8-bit/32-bit Proof-of-Concept
New development board supports experimental prototyping using plug-in MCUs from Freescale
• Crossbow board supports new Flexis MCU series from Freescale
• Extends ‘Future-Blox’ stackable proof-of-concept development platform
The CrossBow Future-Blox is a sophisticated development board that gives unparalleled freedom to experiment with the use of various 8- and 32-bit Freescale Semiconductor microcontrollers (MCUs) in system prototypes.
CrossBow adopts the Future-Blox stackable board format introduced by Future Electronics in October 2006. This format allows designers to plug together combinations of controller and application boards to quickly build complete system or sub-system proofs-of-concept.
CrossBow provides a powerful microcontroller development platform to work with these and other application boards, with the unique advantage that it supports hardware ‘plug-ins’ for a choice of Freescale 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs.
At the hardware level, CrossBow consists of a base-board, and daughter card plug-ins for separate Freescale 8- and 32-bit MCUs. The boards support a wide array of peripherals and communications interfaces, addressing all the mainstream requirements of industrial and consumer 8- and 32-bit MCU users.
CrossBow is now available for customer shipping with daughter cards for the MC9S08QE128 (8-bit) and MCF51QE128 (32-bit ColdFire ® V1) microcontrollers, which are also being released today by Freescale as the first in its new Flexis™ MCU series at the “connection point” of the Controller Continuum.
The Flexis QE device duo enables seamless adaptability between 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs. These new QE products are pin- and peripheral-compatible, with software written to the MC9S08QE128 running unmodified on the MCF51QE128.
CrossBow is the perfect platform for developing product concepts that use these devices. For instance, a design engineer can build a prototype system using CrossBow hosting the S08QE128 daughter card simply unplug the S08 daughter card and replace it with the ColdFire V1 daughter card, boot it up and instantly test the improved performance provided by the more powerful device.
Code can be written for both controllers using the CodeWarrior™ Development Studio for Microcontrollers (Special Edition) supplied free with CrossBow. Future Electronics supplies demonstration software with CrossBow illustrating that the same code runs on both the Flexis QE MCUs.
The CrossBow baseboard is not, however, limited to hosting Flexis ICs. Additional daughter cards by Future Electronics are available now and will add support for:
• the MC9S08LC60LK 8-bit MCU, which includes an integrated glass LCD driver
• the MC9S08DZ60 8-bit MCU, which includes an integrated CAN 2.0 bus controller
• the MC9S08GB60ACFUE and MC9S08GT60ACBFE 8-bit MCUs
In addition, Future Electronics makes public its design format and protocol for CrossBow, and so customers can develop their own daughter card to support the Freescale MCU of their choice.
Fred Knowles, V-P of Technical Sales at Future, said: ‘Future-Blox boards are real experimentation engines. Now, for the first time, developers can spend their time on experimenting with their design, and working on how they can improve their product, rather than getting delayed just trying to get incompatible eval boards to communicate.
‘With CrossBow this is even more the case – you do not have to commit up front to a choice of 8-bit MCU. At a hardware level it’s as simple to try a different micro in your prototype as it is to put an electric plug in a wall outlet, and with Flexis, you can even keep the same code when moving up the performance curve from 8-bit to 32-bit.’
The CrossBow Future-Blox Board includes:
• CAN 2.0B port
• USB 2.0 interface
• Character LCD port
• Glass LCD port
• +5V and +3.3V power rails
• I 2C bus
• SCI bus
• 8-channel analogue-to-digital converter
• Socket for ConnectBlue Bluetooth™ module
• Socket for Freescale ZigBee™ evaluation board
• Socket for MaxStream™ ZigBee™ module
Future-Blox boards are available free to members of Future Electronics’ Board Club. Design engineers can apply to receive a Future-Blox development platform and join the Board Club by registering for membership here.