NXP's LPCXpresso Toolchain for LPC1100 Cortex-M0 family

SINGAPORE: NXP Semiconductors announced the availability of a low-cost, web-enabled development tool platform, LPCXpresso, for the LPC ARM processor family of MCUs.

The LPCXpresso features an easy-to-use interface and supports the complete product design cycle, providing an end-to-end development solution. NXP is also announcing today the launch of the industry’s first Cortex-M0 design competition, the “LPC1100 Cortex-M0 Design Challenge,” providing free LPCXpresso tools to qualified contestants.

LPCXpresso is designed for the beginner as well as the advanced designer. LPCXpresso users can now evaluate, explore and develop within a single easy-to-use interface while retaining all the advanced features associated with powerful and expensive tools.

“Designed for simplicity and ease of use, LPCXpresso gives designers a quick and easy way to work with the LPC1100, enabling anyone to develop with Cortex-M0,” said Geoff Lees, vice president and general manager, microcontroller product line, NXP Semiconductors. “This comprehensive toolchain also offers an easy migration path to our high-performance ARM7, ARM9 and Cortex families including the LPC1300 and LPC1700 MCUs.”

The LPCXpresso development platform features a powerful Eclipse-based IDE with an all-new intuitive NXP-designed user interface, optimized Cortex-M0 compiler and libraries, LPC-Link JTAG/SWD debug probe and target boards providing users with all the tools needed to accelerate product development and time-to-market.

The LPC1100 Cortex-M0 Design Challenge has all the ingredients for application developers to create the next exciting design and show “What they can do with 65 cents.” NXP will be providing free LPCXpresso tools to all qualified contestants, as well as prizes for user feedback on the best LPCXpresso enhancement suggestions. The challenge features a ground-breaking Cortex-M0 product, free tools and over $10,000 in prizes.

Technical highlights
LPCXpresso IDE (Powered by Code Red): Includes best-in-class C programming environment with advanced features such as syntax highlighting, code folding, click-through links to definitions and declarations. The optimized GCC compiler and C libraries for the Cortex-M0 enables users to develop high-quality software solutions quickly and cost-effectively.

The IDE features several LPC-specific enhancements and is simplified for 8/16 bit users with NXP’s proprietary interface which employs a single perspective view, enabling a seamless interconnect between code development & debugging.

LPCXpresso Targets: Users can evaluate either the LPC1100 or LPC1300 (Cortex-M3) with the included target board. The target boards share a compatible footprint with the recently announced mbed online rapid prototyping tool, enabling a common development platform across the entire NXP Cortex microcontroller range. For rapid proof-of-concepts, users can explore expanded application features with a range of off-the-shelf footprint-compatible baseboards from Embedded Artists.

LPC-Link: Jointly developed by NXP, Code Red Technologies and Embedded Artists, the LPC-Link debug probe can also be disconnected from the target and used directly with the customer’s own design using the on-board 10-pin JTAG/SWD header. The LPC-Link uses the LPC3154 as an ARM9-based debug engine, providing an HS USB interface for accelerated code download and faster debugging experience.

Online Features: The latest version of the IDE is always downloaded from the LPCXpresso website. An exclusive LPCXpresso community forum, application resource page with up-to-date example projects, online training modules, tool wiki and support knowledgebase are some of the features that enhance the online experience for the LPCXpresso platform. There is also a built-in datasheet browser feature within the IDE environment.

Expansion Options: LPCXpresso fully supports the current LPC1100 and LPC1300 families and all planned LPC1700 derivatives up to 128 KB. Code Red supports low-cost upgrade options for 256 KB and 512 KB. The fully featured Red Suite package by Code Red will support run-time execution trace and OS wizards for fast FreeRTOS configuration; in addition, Red Probe provides even higher debug performance.

The LPCXpresso tool platform is available now at $29.95.