Measuring 2.1 x 2.35 inches, the FlashCore^(TM) (FC) from TERN provides a simple interface for a 50-pin CompactFlash (CF) Card. These CF cards, ranging in size from 8-100 MB Flash cards, to the 340 MB IBM MicroDrive, are used to provide non-volatile storage in a wide array of applications, including digital cameras and Personal Data Assistant (PDAs). The 50-pin CF cards can also interface with PCs via a standard 50-68 pin PCMCIA adapter, making these ideal storage solutions for applications requiring mass data exchange; all of this is available at a significantly lower cost than the 68-pin PCMCIA cards.

With the FlashCore, your embedded application can easily take advantage of the large storage capacity and fast access times of a CompactFlash Card for a range of mass data storage applications. The FlashCore can be used to store vast amounts of data, which can be later processed, transferred over the serial port, or directly accessed by a PC as files on the CF-card.The FlashCore^(TM) is available in two hardware configurations: FC-0 (no CPU) and FC ( CPU installed). Two different configurations make it possible for customers to use the FlashCore as either an expansion board, or a self-contained unit with other embedded control features.- The FC-0 is designed as a 50 pin CF card expansion board for TERN controllers; it is accessed and controlled via the 20x2 pin J1 pin header. The FC-0 has a 50-pin CF receptacle and a 20x2 pin socket. It provides an inexpensive interface for adding mass data storage to applications that require other TERN controllers. All versions of the FlashCore are available with a card ejecting mechanism.- In contrast, the FC includes a Am188ES based CPU system. It is a complete standalone C/C++ programmable embedded controller including a 188 CPU, 512KB ACTF Flash, up to 512KB SRAM, 512-byte EEPROM, 2 channel RS-232 drivers and a 5V linear voltage regulator, optional real-time clock, battery, and 11 channels of 12-bit ADC. Very importantly, the FC can also be pre-configured with a simple serial (or TTL) interface that allows you to access the data storage capabilities of the board without using TERN development tools to program the application. This means you can add the mass data storage capabilities of this board to your existing system without having to learn yet another embedded development environment. Instead, you can interact with the board as a menu-driven serial device.

By using the FlashCore^(TM), users can easily add widely used CF standard mass data storage cards to their embedded application via RS232, TTL I2C, or parallel interface. TERN supports a complete C/C++ programmable software package (EV-P, or DV-P kit) which includes compiler, remote debugger, samples, and libraries. TERN software supports Linear Block Address mode, 16-bit FAT flash file system, RS-232, TTL I2C or parallel communication.

Flash File System

Flash memory disks can be formatted with a PC-compatible FAT-12/FAT-16 filesystem. This allows them to be accessed as normal drives on any ordinary PC with a PCMCIA/CompactFlash port; users can access files on the Flash disk as easily as any file on the hard-drive

A new suite of software libraries makes it possible for you to directly access this filesystem from your embedded device, as well. By using TERN boards offering access to Flash memory devices (the FlashCore and Memcard-A), your embedded application can open, read, write, and delete files.

Click here to download the header file for these libraries, describing the software interface available to access the file system. Now, the TERN filesystem can also be directly accessed through the serial port without requiring the rest of the TERN development environment. A simple menu-driven interface for accessing the file-system can be directly programmed into the on-board Flash. You can add embedded data storage capability to your embedded application for the price of a single FlashCore.