startKIT allows engineers to quickly evaluate xCORE multicore microcontrollers, an innovative family of devices that can be software-configured with a wide variety of peripherals and interface blocks. startKIT is equipped with header connections that allow it to interface to Raspberry Pi products, making it an ideal real-time I/O solution for Raspberry Pi projects.
The company’s free-to-use xTIMEcomposer design tools allow developers to quickly and easily program the right interface configuration, and write application code using C / C++, all in a single programming environment. xTIMEcomposer provides a full graphical development environment, including compiler, debugger, a static timing analyzer and a software-based logic analysis tool.
Measuring just 94 x 50mm in size, startKIT is based around the XS1-A8-64-DEV, a 500MIPS xCORE-Analog multicore microcontroller with eight 32bit logical processing cores. In addition to the xCORE multicore microcontroller itself, startKIT includes an array of LEDs, a push-button switch, two capacitive sense sliders, and a sliceCARD connector that is compatible with the wide range of I/O slices available from XMOS. The board is also equipped with header connections that allow it to be easily connected to a breadboard system.
startKIT is supplied with a wide range of example code to help new users get started. These include a software-defined Ethernet interface and web server application, and basic driver software for the LEDs and push-button. Users can also access a wide variety of xCORE code via the XCore Exchange, a thriving community of xCORE users centered at www.xcore.com.
The on-board XS1-A8-64-DEV xCORE multicore microcontroller includes an on-chip debug capability that allows comprehensive real-time in-circuit analysis of the complete design. This allows developers to see what is happening at the device interfaces and in their code in real-time, while their system is running and without affecting the performance. The startKIT analog interfaces can also be monitored alongside the digital signals: for example users can monitor the capacitive touch sensors to see the signals in real-time.
startKIT will be available in early December 2013, priced $14.99 from XMOS distributors. To register for the opportunity to win a free startKIT, visit the XMOS website www.xmos.com/startkit.