Microchip Technology AT91RM9200-DK

Overview

AT91RM9200-DK from Atmel is a development kit for the AT91RM9200 ARM926EJ-S™ microcontroller, featuring 160 KB on-chip SRAM, USB Host/Device, 10/100 Ethernet MAC, and Linux®-enabled peripheral integration. It supports embedded Linux development with pre-integrated SAM-BA™ bootloader and hardware debug interfaces.

For engineers reviewing the AT91RM9200-DK datasheet, AT91RM9200-DK pinout, AT91RM9200-DK application, or AT91RM9200-DK equivalent, this kit provides validated reference hardware for evaluating ARM9-based Linux boot flow, peripheral bring-up (USB, Ethernet, SD/MMC), and real-time deterministic I/O timing on industrial control and networked device prototypes.

Technical Context

The AT91RM9200-DK implements the full AT91RM9200 SoC reference design, including 32 MHz main oscillator, 32 kHz RTC crystal, JTAG-ICE interface, and ETM trace support. It integrates AMBA™ AHB/APB bus matrix, 16 KB instruction/data caches, and MMU-enabled memory management for Linux kernel execution.

Hardware features include EBI with SDRAM/NAND Flash/CompactFlash controllers, three USARTs, two SPIs, TWI, three SSCs, and LCD controller - all accessible via standardized headers and documented in the AT91RM9200-EK User Guide (Doc. 6246A).

Key Specifications

Availability

AT91RM9200-DK is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for industrial gateway prototyping, embedded Linux BSP development, and ARM9-based network appliance validation requiring stable component supply and long-term reference design continuity.

Supply support for AT91RM9200-DK includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

Atmel Corporation (now part of Microchip Technology) designed high-performance ARM-based microcontrollers for industrial, automotive, and consumer applications before its 2016 acquisition.

The AT91RM9200-DK belongs to Atmel's early ARM9 evaluation platform family, created specifically to accelerate Linux adoption on resource-constrained embedded systems with integrated Ethernet and USB connectivity.

FAQ

What is the AT91RM9200-DK used for?

The AT91RM9200-DK is a complete development kit for the AT91RM9200 microcontroller. It enables hardware validation, Linux kernel porting, peripheral driver development (Ethernet, USB, NAND), and real-time application testing. The kit includes schematics, layout files, and board support packages essential for production-ready ARM9 system design.

Does the AT91RM9200-DK include the AT91RM9200 microcontroller?

Yes, the AT91RM9200-DK contains a populated AT91RM9200 microcontroller with ARM926EJ-S core, 160 KB SRAM, and full peripheral set. It is not a blank board - the SoC is soldered and tested, with all clocks, reset, and power sequencing implemented per Atmel's reference design.

What software tools are supported with the AT91RM9200-DK?

The AT91RM9200-DK supports SAM-BA™ v2.8 for flash programming and bootloader configuration, GNU ARM toolchain for Linux kernel compilation, and TimeSys LinuxLink™ for commercial-grade embedded Linux distribution. Debugging uses OpenOCD or Atmel-ICE with JTAG-ICE interface.

Can the AT91RM9200-DK run a full Linux distribution?

Yes, the AT91RM9200-DK runs full-featured Linux distributions including uClinux and standard 2.6.x kernels optimized by Atmel. Its 160 KB SRAM, 64 MB SDRAM, and NAND Flash storage meet minimum requirements for initramfs-based boot and user-space application execution.

Is the AT91RM9200-DK still in production or supported?

The AT91RM9200-DK is discontinued by Microchip but remains available through Aetrix Electronics with full legacy documentation, BOM data, and schematic archives. Technical support covers hardware validation, Linux BSP migration paths, and obsolescence mitigation for existing designs.