Freescale Expands QUICCstart Evaluation System Support for Flagship PowerQUICC Communications Processors
PR, Wednesday October 26
Embedded system developers accelerate "out-of-the-box" productivity with Freescale's easy-to-use processor evaluation board and software tools
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 2005-- System developers are under constant pressure to choose the optimal embedded processors for their next system designs. To help developers streamline the process of evaluating communications processor choices, Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL - News; NYSE:FSL.B - News) has expanded its line of QUICCstart evaluation systems to support a broader range of popular PowerQUICC(TM) processors based on PowerPC® technology.
Freescale now offers a QUICCstart evaluation system for the high-performance MPC8541E PowerQUICC III processor with integrated security. The MPC8541E evaluation board can be configured to support the MPC8555E, MPC8560 and MPC8540 PowerQUICC III processors. A new QUICCstart evaluation system also is available for the PowerQUICC II Pro processor family. The evaluation board is based on the MPC8343E processor with integrated security, enabling developers to evaluate performance, features and functionality of the PowerQUICC II Pro family.
Freescale's latest QUICCstart evaluation systems support a variety of communications interfaces, including 10/100/1000 Ethernet and PCI. The PowerQUICC II Pro family evaluation system also supports all flavors of USB (USB Host 2.0, Device 2.0, and On-The-Go). As an added convenience, the QUICCstart systems include a CodeWarrior(TM) USB TAP that enables developers to control the evaluation board and set break points quickly and easily.
"QUICCstart is the ideal evaluation solution for developers because it provides a head start in the development cycle with a smooth transition to a production environment, while providing relief to the development budget compared with higher-cost application development systems," said Jeff Timbs, director of marketing for Freescale's Digital Systems Division. "Combining ease of use with versatility, QUICCstart systems enable designers to take on a multitude of networking and telecom equipment applications based on PowerQUICC processors."
QUICCstart evaluation systems support the full range of Freescale communications processors, from cost-effective PowerQUICC I devices to high-performance PowerQUICC III system-on-chip processors. The evaluation systems provide a turnkey platform for evaluating the performance and functionality of PowerQUICC processors for use in a wide range of embedded applications. Hardware engineers can use the systems to prototype board designs that closely parallel their final applications. Software developers also can use the systems for developing and testing application code.
"Embedded Planet launched its first platform based on PowerQUICC processors in 1997 and has continued to build an extensive product portfolio around the PowerQUICC architecture," said Matt Hoover, vice president of sales and marketing at Embedded Planet. "With the increasing performance and functionality of the PowerQUICC architecture, it is critical that developers have a simple and cost-effective development environment early in the processor lifecycle, and QUICCstart evaluation systems provide a perfect solution."
About the QUICCstart evaluation systems
Each QUICCstart system comes complete with an evaluation board developed for Freescale by Embedded Planet, associated power supply and cables, CodeWarrior(TM) Development Studio, a Freescale open-source operating system based on the Linux® kernel, and CD-ROM-based documentation, including system design and reference information. The evaluation systems have been packaged for "out-of-the-box" productivity. Within 30 minutes of unpacking the kit and connecting the board to a host laptop or desktop system, developers can be up and running in evaluating their PowerQUICC processor-based designs.
"Freescale's PowerQUICC architecture is popular among embedded systems developers because it offers exceptional scalability, compatibility and a host of development tools," said Ranjit Deshpande, CTO of Kenati Technologies. "Using the QUICCstart evaluation system, Kenati was able to deploy and qualify a full-fledged VPN gateway solution in less than four weeks. Due to the availability of development tools, such as QUICCstart boards and Kenati software platforms, device manufacturers are able to roll out products with a vastly reduced software development cycle."
Using the QUICCstart board, a software developer can write code on a PC host, download it to the evaluation board, then examine chip performance, develop and debug algorithms, and work quickly toward an end application. Firmware, hardware and production test engineers can adapt the QUICCstart system to their own requirements to reduce development time. Production test engineers can use the board and debugging tools to design and prototype complex production algorithms before custom hardware is prototyped.
Pricing and availability
QUICCstart evaluation systems for the MPC8541E PowerQUICC III processor and the PowerQUICC II Pro family are available this quarter from Freescale and through Freescale distributors; suggested retail prices range from $795 to $995. The CodeWarrior Development Studio that comes with each system is an evaluation version that is time limited to 30 days from installation. A fully licensed version of CodeWarrior software can be obtained separately from Freescale and Freescale distributors. For more details about QUICCstart and other Freescale development tools, visit www.freescale.com/devtooldirect.
About Freescale Semiconductor
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NYSE:FSL - News; NYSE:FSL.B - News) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. Freescale became a publicly traded company in July 2004 after more than 50 years as part of Motorola, Inc. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale, a member of the S&P 500®, is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies, with 2004 sales of $5.7 billion (USD).
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