Data Card (SD) interface, Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), Inter-IC(I2C) bus, Inter-IC Sound (I2S) bus, and 8-bit local bus. The GNU C/C++ cross compiler is included in the development kit, allowing users to develop their application software in PC without the need to learn and purchase extra commercial developing tool.