Email

Milestones
[N] Find out what components to use
[N] Board layout
[N] Verify layout using simulation within Altium (cross-talk, reflections, propagation delay)
[N] Professor go ahead for project specifications (io/complexity/etc)
[N] Send to OSH park and wait (~21 days)
[N] Assemble board
[N] Magic smoke test (no shorts)
[N] SAM-BA responds via USB (indicates mpu is running, can test DRAM and NAND from here)
[N] At91 (Atmel reference design secondary boot loader) setup and working
[N] U-boot boot loader setup and working
[N] Linux kernel setup and working
[N] Terminal prompt
[N] Hello world c++ program compiled and running
[N] Demonstration of working project via compiling and running a c++ based hello world
[N] Report/Paper

N = Not Completed Yet, Y = Yes completed

Upon completion of every milestone, an email with an updated milestone list indicating the completed milestone and date.

A copy of the milestones list can also be found in my Google Drive here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10JDZ4BqjaWKUqitUVUTweQwDvRFaKWSPLqptTi9qUgU/edit?usp=sharing

After an email to OSH park regarding any changes with their 4 layer service, they said the worst case time frame tends to be 3 weeks if I just missed the last 4 layer group panel, and 2 weeks if I am am the last in a 4 layer group panel. This should be enough for two total tries, and three if I am lucky, ignoring time spent debugging and fixing the design.

X-Server was mentioned during our meeting on 9-11-2014 but since the only form of I/O to the outside world will be a virtual serial port over USB it does not seem possible. While the AT91SAM9N12 does offer an LCD connection, it uses a large amount of pins (~29) which I was planning on being able to ignore in an effort to ease with the breakout process. The board also supports Ethernet via one of three peripheral buses but like the LCD, it uses a good amount of additional pins (~20). Due to me being constrained to a 4 layer PCB and solely through hole via's (no blind or buried via's), extra pins from the processor in the BGA package would also negatively impact the already far from optimal solid ground plane which is required for the processor.

Current major references:
http://www.atmel.com/tools/SAM9N12-EK.aspx
Atmel Reference design containing both the project/board design as well as various scripts, tools, and configuration files for that specific board. The example configuration files will be used as a template for my project with a few changes (less RAM, far less I/O), and will be cited in the report.

http://hforsten.com/making-embedded-linux-computer.html
A design based upon the Atmel reference design but being much simpler (bare minimum I/O, OSH park's 4 layer service used for the PCB) which I am also using as reference. My design will likely contain the same processor, NAND, and RAM, but the board layout will differ. No configuration files or Gerber's are provided here, so the workflow of getting linux and the various required bootloaders will be my own effort referring to Atmel's evaluation kit. This is mainly used as "proof" that this is possible using OSH park's 4 layer service and as a rough walk through of the process to get linux running on the AT91SAM9N12 using a design based on the Evaluation kit. Of course, this will also be cited in the report as well as any other references I will be using.

Thank you for your time,
Marcin