A pair of in-circuit, real-time emulators has been designed for use with STMicroelectronics ST6 microcontrollers. The DS6225A supports the ST6200, 01, 03, 08, 09, 10, 15, 20, and 25 models, while the DS6265A supports the ST6252, 53, 55, 60, 62, 63, and 65 models.
These emulators feature a Windows 95/98/NT user interface, a revised hardware section, and support for new devices in the ST6 family. According to their manufacturer, they are the most cost-effective, easy to use, and powerful tools for designing with ST6 microcontrollers. Both of them can be used to debug code and hardware designs.
The DS6225A and DS6265A operate with or without a target system, enabling unrestricted routine testing. Users can select the clock frequency—from 1 to 8 MHz—in fixed steps through the user interface. No external crystal or oscillator is needed, thanks to an internal frequency synthesizer.
Both devices are nonintrusive and transparent. No target processor resources are used. No interrupts, no I/O, and no memory locations are reserved for emulation purposes. No wait states are inserted, so true real-time execution is ensured. No spurious clock cycles are inserted between steps, either.
Accurate in-circuit, real-time emulation is achieved through a highly integrated external unit that easily connects to a PC's serial port. The DS6225A and DS6265A are controlled by a common, Windows-based user interface that accepts binary and Intel-Hex file formats. The DS6265A also comes with optional STMicroelectronics assembler DSD and SYM formats. Debug information is read from output files produced by the original STMicroelectronics cross-assembler. Programs are downloaded via an RS-232 serial port to the program memory in less than 4 seconds, with a 9600 serial baud rate and 4 kbytes of program size.
These devices support full emulation commands, offering an unlimited number of software breakpoints to stop the microcontroller's code execution while it is running. A special user interface function, I/O test, lets designers manipulate the emulated processor I/Os to test the full functionality of their external hardware without writing special software routines. It's also possible to set the outputs, read the inputs, and graphically change the I/Os' directions.
The DS6225A costs approximately 935 Euros. The DS6265A costs about 1060 Euros.
SofTec Microsystems, via Roma, 1 33082 Azzano Decimo (PN), Italy; +39 0434 640729; fax +39 0434 632 695; [email protected]; Internet: www.softecmicro.com.