MODAQ 2 Versions¶
The MODAQ 2 codebase has been developed to operate on controllers with either x86_64 (Intel/AMD64) or ARM64 CPU architectures. Initially we assumed there would be enough differences in these architectures to require developing and maintaining a codebase for each. However, the differences were few and easily addressed in the code. To keep things simple, there is a single unified version of the M2 software that supports both Intel and Arm architectures.
In the following Hardware and Software sections, guidance is provided on these topics:
- Controller selection
- Sensor and Instrument support
- Hardware reference design specification
- Operating system selection
- Getting up and running with the ROS2 environment
- M2 reference design software nodes and their usage
Scaling M2 Designs¶
M2 easily scales from small, low powered designs to large, high-performance distributed systems using the same M2 codebase. The following sections outline a Reference Design for a performant mid-tier MODAQ system, however the controller could be upgraded or downgraded to dial in the desired level of performance, size, and power consumption. Additional I/O modules can be added for more sensors or instruments as measurement needs evolve. Multiple M2s could be used in a distributed design that could each share data in near-real-time or synchronized later in post-processing using precision timestamped data.
M2GO¶
M2GO is a prebuilt and pre-configured version of the M2 reference design using an Intel-based controller that NLR makes available for loan to qualifying 3rd parties. It's not a separate M2 version, rather it's just a physical build of the reference design described in the following sections of this documentation.
For parties interested in obtaining an M2GO loaner, please follow this link to contact us.