Starter Kit speeds development of Toshiba's 16-bit SuperFlash microcontrollers

Featuring 256Kbytes of Silicon Storage Technologies’ (SST) SuperFlash memory, Toshiba’s TMP91FY42FG 16-bit microcontroller is a highly integrated, ultra-low power device that offers enhanced programming flexibility while minimising external component count. The new TOPAS91FY42 Starter Kit incorporates all of the software tools and hardware elements needed to develop and test applications based on the microntroller, eliminating the need for additional and costly development and debug tools.

Toshiba’s new Starter Kit platform combines the TMP91FY42 microcontroller and associated hardware development board with an integrated development environment (IDE) that provides all of the tools that the engineer needs for debugging, program building, editing and flash memory programming, and simulation. The kit also provides software examples, demonstration programs, application notes and all of the documentation needed for ‘out-of-the-box’ development.

The Starter Kit’s development board is populated with a host of commonly used components and peripherals, including an LCD display, USB and RS232 interfaces, a USB to RS232 converter chip and a filtered loudspeaker output for speech IP and other sound functions.

The TOPAS91FY42 IDE software includes ROM monitor, simulator and project manager functionality as well as a C compiler and assembler and linker capabilities. The ROM monitor offers a comprehensive suite of debug and editing functions, giving the designer the option to use the Starter Kit rather than a more expensive in-circuit emulator (ICE). The incorporation of a simulator that provides full core and peripheral simulation allows engineers to continue their development work even when sharing the kit with other members of a project team.

To further simplify application development, Toshiba’s new Starter Kit offers software examples and application notes for functions such as key scanning, speech software, universal motor control, display applications and flash memory programming, as well as a third party flash programming tool.
Toshiba’s TMP91FY42 is the company’s first 16-bit microcontroller to feature Silicon Storage Technologies’ (SST) SuperFlash memory. The microcontroller is based on Toshiba’s ultra-low-power TLCS-900/L1 processor core and will operate with voltages of between 2.7V and 3.6V. Minimum instruction execution time is just 148ns at 27MHz. Three standby modes including a programmable IDLE option further reduce overall power consumption.

Toshiba’s SuperFlash implementation can be programmed much faster than many alternative flash technologies, while the availability of three distinct programming modes - ‘parallel’, ‘serial PROM’, and ‘in system programming (ISP)’ - provides for both pre- and post-production programming flexibility. ISP mode allows upgrades and fixes in the field under control of the user program, removing the need to switch off the output to an LCD panel or active output controls.