Standard Development Board Design
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8/27/2008
A standard development board (SDB) is a hardware development system with which you can develop and test your OS design using a wide range of processors and peripherals. Manufacturers might call their development boards Development Kits or Development Platforms. Regardless of the name, the development system typically includes hardware, software, and documentation. The specific components can vary, however. The software, called a board support package (BSP), supports the boot loader, OEM adaptation layer (OAL), and device drivers for a specific hardware platform. You can use the sample BSPs provided by Microsoft or by hardware manufacturers for specific development boards, or you can develop your own BSP. For information on BSPs and how to develop them, see Developing a Board Support Package.
An SDB can help you meet the following goals:
- Provide a processor-only board with expansion bus for Windows Embedded CE OS testing.
- Provide a processor-plus-peripherals board for Windows Embedded CE–based driver development and testing.
- Provide a single-board development system that is sold by an OEM to support third-party hardware and software development. This board can also be used for Windows Embedded CE OS testing and software development.
You can gain insights into how to design your own SDB by reading the Standard Development Board Specification.
To acquire your own copy of the specification, see this Microsoft Web site, and download the specification to your development workstation by selecting the link to the SDBspec.doc file on the right side of the Web page.
Note
The Standard Development Board Specification defines only the external connections, form factors, and common hardware debugging functionality required to develop and test your product using Windows CE 3.0 and later.
SDBs for Non-Professional Development Activities
**A SPARK kit is a hardware package for students, hobbyists, and non-professional developers, and it includes an SDB and a BSP both offered by a Microsoft partner. A SPARK kit can be based on one of a variety of microprocessors.
If you are a student, hobbyist, or a non-professional developer, you can purchase a pre-configured SPARK kit at a discounted rate.
For more information, see this Microsoft Web site.**
See Also
Concepts
CEPC-based SDBs
ARM BSPs
MIPS BSPs
SHx BSPs
x86 BSPs
How to Create a Board Support Package