STMicroelectronics EVALSPEAR310

Overview

EVALSPEAr310 from STMicroelectronics is an evaluation board for the SPEAr310 embedded microprocessor unit (MPU), featuring dual Ethernet PHY interfaces (MII + quad-SMII), six serial ports, HDLC-TDM and E1 telecom interfaces, 8-channel 10-bit ADC, and support for DDR2-2333, parallel/serial/NAND Flash, and I²C EEPROM.

For engineers reviewing the EVALSPEAr310 datasheet, EVALSPEAr310 pinout, EVALSPEAr310 application, or EVALSPEAr310 equivalent, this board serves as a validated hardware platform to accelerate firmware bring-up, driver development, and telecom/datacom interface validation for industrial gateways and protocol-converged edge devices.

Technical Context

The EVALSPEAr310 implements the full peripheral suite of the SPEAr310 MPU, including two independent USB 2.0 controllers (one host-only, one device-only), four SMII-based 10/100 Ethernet ports enabling multi-port switch emulation, and dedicated HDLC/TDM hardware supporting 128 time slots at 8 Mbps for E1 trunking applications.

It integrates memory subsystems matching SPEAr310's native controllers: DDR2 SDRAM up to 2 Gbit at 233 MHz, parallel NOR Flash up to 1.5 Gbyte, serial NOR Flash up to 16 Mbyte, NAND Flash up to 2 Gbit, plus I²C EEPROM and SPI Flash for boot and configuration storage.

Key Specifications

Availability

EVALSPEAr310 is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for telecom gateway prototyping, industrial protocol converter development, embedded Linux BSP validation, and HDLC/E1 interface testing requiring stable component supply and long-term design support.

Supply support for EVALSPEAr310 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

STMicroelectronics is a global semiconductor leader designing and manufacturing microcontrollers, power management ICs, sensors, and analog/mixed-signal products for automotive, industrial, and consumer applications.

The SPEAr family targets high-integration embedded applications in networking, telecom infrastructure, and industrial automation, with the EVALSPEAr310 specifically engineered to demonstrate full peripheral capability and enable rapid software stack development for ARM9-based systems.

FAQ

Is EVALSPEAr310 still in production?

No - STMicroelectronics has marked EVALSPEAr310 as obsolete per Doc ID 18018 Rev 1 (September 2010). It remains available through authorized legacy distributors and Aetrix Electronics' extended-life inventory program with full traceability and documentation.

What software toolchain is supported?

The board supports ST's official SPEAr Linux BSP (based on kernel 2.6.x), U-Boot bootloader, and ARM RealView Development Suite (RVDS). ST provided reference drivers for all on-board peripherals including SMII Ethernet, HDLC, TDM, and ADC modules.

Can EVALSPEAr310 run real-time operating systems?

Yes - the SPEAr310 MPU supports FreeRTOS, eCos, and VxWorks via vendor-provided porting kits. Its ARM926EJ-S core with MMU and deterministic interrupt latency enables hard real-time execution for telecom control plane tasks.

Does the board include debugging hardware?

Yes - it features a standard 20-pin ARM JTAG connector compatible with ST-LINK, Segger J-Link, and ARM DS-5 debug probes. On-board signals include nTRST, TCK, TMS, TDI, TDO, and SWDIO/SWCLK for boundary scan and flash programming.