One of the key features of P&E Cyclone stand-alone programmers is their ability to store all necessary programming information - binary data, algorithm information, and programming settings – in the Cyclone’s internal memory, in a format known as the Stand-Alone Programming (SAP) Image. This allows programming operations to be initiated by pushing a single button. Now this memory space can be expanded via optional software which enables the Cyclones’ CompactFlash interface. The expanded storage feature simplifies management of Stand-Alone Programming images. This Expert’s Corner explains how to take advantage of the CompactFlash card feature to facilitate the Stand-Alone Programming process.

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P&E’s product line of Cyclone stand-alone programmers provides a fast, robust, and automated solution for production-scale programming of microprocessors. However, production facilities may desire an even higher level of automation than the single-button touch capability that is offered by the Cyclone. P&E offers several means of automating control, including a command-line executable, UDP/Serial communications, or the .DLL included in P&E's new Cyclone Automated Control Software Package. In this article, we discuss automated control using the automated control package and the unprecedented level of power and flexibility that it offers.

Click through to learn more about the Cyclone Automated Control Package.

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Whether you are porting your existing C code to the GNU compiler or creating an application from scratch, learning to use any new compiler and development environment can be time consuming. For those who are new to GCC, setting up compiler options, linker scripts, and target startup code takes even more time. And, if you have never developed a C application for an embedded system, then you might be working late a few nights this week. PKGCFZ PRO reduces your down time by simplifying all of these tasks. Follow the steps below to speed through the development process.

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Product testing is a critical yet often complex and expensive process. Taking advantage of embedded processors with on-chip debug capability has made it easier to complete a simple internal test of a product. The following explains how you can take advantage of these capabilities to create your own product test. We’ll examine these four areas to improve your testing process:

1. Use of Debug Mode (BDM) to control processor operation
2. Application of P&E’s DLLs on a PC to make test applications which control the processor and run tests via debug mode
3. Using the Processor to test as much of the board hardware as possible
4. Creating a test fixture to add more complex test capabilities

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Did you know that you can improve tracking of your products by placing serial numbers in flash during programming using P&E's FLASH/EEPROM programming products? There are commands in both the GUI (PROGxxZ) and command line (CPROGxxZ) versions of P&E's programming software for selecting a particular serial number file and for programming the next serial number. The serial number is incremented by one after it is programmed into your device. Complex serial numbers with up to 16 bytes are supported. Each byte of a serial number can be restricted to a range of values. This allows you to create such things as printable, numeric, upper case alphabetic, lower case alphabetic, and constant characters in your serial number.

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