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LPC2103 Reference Design

Since you don't always need 512KB of storage or 32KB of SRAM, we've put together a simple reference design based on the low-cost ARM7 LPC2103 from NXP. This chip is ideal for small, low-complexity designs, such as remote sensor nodes, or for situations where you aren't necessarily performing numerous complex, simultaneous tasks but don't want to compromise on overall performance. 32KB Flash and 8KB SRAM is more than enough to get a basic installation of FreeRTOS running, for example, and to set up a few tasks, such as regularly reading some sensors, logging the data, and then going back into low-power mode until the next set of data needs to be read.

Concept

We intentionally made the reference board as simple as possible. Most of the main peripherals are simply broken out to standard 0.1" header pins, and the only additional hardware we added to the base board itself was a simple LED for testing purposes (to ensure that the board is working properly or for some instant gratification if you're writing your first program for the LPC2103).  This board isn't intended to be an exhaustive development board where every possible feature is exposed, but a solid, proven starting point for your own design and development work.

Rather than adding a lot of functionality to the base board and schematic, we've left as many pins as possible 'free' to do what you want with them them.  We've also provided a simple Eagle schematic and board file for a PCB that will fit on top of the reference design, acting as a companion board of sorts.  This allows you to develop your own devices using a clean (and thus easy to route) PCB, while taking advantage of all the plumbing provided by the base reference board underneath. We plan to provide a few expansion boards ourselves with examples of how to use different components, and hope that other members on this site will consider producing some 'open-source' boards as well. If there's enough interest, we'll be glad to create a separate section of the site to host any expansion boards that have been produced!