Integrated Development Environment Carries On-Chip Debugger

Designed to meet the demands of developing software for an embedded processor core, this integrated development environment (IDE) for the firm's V8-µRISC 8-bit RISC processor core includes software development tools for each stage of the design cycle. It has an on-chip debugger for in-system software testing and debugging, a C compiler, assembler, software simulator, and development system. The on-chip debugger, DeICE, uses JTAG-based techniques to provide control over and visibility into the embedded processor core. It consists of a PC-based GUI and a JTAG master controller board that interfaces to a JTAG slave controller embedded within the processor core. The software simulator is a Win32 application that loads and executes an Intel hex file generated by the C compiler or assembler. It provides a high-speed simulation and debugging environment to quickly debug V8-µRISC software before the core has been realized in silicon. The IntelliCore Prototyping System is used to evaluate the V8-µRISC for the intended application. It allows designers to begin software testing and hardware/software integration prior to the availability of first silicon. The V8-µRISC assembler and simulator are provided at no charge.