I have done a few projects on Arduinos. Now I want to step up my embedded skills.
I have found this SoC with embedded Linux and video encoding/decoding capabilities. I am interested on running OpenCV on it.
My question is how do I play around with something like this?
Do I have to make a PCB using Eagle? Do I have to buy an external programmer? Maybe use a converter PCB so I have DIP interface?
I know I will probably get downvoted for this question, but I want to buy it and start playing with it as soon as possible. That's why I ask.
Best Answer
If you're simply interested in using a SoC processor that can run OpenCV, I suggest the Raspberry Pi. There was just a new version released, B+.
It uses a Broadcom BCM2835 SoC which includes an ARM1176JZF-S 700 MHz processor, a VideoCore IV GPU and 512 MB RAM, and also four USB ports (so generally you don't need an external hub for a keyboard and mouse), HDMI in several resolutions, audio (so-so quality), Ethernet, and a microSD card.
Debian and Arch Linux ARM distributions are available for download from the main site.
All this for $40 (plus cables and power supply).
Here's the official page for Raspberry Pi and OpenCV.
And here's a OpenCV project on the Raspberry Pi that does facial recognition.
So forget about going to the trouble of making your own board. You could be running one of these tomorrow.