Processor Experience

Our recent microcontroller focus has been on ARM Cortex-M3 and the 8051 family & its derivatives:

We are equipped with Keil RealView MDK and C51 Tools, and a number of manufacturer's development kits, enabling a quick start to any microntroller-based development.

The use of development kits, and the simulation facilities in the Keil tools, allows useful progress to be made even before the Client's own hardware is available.

Even with unfamiliar derivatives, the standard cores like Cortex and 8051 mean that devices share a common architecture. Thus adopting a new derivative does not entail a steep learning curve, new tools, etc - resulting in reduced development start-up times.

As well as 8051 derivatives, Atmel have their own 8-bit family - the AVR. We are equipped with the ImageCraft Compiler Tools for AVR development.

For details of some recent projects, please click here.

Wavecom introduced the concept of the "Wireless CPU", and this lives on in the Sierra Wireless AirPrime™ product range.

Traditionally, incorporating wireless capability such as GSM into a project has required a module to provide the wireless access, and a separate processor to control it. The Open-AT application framework allows custom software to run within the wireless module - thus obviating the need for a separate processor.

One Client deployed applications based on this technology across Great Britain (see our "Intelligent" modem page).

Of course, we are still familiar with the "traditional" approach involving a "dumb" modem and separate microcontroller!

We are also evaluating a number of new processors and technologies, including

• Cypress Semiconductors' PSoC dynamically re-configurable mixed-signal microcontroller family;
• Micriseni's SmartFusion flash-based System-on-Chip FPGA family;
• Microsoft's .NET Micro Framework  - bringing the convenience of C# and .NET to small (ish!) embedded systems.