High-speed programming and debugging tool for Freescale microcontrollers

A liquid-crystal display simplifies user interaction and control, while a 3 Mbyte nonvolatile memory can be loaded with multiple memory images and programming algorithms. This makes the unit very versatile and easy to use in a production environment.



Optional software packages are available for interactive debugging which, with the Cyclone Pro's Ethernet or fast USB interface, is significantly quicker (and more convenient) than using dumb dongles. Support is also provided by many compilers such as CodeWarrior.



The Cyclone Max covers the Freescale ColdFire, PPC 5xx/8xx/Nexus and ARM MAC71xx microcontrollers. It can interface to these microcontrollers via their BDM or JTAG ports.



The Cyclone Max's USB and Ethernet interfaces are respectively 10 and 16 times faster at downloading data than a parallel port dongle. The Cyclone Max is thus a much better interface for these processors than a dumb dongle, as these processors normally have quite large flash memories attached.



The Cyclone Max is supported by a wide range of compiler vendors as well as by P&E's high-level interactive debugger. As with the Cyclone Pro, the Cyclone Max not only provides enhanced automated programming: it can also function as a completely stand-alone programmer. It too uses a liquid-crystal display to simplify user interaction and control, and it has a massive 7 Mbyte of nonvolatile memory which can be loaded with multiple memory images and programming algorithms selectable via the display.



With both units, software is included to allow interactive, batch or software-driven control of programming for the processor's on-chip memory. For those CPUs with access to external memory, algorithms are supplied for all the most popular NOR flash chips.



An optional support package is available that allows one PC to drive multiple Cyclones.