A Single Integrated Development Environment for Effective Software Development
TOKYO, May 31, 2011 — Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723, Renesas), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of the new integrated development environment, the CubeSuite+, that provides unified support for the company's microcontrollers (MCUs) with 8-bit through 32-bit architectures.
An integrated development environment organically links all the tools (compiler, debugger for use with the emulator, etc.) needed when developing software (programs) for MCUs, making it possible to perform all design, coding, evaluation, and verification tasks on the same host machine. Currently, customers must use either the CubeSuite or High-performance Embedded Workshop integrated development environment, depending on the type of MCU they are developing software for. In contrast, the new CubeSuite+ will support all newly developed MCU products released from this point forward.
The first release of CubeSuite+ will support the MCUs covered by the earlier CubeSuite product, such as the V850 Family, as well as the RL78 Family of low-power MCUs, the first MCU products to be released after the merger of NEC Electronics and Renesas Technology to form Renesas Electronics Corporation. Subsequent releases will expand the range of MCU families supported to include the RX Family of midrange MCUs among other products.
Key features of the CubeSuite+:
(1) Easy to use, even for beginners
CubeSuite+ combines the basic software development tools customer's need to create new software in a single package. Once installed, it is ready to use. An extensive tutorial guide is provided to enable even beginning developers to start using CubeSuite+ right away after installing it. CubeSuite+ reduces the time needed to learn the tools provided because they function identically for all of the supported MCU families. There is also a Code Generator function that supports making device driver settings via a GUI. This code generator function is helpful for system designers that are new to Renesas' MCU family as the program codes can be easily generated by following the setting procedure for each peripheral function.
(2) Shorter build times for enhanced convenience
CubeSuite+ has a Rapid Build function that saves time by automatically starting the build process in the background. This ensures that building completes in the shortest possible time, making development more convenient. Also, whereas previously it was common to embed a “printf” to display the value of a specific variable, requiring a build each time a “printf” was embedded, CubeSuite+ provides an Action Event function that displays variable values when the program at a designated address is run. Using the Action Event function, a variable name display function can be accessed simply by right-clicking. This allows convenient debugging without the need to spend time on additional builds.
(3) Wide array of extension functions customers can use with confidence
Demand has been growing for graphical display functions to help developers visualize the operation of their programs, enabling them to tune the performance of their software by quickly and easily identifying functions that cause performance bottlenecks. CubeSuite+ has a Variable Transition Graph function that displays changes in variable values on a horizontal bar graph, making it easy to see the relations between multiple variables. There is also a Function Call Graph feature that displays function call relationships, making it possible to check which function called another function, determine how many times frequently executed functions were called, and so on.
A Python Console function makes it possible to write scripts to perform repetitive operations. This helps to reduce the risk of errors by automating operations that must be performed over and over, such as the operations associated with downloading programs to the MCU or operations following breaks. A Backup function enables storing and restoring of entire sets of tools and projects. Everything can be stored in the state at which development ended for a particular piece of software, and then recovered easily afterward. This provides increased peace of mind after the development process completes.
Renesas positions the CubeSuite+ as a product that will facilitate software development for customers using the company's MCUs by dramatically boosting development efficiency. The company is launching an aggressive sales promotion campaign for application fields requiring such capabilities.
The range of supported MCU families will grow steadily moving forward, and functionality for porting existing projects created in CubeSuite or High-performance Embedded Workshop to CubeSuite+ will be made available to assist customers making the transition.
Furthermore, the basic editor, build, and debug functions will be made more powerful to provide added simplicity, convenience, confidence for even more convenient software development, and functional extensions for enhanced software quality, such as testing support functions, will be added as well.
Please refer to the separate sheet for an image of the CubeSuite+ program creation screen.
Pricing and Availability
Renesas' new CubeSuite+ is available now, and pricing is comparable to existing Renesas tool products. (Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.) More information on CubeSuite+ can be found at http://www.renesas.com/cubesuite+
About Renesas Electronics Corporation
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power and SoC products, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions for a broad range of automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT applications that help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
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