Press release: 1993-09-27 : MOTOROLA AND SIERRA SYSTEMS ANNOUNCE AVAILABILITY OF COMPLETE HARDWARE/SOFTWARE SOLUTION FOR 68306 DESIGN

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: The Free Library

  AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) High Performance Microprocessor Division and Sierra Systems, a leading supplier of embedded systems development tools, today announced the availability of the 68306 Embedded Controller Card, a complete PC-based development system that includes a 68306 CPU card, power supply, Sierra C(TM) compiler, QuickFix(TM) Source-Level Debugger and a 68306 configuration utility. By providing 68306 designers with a complete, full-featured, integrated development environment, users can begin developing and testing 68000 software with a minimal start-up time.

 All tools included on the 68306 Embedded Controller Card are supplied by Sierra Systems, providing an easy-to-use, integrated environment and ensuring complete software compatibility and rapid development time. The high-speed parallel interface designed into the 68306 card allows host-to-target download times to quicken, essential in developing embedded applications.

 "Because of the highly-integrated nature of the Sierra 68306 Embedded Controller Card, it is an essential development tool for any designer evaluating 68000 Family microprocessors, developing software or evaluating a CPU card for an OEM system," said Fred Stotz, M68000 Tools Program Manager for Motorola. "Integration and affordability are key features of this offering, ensuring users are up and running quickly on their 68306 designs with minimal financial outlay."

 68306 CPU Card
 The central feature of the 68306 Embedded Controller Card is the 68306 CPU card. Measuring only three by five and a half inches, the CPU card includes 512K bytes of RAM, two 27C512 EPROM's programmed with the QuickFix debugger monitor, two RS-232 serial ports, one parallel port, a pair of 64-pin expansion connectors and operates at 16.67 MHz.
 
Introduced in Sept. 1992, the 68306 microprocessor is the first 68000 Family microprocessor to incorporate Motorola's standard cell design methodology. The 68306 includes many of the features common to 68000- and 68EC000-based designs and is comprised of the EC000 core processor, a 68681 DUART, a DRAM controller and system glue logic such as interrupt control, programmable chip selects and 16 parallel I/O lines. By combining many common system elements, the 68306 provides a foundation upon which virtually any system designer can build.
 
Sierra C Compiler
 Created for time-critical 68000-based embedded systems, the Sierra C compiler brings ease-of-use and impressive speeds to the 68306 Embedded Controller Card. The Sierra C compiler is currently used in 68000-based applications ranging from navigational systems to printer applications and video games. The Sierra C compiler contains several key features such as highly optimized code, rapid compilation times, ROMable code, position independent and reentrant code generation and support for resident libraries, fragmented address space and IEEE floating point format.
 
QuickFix Source Level Debugger
 The Sierra QuickFix debugger included in the 68306 Embedded Controller Card utilizes the extensive debugging information contained in the COFF object files generated by Sierra C. The debugger retains descriptions of all symbols and types defined in the source code, including templates for aggregate types, typedefs and all variables. These symbols can be combined into arbitrarily complex C expressions accepted by a wide range of QuickFix commands. As a result, QuickFix is extremely intuitive for C language programmers.
 In most development environments, QuickFix eliminates the need for in-circuit emulators, thus reducing development costs. QuickFix key features include a window-based user interface, continuously updated windows, full C expression evaluation and versatile stepping capabilities including source and machine-level stepping.

 68306 Configuration Utility
 The 68306 configuration utility included in the 68306 Embedded Controller Card automates the programming of the configuration registers of the 68306, eliminating the need for an in-depth understanding of the 68306 register codes, significantly reducing development time by eliminating the time required to configure the processor.

 Price and Availability
 Available Oct. 29, the 68306 Embedded Controller is priced at $450 and can be purchased directly from Sierra Systems or through Motorola sales channels, part number: M68306SB.

 Having 1992 worldwide sales of $4.5 billion, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector is the largest U.S.-based broad line supplier of semiconductors, with a balanced portfolio of more than 50,000 devices. Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of electronic equipment, systems, components, and services for global markets. Products include two-way radios, pagers and telepoint systems, cellular telephone systems, semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronic equipment, computers, data communications, and information processing and handling equipment.

 Motorola was a winner of the first Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award in 1988, in recognition of its superior company-wide quality management process.

 -0- 9/27/93
 /CONTACT: Sally Winship of Cunningham Communications, 617-494-8202, for Motorola (editorial); Fred Stotz of Motorola, 512-891-2668 (reader)/
 (MOT)


CO: Motorola; Sierra Systems ST: Texas IN: CPR SU: PDT 

DJ-CM -- NE005 -- 5805 09/27/93 09:05 EDT
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