New Complete Hardware+Software Kit for C Cortex-M Programming

[richardman]

Hello folks, while this is my first post here, rest assure that I used to be very active in the "dinosaur age" of comp.sys.embedded, AVR Freaks, various HC12, 430 lists etc. and I am still doing the bulk of the compiler development and answering support emails! Anyway...
We have now produced a new complete hardware and software kit, the JumpStart MicroBox, for getting started with Cortex-M programming.

Are you a blogger for an electronic forum or something similar? If so, email us and we will send you a complementary kit.

From a beta tester: “JumpStart API allows you to focus on the application coding and not ARM coding. In a few minutes I had a configured and working skeleton for my hardware.”  – M. Barber

Everything you need to start programming the powerful Cortex®-M in C immediately is included in the JumpStart MicroBox kit:

• STM32 Cortex-M0 Nucleo board from ST with ST-LINK/V2 debug pod.
• Arduino Compatible Education (ACE™) Shield: LED matrix, OLED display, RTC, micro-SD cartridge, crypto-chip (US only), etc.
• JumpStart C for Cortex®-M compiler license and the new JumpStart API Libraries
• "C for Everyone - The JumpStart Guide to C"  (ebook) a complete tutorial textbook-style reference to C. Unless you are a C Wizard, there is probably information in here that you have not yet encountered.
• Step-by-step tutorials and example programs
• $99, volume discount available

In creating the kit, we also created the JumpStart API to remove the tedium of low-level initialization and I/O register coding, without blocking users' access to the powerful features provided by the device.

For example, normally for the STM32F device, in order to use the EXTI interrupt, you have to:

• Initialize the system clock.
• Enable power to the GPIO port.
• Configure the GPIO port pin as input.
• Enable power to the EXTI (External Interrupt) subsystem.
• Enable power to the SYSCFG subsystem in order to modify the EXTI configurations.
• Configure the EXTI to trigger on the specific GPIO port and pin.
• Configure the NVIC (Nested Vector Interrupt Controller) to enable interrupt for the EXTI.
• Write an interrupt handler, as EXTI interrupts are shared, you have to be sure to process only the interrupt that is for this EXTI.
• Modify the system vector table to call the interrupt handler.

This would take several pages of code and careful reading of the data sheet. The JumpStart API JSAPI_EXTI class object takes care of all these details with just a couple of calls, including allowing each EXTI object to have its own interrupt handler instead of a shared one.                                                                                                                       
Our new website: http://c4everyone.com contains all the info. Please feel free to email me richard@imagecraft.com or reply below if you have any questions.

[richardman]

I should add that the offer for complementary kit is opened to faculty members of universities and colleges too. So if you are one or taking a class at a higher educational institution and know someone who may be interested, please contact me.

Thank you.

[ez24]

FYI

http://c4everyone.com/

Book not available until end of Oct per website

[richardman]

FYI

http://c4everyone.com/

Book not available until end of Oct per website

Correct. If you purchase or get a complementary kit before then, I will send you a beta-PDF.

Book is done, we "just" need to do the ebook conversion.

Thanks for commenting.

[ez24]

Here is an interesting site I found today (via another post).

https://www.eewiki.net/display/microcontroller/Home

Seems this is run by Digit-Key and my guess it is on products they sell.  So maybe you should contact Digit-Key to sell your product and see if you can list something on their eewiki site.  My guess they would appreciate that, so see what others are doing there to get an idea.

[ez24]

Another thing.

I think this is posted in the wrong area.  I think the area you should be is
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/

the way this forum works if you do not get any replies in a couple of days your post is probably dead.  If that happens start a new post in "microcontrollers".  There are some very smart people that hang out there so I would like to see what they think of this.

[miguelvp]

Well, it's a for sale item posted by c4everyone themselves (or imagecraft embedded systems), so posting on the micro-controller forum might not be the best place, but it's fine here in the Buy/Sell/Wanted.

That would be different if you (ez24) or other member purchased it and talked about it in that section of the forum.

[ez24]

Well, it's a for sale item posted by c4everyone themselves (or imagecraft embedded systems), so posting on the micro-controller forum might not be the best place, but it's fine here in the Buy/Sell/Wanted.

That would be different if you (ez24) or other member purchased it and talked about it in that section of the forum.

What do you think of the idea that I post this question in "Microcontrollers":

"What do you think of this microcontroller learning kit"

Then put in a link to their web site?

There are some really smart guys over there and I would like to get their opinion on this.

Thanks

[miguelvp]

I think that would be fine since you are not the vendor.

[ez24]

I think that would be fine since you are not the vendor.

thanks

[richardman]

I originally posted this on the Microcontroller + FPGA subforum, but a member (karel) told me to post this here. 

[zapta]

Windows only. Oh, well...

[neslekkim]

Do aynone know about that Imagecraft compiler from before?

And, I couldn't find any eevblog coupon here?

[richardman]

Do aynone know about that Imagecraft compiler from before?

And, I couldn't find any eevblog coupon here?

Indeed, we are going to add a section on the site of "Our Loyal Customers" or something. We have at least 4 active users that have used different compilers from us since the mid 1990's! How many compiler companies can claim that?!

re: eevblog coupon - I am new to the site, I would love to offer coupons etc., probably not much on the $99 kit (it's pretty bare bone profit already), but I will think of something. Is this "coupon" an eevblog feature, or just something I can make up? (which I can for our shopping cart - use this code for $x off)?

