Premier Farnell launches BeagleBoard.org® BeagleBone Blue
Makes building robots with Linux easier than ever
Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, is now shipping BeagleBone® Blue, the latest offering based on the popular opensource BeagleBone® from the BeagleBoard.org Foundation, built specifically for use in the development of robotics and autonomous vehicles.
Aimed at Hardware and Software engineers, makers and university education markets, BeagleBone® Blue is built around the familiar BeagleBone® open hardware computer, and is fully community supported. It’s high-performance and flexible networking capabilities are coupled with a real-time capable Linux system and a set of peripherals suited for building mobile robots quickly and affordably; from precise motor control and feedback to rechargeable, portable power management. The onboard 9-axis inertial measurement unit and barometer enable the development of self-aligning and orientating robotics, whether grounded or air borne, all directed with the support of on-board 802.11/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1/BLE wireless technology.
BeagleBone® Blue uses an Octavo Systems OSD3358 System-in-Package device which includes a TI AM3358 1-GHz ARM® Cortex-A8 CPU with 512MB DDR3 RAM, 4GB 8-bit on-board flash storage and power management. One of the key benefits of the TI AM3358 device is that it has two 32-bit programmable real-time units (PRUs) running at 200-MHz, making BeagleBone® Blue ideally suited for application in robotics.
As ever, getting started with BeagleBone® Blue is simple and code development can be started by utilizing a pre-configured WiFi access point, connecting a battery and opening a web browser.
Claire Doyle, Global Head of Single Board Computers at Premier Farnell, said:
“As the Development Distributor, Premier Farnell is committed to enhancing the maker community and supporting the development of our next generation of engineers. We do this by developing and distributing key technologies and offering guidance and support through the element14 Community, which has over 470,000 members. We are delighted to be making the BeagleBone® Blue available to our customers. This new product opens up new horizons, enabling makers and students with skills of all levels to have a go at creating their own robots or droids. Built specifically for use in the development of robotics, its easy to get started creating projects – either for fun or with a real world purpose in mind”
BeagleBone Blue joins the BeagleBoard.org board family including the popular BeagleBone Black, element14 BeagleBone Black Industrial and the recently launched BeagleBone Black Wireless.
BeagleBone Blue is available from Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.
To read more about BeagleBoard.org boards available from Premier Farnell please visit the element14 Community.
About us
Premier Farnell is a global technology leader with over 80 years in the high service distribution of technology products and solutions for electronic system design, production, maintenance and repair. Premier Farnell uses this experience to support its broad customer base, from hobbyists to engineers, maintenance engineers and buyers as ‘The Development Distributor’, working with leading brands and start-ups to develop new products for market, and supporting the industry as it seeks to develop the current and next generation of engineers.
Premier Farnell focuses its offering around four core customer journeys:
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Education to Maker – Premier Farnell is an official manufacturer of two of the most popular Maker Boards, Raspberry Pi and Beaglebone Black, and exclusive manufacturer of educational programming boards such as the BBC micro:bit and Codebug. Customers are supported through element14.com, the largest online engineering and maker community, also providing support to educators and parents through its new STEM space.
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Research and Design Services - Premier Farnell is the No.1 for Development Kits, having worked with the world’s leading Semiconductor companies to design and manufacture their latest development boards in house. A deep understanding and design knowledge of the latest Semiconductor Devices available also supports Premier Farnell’s broader design assistance offering, providing a similar service to customers of all sizes who are seeking additional engineering support.
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Design through to Production – Premier Farnell provides an entire solution for design to manufacturing customers, with the broadest range of Semiconductor and Passive inventory available, a world class line card, same day despatch, a strong board level Interconnect proposition and growing Electromechanical proposition. In addition, it has the technical support capabilities to meet all customers’ needs, from simple cross-reference to complex design.
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Bench to Board – Premier Farnell offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of Test & Measurement equipment and a leading line card for all Tool & Production supplies supporting customers from the testing of initial designs to delivering essential maintenance activity to keep their operations running.
Premier Farnell is a business unit of Avnet Electronics Marketing, the components operating group of Avnet, Inc., (NYSE:AVT). Premier Farnell trades as Farnell element14 in Europe, Newark element14 in North America, and element14 throughout Asia Pacific. The Premier Farnell Group is supported by a global supply chain of more than 3,500 suppliers and has an extensive inventory profile developed to anticipate and meet the needs of innovative customers everywhere.
Key facts:
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Operations in 38 countries and 43 local language transactional websites
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More than 3,500 leading suppliers
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More than 650,000 products stocked with access to over four million more on demand
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More than 440,000 members of the element14 community
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Leaders in providing information on REACH, Conflict Minerals and EU RoHS legislation
For more information, visit the website at http://www.premierfarnell.com
