First development board based on MediaTek’s LinkIt platform appears

Seeed company has released a development board based on MediaTek’s LinkIt platform. The LinkIt One sign is based on the Aster-soc from MediaTek and also offers communication via GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth and WiFi.

The MT2502A Aster soc on the LinkIt One is an ARMv7 processor clocked at 260MHz. There is 4MB of RAM, along with 16MB of flash storage. Developers can use the board to set up mobile phone connections in the 850, 900, 1800 and 1900MHz bands, while data connections run via GPRS class 12, with which theoretical speeds of approximately 32kbit/s to 48kbit/s can be achieved. Furthermore, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth are available in EDR and BLE modes. The MT3332 module is available for position determination, which, in addition to GPS, also supports the Russian Glonass and the Chinese Beidou network.

Seeed’s LinkIt One sign measures 8.3 x 5.3cm. There is an SD card reader for the operating system and additional software. The layout of the pin-out connections is compatible with that of Arduino boards, allowing a variety of sensors and extensions to be attached to the LinkIt.

Because the board can be powered with a 3.7V battery, the platform is especially suitable for experiments with internet-of-things applications and wearables, according to the manufacturer. Seeed developed the LinkIt One together with MediaTek. The chip manufacturer already offers an SDK via its LinkIt platform for developers who want to get started with the Aster soc. The development board costs 61.10 euros.