Three Reasons You'll Want to Use Our Flexible Software Package for Your IoT Designs

You might think that the secret to speeding your Internet of Things designs to market depends on the microcontroller you choose. But you'd only be half right.

In the embedded world, your software environment can be just as critical as your hardware, whether you're spec'ing out a brand new IoT design or modernizing an already successful consumer or industrial product. It's not only about having access to the best microcontrollers on the market. It’s also about choosing a development environment that can deliver on time and on budget.

Of course you want to be up and running as fast as possible. That's why we made the Renesas Advanced (RA) family of microcontrollers more than a line of superior MCUs based on scalable Armv8-M architecture and secure TrustZone technology for Cortex-M processors. It's also an MCU family that works hand-in-glove with the Renesas Flexible Software Package (FSP), an environment that helps you create embedded systems with ease, accuracy and speed. Whether you're upgrading an existing product or designing something new, the RA MCUs and FSP-based solutions can help you get your products to market fast.

Image

Here are three ways the Renesas FSP will lighten your workload:

1. You're starting from scratch – No problem. The RA family is the best choice on which to base your IoT design. Among three series of MCUs within the family, one – or more – has the features and benefits you need.
   
   What you may not realize is that all of our RA devices can use the same software ecosystem, including a real-time operating system (RTOS), infrastructure, development tools, production-ready drivers. When it comes time for a product upgrade with a more powerful MCU, you can use the same tools to tweak your design.
    
2. You've already got a successful product on the market and you're adding capabilities – No problem here either. Our FSP closely mirrors the Arm ecosystem you already may be using. What's more, our FSP lets you reuse software components, including publicly available code such as AWS FreeRTOS and Microsoft Azure RTOS, as well as high-performance Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) drivers. So, if you want to use our RA family, we give you all the source code – without restriction.
    
3. You have your own software and tools – Again, there's no problem if your company prefers a more traditional development environment with minimal middleware and frameworks. In either a greenfield or an upgrade situation, you can design a product compatible with the Arm ecosystem. You can also use the tools and software you know best. In turn, our FSP will provide quality HAL drivers so your design can access the MCU peripherals, and you still can use your own in-house software and your preferred RTOS and middleware.

And speaking of preferred software, our FSP is compatible with open-source embedded systems software, too, so you can integrate your choice of the more than 100 trusted technology partners in our Renesas Ready Partner Network, offering building blocks that address real-world design challenges to help get your applications IoT-ready in no time. This extensive, carefully curated network of trusted technology partners delivers commercial-grade building blocks that work out-of-the-box with our Arm-based MCUs.

We're here to support you in other ways as well. When you use our FSP, you're licensed to use the full source code on our Renesas devices. You also get compatibility with the Gnu Compiler Collection, the Arm Compiler version 6 and IAR Systems compiler, plus our user manuals, sample code, application notes and several flavors of online help.

On-Demand Virtual Lab Instruction
If you’re ready to explore further, get an RA4M3 evaluation kit then watch the virtual hands-on lab for some detailed instruction and overview of the fundamental features of FSP, including ease of use, configurator, e² studio integration, module selection, smart manual, and developer assistance. The features will be explained using a HAL only project covering all the features of FSP.

In the lab, you’ll create a project to demonstrate how FSP drivers are RTOS independent and provide easy to use APIs to access MCU peripherals, as well as access developer assistance and the smart manual.

So what are you waiting for?
Find out how to get started with software, source code, platform installers and more. Visit the Renesas Flexible Software Package page to learn more about the latest version today.