On Sun, 15 May 2016 17:08:40 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:

>
>Sorry guys.  I might be confusing my terms here, or misusing the phrase 
>'watchdog timer'.  Would 'hardware watchdog circuit' fit?  "Intelligent 
>power switch?"  I'm not quite sure what to search for!

I generally call a watchdog timer (and it can be external if desired)
as a timer that must be continually refreshed, if it times out, it
resets the microprocessor.  However, the processor remembers that it
has been reset by a watchdog (most of them ought to), and then your
bootup routine will know that the program hung somewhere and didn't
reset the watchdog timer in time.

What the BBB needs is not so much a watchdog timer, but an intelligent
power monitor.  If that processor (and it could be very simple) does
*not* have an operating system but simply runs embedded firmware, then
it will not suffer from shutdown problems as does the BBB.

It could have an operating system, but should not depend on file
systems being set up properly (a la windows or linux, I think).  

You could use something as simple as an Arduino.

Harvey

>
>The circuit I'm looking for is what John3909 is describing; something to 
>address the corner-cases around power and ensure graceful, and hands-off, 
>system recovery amidst all of the corner cases (brownouts, drop+restart 
>(incl at 'inconvenient' times, ie during shutdown, etc)).  
>
>Fwiw, my application is already kicking the onboard watchdog, and relying 
>on its reboot if the software system fails.  I need to make sure that that 
>reboot ALWAYS happens, no matter what the power throws at it, as the system 
>will be installed in walls, ceilings and such.
>
>Does anyone know of a good public-domain/open-source external circuit 
>design that might work around the BBB (or something close -- a good 
>starting point)?  Or, even better, would anyone be able & willing to share 
>their circuit design?  I realize that this kind of circuit requires some 
>solid engineering to get right.  The EE part is a stretch for me, 
>capability-wise, but I can offer software services in trade for hardware 
>help. 
>
>I'm personally blocked by this issue, and just trying to work out the best 
>path forward, but I'd love to see this problem definitively solved for 
>everyone using the BBB.  It is such a great platform. I'd love to ensure 
>it'll always be online and ready for what we all throw at it.
>
>Best,
>ST

-- 
For more options, visit http://beagleboard.org/discuss
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"BeagleBoard" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit 
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/beagleboard/pg6ijb17s4ie0fs5rv13vi67hdcd1fsf10%404ax.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Reply via email to