computer science

Intel Galileo

Intel Galileo is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intel Galileo rather than just read about it. In short: Intel Galileo is the first in a line of Arduino-certified development boards based on Intel x86 architecture and is designed for the maker and education communities. Intel released two versions of Galileo, referred to as Gen 1 and Gen 2.

Key takeaways

Intel Galileo belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intel Galileo to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intel Galileo from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Intel Galileo is the first in a line of Arduino-certified development boards based on Intel x86 architecture and is designed for the maker and education communities. Intel released two versions of Galileo, referred to as Gen 1 and Gen 2. These development boards are sometimes called "Breakout boards". The board was discontinued on 19 June 2017.

Technical specifications Intel Galileo combines Intel technology with support for Arduino ready-made hardware expansion cards (called "shields") and the Arduino software development environment and libraries. The development board runs an open source Linux operating system with the Arduino software libraries, enabling re-use of existing software, called "sketches". The sketch runs every time the board is powered. Intel Galileo can be programmed through OS X, Microsoft Windows and Linux host operating software. The board is also designed to be hardware and software compatible with the Arduino shield ecosystem. Intel Galileo features the Intel Quark SoC X1000, the first product from the Intel Quark technology family of low-power, small-core products. Intel Quark represents Intel's attempt to compete within markets such as the Internet of Things and wearable computing. Designed in Ireland, the Quark SoC X1000 is a 32-bit, single core, single-thread, Pentium (P54C/i586) instruction set architecture (ISA)-compatible CPU, operating at speeds up to 400 MHz. The Quark is seen by some as Intel's answer to ARM, the processor design featured in smartphones and other single-board computers. At a clock speed of 400 MHz, together with 256 Mb of DDR3 RAM and 8 Mb flash memory, the Galileo is much more powerful than competing Arduino boards. The Mega 2560, for example, has a clock speed of 16 MHz, 8 Kb RAM and 256 Kb flash memory. It would be more appropriate to compare the Galileo to another single-board computer, such as the Raspberry Pi. The latest iteration, the Pi 3 Model B, replaced the Pi 2 Model B in February 2016. It is more powerful than the older Galileo Gen 2, featuring a 1.2 GHz CPU and 1 GB RAM. The Pi, however, does not have any flash memory. Both Galileo boards support the Arduino shield ecosystem. Unlike most Arduino boards, the Intel boards support both 3.3 V and 5 V shields. The Intel development board comes with several computing industry standard I/O interfaces. The support for PCI Express means that Wifi, Bluetooth or GSM cards can be plugged in to the board. It also enables usage of solid state drives with the Galileo. The 10/100 Mbit Ethernet support enables the board to be connected to a LAN. It also enables accessing the Linux shell. The boards further support Micro SD, which means the available storage can be extended by up to 32 G. Other I/O interfaces include ACPI, USB 2.0 device and EHCI/OHCI USB host ports, high-speed UART, RS-232 serial port, programmable 8 MB NOR flash, and a JTAG port for easy debug. Although the Galileo shipped with Linux, it was possible to have a custom version of Windows on both the Gen 1 and the Gen 2. This support was, however, suspended by Microsoft on 30 November 2015. Microsoft cited hardware concerns, with some specifically attributing it to the low clock speed of the Galileo. The Galileo supports the Arduino IDE running atop an unmodified Linux software stack, supported by a common open source tool chain. The board comes pre-loaded with an SPI image of Linux. Although this version (Yocto 1.4 Poky Linux) has very limited features (e.g. it does not include a Wi-Fi module), it does not require any storage devices to be added. Intel also provides more functional versions of Linux for the boards. The "SD-Card" image can be downloaded and loaded onto the board via a Micro SD card. It includes, among a multitude of modules, a Wi-Fi module, support for OpenCV to enable computer vision, ALSA for sound processing and Node.js for JavaScript capabilities. A more advanced IoT DevKit version is also available to enable complex IoT projects, adding for example support for OpenCV-Python. The Raspberry Pi (excluding the Raspberry Pi 5), as well as most boards from Arduino, does not have an onboard real time clock. The Galileo boards have a real time clock, requiring only a 3 V coin cell battery. The boards can therefore keep accurate time without being connected to either a power source or internet. The Galileo can be seen as truly open source, as both the schematics and the source code are freely available for download without a software license agreement. However, some argued that the hardware shouldn't be designated open source if the processor core isn't also made open-source.

Arduino ecosystem The Arduino ecosystem has three "levels":

"Arduino" is manufactured and distributed by Arduino. "AtHeart" identifies any board which is manufactured using an Arduino-supported processor. "Certified" means that the board is supported by the Arduino platform, but does not use an Arduino-supported processor. The Galileo falls into the third category. Although it is the lowest level in the Arduino ecosystem, it still means that Galileo boards can be programmed using the official Arduino IDE, bought on the Arduino online shop and is compatible with Arduino peripherals such as shields.

Sales and adoption Intel does not publish sales data on its products. In an effort to boost the ecosystem of their Quark architecture, Intel gave away 50,000 Galileo Gen 1's when it was launched. In 2014, Microsoft also handed out Galileo boards to people who signed up for its IoT program. On 30 November 2015, Microsoft suspended support for Galileo. While it is unclear what effect this had on the sales numbers of the boards, it meant that developers creating projects for Microsoft's Windows 10 IoT Core had to move to either the Raspberry Pi 2 or 3 or the MinnowBoard MAX. On 16 June 2017 Intel announced that the 'End of Life' and last shipment date for the Galileo range is 16 December 2017.

Difference between Gen 1 and Gen 2 Intel Galileo Gen 2 Is similar to Gen 1 with the following changes:

Replaces the RS-232 console port (audio jack) with a 1x6-pin 3.3 V USB TTL UART header Adds 12-bit pulse-width modulation (PWM) Console UART1 redirection to Arduino headers Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability (Requires installation of Silvertel Ag9712-2BR/FL power module) A power regulation system that accepts power supplies from 7 V to 15 V. Improved PWM control line means finer resolution for movement control.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intel Galileo

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intel Galileo claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intel Galileo before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intel Galileo ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intel Galileo

In research: Intel Galileo appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intel Galileo in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intel Galileo is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arduino, Intel products, Single-board computers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intel Galileo outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intel Galileo in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intel Galileo means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intel Galileo out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intel Galileo in simple terms?

Why does Intel Galileo matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intel Galileo?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intel Galileo.