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iC5000 On-Chip Analyzer – Software configurable Development and Test Platform for Embedded Systems

Today iSYSTEM AG based in Schwabhausen announces their new generation of development and test tools for embedded software and hardware.

The platform called iC5000 On-Chip Analyzer is the consequent product enhancement of well proven iSYSTEM technolgy into one hardware platform. iC5000 is a single hardware and software platform that is changed by software updates into a multi­functional development and test tool to support various processors and controllers.

 

The hardware of the iC5000 consists of a base module including USB2.0 and ETH100 for con­nec­tion to the PC. On top of the base module the debug/trace module and an optional I/O module is lo­cated.

The debug/trace module connects to different debug interfaces (JTAG, BDM, SWD, ETM, NEXUS…).  For that various adapters are available.

The I/O module controls measurement and stimulation tests.  With it analog and digital signals can be generated, monitored and traced.

 

At the moment there are software licenses to support following controllers: ARM7, ARM9, XScale,  CortexM3, Freescale Coldfire V1, Coldfire V2/V3/V4, MC9(S)08 and MC9S12(X). Others will follow in 2010. By purchase of a trace license the platform is expanded from a simple debugger to very powerful test tool with up to 256MB trace memory.

 

More information on data sheet of iC5000

 

Results of iSYSTEMs SMPO Survey: "Should every software developer do Unit Testing?"

Here are the results of iSYSTEMs poll:
66,7% answered "yes, every developer should do unit testing".
25,0% said "no".
8,3% don´t know...
This result reflects a trend for embedded software development.

Most of the developers know about the benefits of unit testing:
- test as much and as early as possible in the development process. The earlier the cheaper to fix a bug.
- test a single function without having implemented/or having access to all code
- proove that a function behaves according to the specification/requirements
- proove that there is no dead code (code coverage)
- build a certain set of tests (test know-how) for regression testing if the function code has changed
- ...

However, most of them don't do it because:
- in most cases an additional tool is necessary
- it is very time consuming because of additional compile-link-download-execute cycles
- traditional unit test tools instrument the code to
 * generate a test harness for a single function
 * measure code coverage (e.g., to measure the execution of every single statement and/or decision)
- it is not the orginal code
- ...

So, this rises a big challenge for tool vendors such as iSYSTEM. In Q3/2009 iSYSTEM will publish a new
version of isystem.connect with an add-on for unit testing. Stay tuned!

iSYSTEM shows "Mini"-HIL solution at NI VIP October 7, 2009 in Fuerstenfeldbruck (Germany)

In the year 2010 an embedded software development and test workplace could look like this:
In addition to a software development tool that would be a debugger with or without trace support, a stimulation hardware for the target system is used (e.g., sbRIO from National Instruments as a mini-HIL).

Thus, a developer may drive a lot of function tests already while developing software. All is done in a single tool environment that is as close as possible to the real hardware (and real-time) as well as in an early stage of the development and test process.

The connection between NI's sbRIO platform to iSYSTEM tools is realised using iSYSTEM's open API isystem.connect. This generic interface also includes a free LabVIEW VI library to drive the described test approach from within LabVIEW.

This Week´s Workshop: Boundary Scan meets Microcontroller Emulation

This week, October 1, 2009 the technology partners GÖPEL and iSYSTEM offer a free workshop: "Boundary Scan meets Microcontroller Emulation". 

To cope with challenges of future hardware components tests, boundary scan and JTAG emulation must be combined. Boundary Scan and JTAG emulation are two methods that complement each other perfectly.

The workshop takes place October 1, 2009 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at iSYSTEM AG, Carl-Zeiss-Str. 1, 85247 Schwabhausen (close to Munich).

For detailed information on the workshop see this whitepaper.

If you like to participate in this Workshop, please contact us

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