The Overo series packs a lot of computing power in a tiny package.
In this section, you'll be introduced to:
If you do not need an overview and just want to get started setting up your Gumstix system, then click here to jump ahead to the "Getting started" section.
Hardware Introduction to the Overo series
The Gumstix Overo computer boards are very small. The motherboard, which we call a computer-on-module or COM, is smaller than your index finger. The boards that have the connectors for I/O functions such as USB, power input and HDMI are called "expansion boards" by Gumstix. Each expansion board is bigger than the Overo COM so that there is room for the various connectors and I/O thru-holes.
Despite their small size, a Gumstix Overo computer is a Linux computer that can be programmed to perform a wide range of functions in almost any industry including power management, time & attendance, security, access control, IT, location tracking, medical, aviation, robotics and education, to name a few. Examples are posted via here.
The product name Overo comes from our plan to use breeds of horses or horse coloring for this series of Gumstix computers, our fifth product series for Gumstix, Inc. "Overo" describes a solid base color horse (bay, black, chestnut, etc.) with white irregular patches added. Other product names in the series also come from horse breeds or colorings: Palo from palomino, Tobi from tobiano, Chestnut, Pinto etc. The Summit expansion board was built for the 2008 Linux Kernel Summit, as Gumstix provided the attendee gift to more than 100 delegates attending.
An Overo computer configuration consists of:
Customers wanting to develop and produce a product with camera function can attach a third board to this Overo configuration via the connector on the top of the Overo COM. This third board will be a camera board that has a camera lens holder and camera lens mounted on it.
The main features of an Overo Earth COM are:
The Overo Air COM is the Overo Earth COM with a Bluetooth and 802.11b/g module and related antenna ports added.
The Overo Water COM has the OMAP3530 Applications processor with the same features as the Overo Earth COM.
The Overo Fire COM is the Overo Water COM with a Bluetooth & 802.11b/g module and related antenna ports added.
Product information for each Overo computer-on-module is posted via here . Pick an Overo product and click through to the product page, then make sure to review the information behind each tab of that product page for more technical information and product specifications.
Each Overo COM also brings a wide selection of signals to the two 70-pin connectors located on the bottom of the computer-on-module. These are 1.8V logic. The pin-out details for each 70-pin connector are posted in the hardware section, linked via here. The signals on these pins include the following functions:
High-speed data
Peripheral interface signals
Analog, reset and power signals
-- A list of the expansion boards are available from Gumstix as posted via here.
-- To assist customers in rapidly developing their own, custom expansion board(s) for the Overo series, Gumstix makes the schematic of each expansion board available freely and without cost or licensing fees, via our website at pubs.gumstix.com
-- Each Overo COM and expansion board can be secured together using 4 x 0-80 mounting holes in the corners of the Overo COM and on each expansion board.
-- You may be interested in some vibration testing performed on the Overo series to the US Military Specification MIL-STD-810F 514.5 “Vibration”.
-- A 27-pin flex cable connector with camera signals is mounted on the top side of each Overo COM. Signals for this camera connector are defined in the hardware section of www.gumstix.net, linked via here
Software Introduction and User Wiki
Each Gumstix COM runs Linux, which is open source. Gumstix preloads Linux on each Overo COM shipped from our warehouse. Software engineers at Gumstix keep our Linux software at current levels so that the recent, tested function for Linux programming can be available on Gumstix products.
Note: The Gumstix Overo COM can run other operating systems including Android and Windows CE, which can be obtained from and supported by licensed Microsoft resellers such as those posted via here .
The Gumstix User wiki, accessible via a link at the top of www.gumstix.net, is a forum in which customer how-to's, projects and successes can be posted and linked. User postings include advice on using Ubuntu, Java, Fedora, batteries, Qemu, Qt, Suse, webcams and more. The user wiki is linked via here.
OpenEmbedded Development Environment Introduction
Gumstix has implemented the OpenEmbedded build environment for developers who want to program in Linux or develop and maintain their custom embedded application. Through the use of the OpenEmbedded package management tool, prebuilt binaries for hundreds of open-source software packages can be downloaded to a Gumstix Overo COM without a charge or license fee.
In order to write your own code or modify the kernel installed on your Gumstix Overo COM, you'll need to setup or have access to an OpenEmbedded build environment. Start your own environment using the instructions posted via here.
Introductory Videos
Gumstix has posted a series of videos on the Gumstix Overo series.
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