Thanks

[bitseeker]

And, I couldn't find any eevblog coupon here?

re: eevblog coupon - I am new to the site, I would love to offer coupons etc., probably not much on the $99 kit (it's pretty bare bone profit already), but I will think of something. Is this "coupon" an eevblog feature, or just something I can make up? (which I can for our shopping cart - use this code for $x off)?

Welcome to the forum, richardman!

You just make it up. Whatever works for you and your business. Different vendors do different things for EEVblog members and we appreciate it very much.

[tggzzz]

Windows only. Oh, well...

I think the words you are looking for are "quaint", or "how very 1999", "Windows? Wozzat?". I seem to remember there being a company called Microsoft that used to sell operating systems that people actually bought.

[neslekkim]

We have at least 4 active users that have used different compilers from us since the mid 1990's! How many compiler companies can claim that?!

Hm 4 users?, I was trying to find comparisions, and reviews to see how this compiler/ide compares to others, looking around on the imagecraft site, it seems like the ide is codeblocks based?
There are a tiny bit more information on the old site, but it doesn't say anything much about codesize and such, I mean, the MicroBox-NC kit looks interresting for learning, but is it only for educational institutions, or for everyone (when used noncommercially of course).

Is it correct that the MicroBox kits for $99, includes book, shield and the same compiler sold as JumpStart C for Cortex, also sold for $99?

[nctnico]

Windows only. Oh, well...

I think the words you are looking for are "quaint", or "how very 1999", "Windows? Wozzat?". I seem to remember there being a company called Microsoft that used to sell operating systems that people actually bought.

Got shoved up their rear is a better way to put it. Anyway not supporting Linux for a microcontroller development kit is a bit of a fail nowadays.

[zapta]

Got shoved up their rear is a better way to put it. Anyway not supporting Linux for a microcontroller development kit is a bit of a fail nowadays.

The IDE they are using is windows only, right? Vs. Let's say eclipse.

[miguelvp]

What no Android IDE?

Not being able to develop from my phone is a fail

[richardman]

Windows only. Oh, well...

I think the words you are looking for are "quaint", or "how very 1999", "Windows? Wozzat?". I seem to remember there being a company called Microsoft that used to sell operating systems that people actually bought.

Most of our users are indeed still Windows users. With the exception of the visual debugger that we added in the last couple years, there is nothing to prevent us from moving to Linux, technology wise. However, it does take development and post-support resource. It's a matter of ROI. About 3 times a year, we have an inquiry about Linux based tools,i.e., about the same frequency as inquiries of our support for 8051, UC32, etc.

The biggest champion of Linux dev tools is... GCC/Eclipse based. Most commercial compiler tools, including most of the accompanying tools such as circuit designs etc. are also Windows only.

[richardman]

Hm 4 users?, I was trying to find comparisions, and reviews to see how this compiler/ide compares to others, looking around on the imagecraft site, it seems like the ide is codeblocks based?
There are a tiny bit more information on the old site, but it doesn't say anything much about codesize and such, I mean, the MicroBox-NC kit looks interresting for learning, but is it only for educational institutions, or for everyone (when used noncommercially of course).

Is it correct that the MicroBox kits for $99, includes book, shield and the same compiler sold as JumpStart C for Cortex, also sold for $99?

Hi neslekkim, anyone can buy the MicroBox, and you are correct that it's the same price as a standalone Non-Commercial license, just have a lot more.

We were the "big fish in small ponds" in the old days of HC11, CPU12, MSP430 and the AVR. We also are the compiler provider for the Cypress PSoC1 core. We also had an ARM7 compiler, even a Parallax Propeller compiler but they never took off.

If you poke around the website, you will find some info. Also, if you look at archive.org, you will see our first website back in 1996.

[zapta]

The biggest champion of Linux dev tools is... GCC/Eclipse based. Most commercial compiler tools, including most of the accompanying tools such as circuit designs etc. are also Windows only.

Windows only programs don't do well in general in the maker/hobbyist market which I assume what you try to capture with the $99.

Anyway, it's your business. Just providing you one viewpoint.

[tggzzz]

Most of our users are indeed still Windows users.

Um, if your tool is windoze only, surely all your users are windows users. Meanwhile, elsewhere on planet earth....

About 3 times a year, we have an inquiry about Linux based tools,i.e., about the same frequency as inquiries of our support for 8051, UC32, etc.

Um, if linux users read your website and find the windows stuff but no linux stuff, do you think they would even bother to ask you? Only the dim ones would bother to ask.

Generic toolmakers have a real problem justifying costs. Sometimes business drones feel more comfortable if they are paying for something, but they can also be concerned about the ability of small companies with "4 users" to survive.

[richardman]

Most of our users are indeed still Windows users.

Um, if your tool is windoze only, surely all your users are windows users. Meanwhile, elsewhere on planet earth....

About 3 times a year, we have an inquiry about Linux based tools,i.e., about the same frequency as inquiries of our support for 8051, UC32, etc.

Um, if linux users read your website and find the windows stuff but no linux stuff, do you think they would even bother to ask you? Only the dim ones would bother to ask.

Generic toolmakers have a real problem justifying costs. Sometimes business drones feel more comfortable if they are paying for something, but they can also be concerned about the ability of small companies with "4 users" to survive.

Dear tggzzz, 4 active users FROM 1990's. We sold tens of thousands of licenses. The point is very few compiler companies have loyal customers that stick with them since the beginning and move to new toolchains from the same company.