NetCF

NetCF is another expansion board for the gumstix platform. It has an Ethernet port (RJ-45) which allows for connections to 10-100baseT networks. This expansion board also has a Type II compact Flash adapter which can be used to connect a WiFi interface or extra storage or other devices with this interface. Figure 3.5 displays this expansion board on its own.

The use of this board allows easier and faster upload of executable files to the gumstix during development. Consequently it also frees up one of the gumstix' serial ports to be used for another purpose. It also makes communication with a network and the internet much easier compared with using the serial port of the gumstix board.

According to the requirements of this project the use of this board was not strictly necessary. However it did provide greater flexibility during the software development stage, by using it as a mean for transferring application programs to the Gumstix board, which is why it was integrated as part of the platform.

Figure 3.5: Network card expansion board.