So I’m working on a small digital signage project. One of the first challenges is getting a computer setup to run the display and the thought occurred what is the best way to do that. In the advent of low power CPUs I took the dive and purchase an OMAP3 based development board. One of the first goals is to build a digital display appliance.

Have a look at the setup.

I choose the ThunderPack from TechNexion because it included the LCD screen, Wifi, Ethernet, HDMI, and a basic build of the Angstrom Linux distribution.

Pros - So far …

• Easy to order, fast shipping, responsive to email support
• Good construction, feels solid when handling it
• Pretty good software builds to get you up and running
• Decent documentation, you will need to have moderate linux systems experience though
• It boots right up and you can start using Angstrom right on the LCD display

Cons - So far …

• The 1st SD card used had a lot of difficulties getting the file system built (start with one under 2GB)

Thats about it, trying to keep it short and simple. Next up is building Android and seeing how it does…

If there are any questions please let me know.