Actel offers SoftConsole Version 2.2 for free

The new version includes enhanced capabilities for debug and the downloading of programs, including a new flash loader, and support for the Microsoft Vista operating system.

Leveraging Actel's Igloo low-power FPGAs and Actel Fusion mixed-signal FPGAs, SoftConsole is a single programming environment that enables software engineers to write and debug C and C++ programs targeted at Actel's portfolio of embedded processors, including ARM Cortex-M1 and Core8051s.

"System designers using the new SoftConsole version 2.2 with our embedded processor cores will directly benefit from improved usability and faster time-to-market," said Tom Moore, Actel's director of IP engineering. "Actel is the only FPGA provider to offer the ARM Cortex-M1 embedded processor free of licensing and royalties."

SoftConsole version 2.2 is based on familiar and widely used open-source tools, including the CodeSourcery ARM7 and Cortex-M1 GNU C Compilers (GCC) and GNU Debugger (GDB), Eclipse IDE, and 8051 Small Device C Compiler (SDCC). This complete, comprehensive, and free development environment works seamlessly with Actel's Libero Integrated Design Environment, development kits, and FlashPro3 programmer.

SoftConsole is available for free via download.