The $249 development kit is a bit more expensive than the chip but it comes with ARM’s compiler and ARM’s Keil development environment. The 30-day version of CodeSourcery’s open source GNU tools are also provided. CodeSourcery provides support on a subscription basis. You can always roll your own as well.
The kit also includes a USB-based JTAG emulator. A copy of FreeRTOS is included as well. FreeRTOS is a real time OS that is distributed under a modified GPL license. Check out the FreeRTOS.org website for details. It allows closed source products to be built on the platform. The software comes on 3 CDs: Docs, FreeRTOS and libraries; ARM/Keil RealView Microcontroller Development Kit (MDK); and the CodeSourcery package.
Overall, the documentation is very good. There are a limited number of application notes and samples. If anything, this is where the kit is somewhat deficient. Still, there are a large number of books available on the ARM architecture that can augment this kit for those unfamiliar with the platform. The spec sheets, board documentation and related materials provide more than enough in-depth details if you are ready to dive into development of your own application.
Not surprisingly, the ARM/Keil MDK software installation was easy and it provided a very functional development environment with its graphical uVision interface. It is limited to 8Kbytes of code but that is no problem given the target chips. It installs easily on Windows and works out of the box with the USB JTAG unit.
What was surprising was the CodeSourcery installation. It too targets Windows and has the option to install the graphical Eclipse environment in addition to the GNU tool suite. This made it almost as easy to setup and use as the MDK. It will be a toss up if you have used neither of the development platforms although I would tend to recommend the MDK for novices. The CodeSourcery GDB debugger is setup to use the USB JTAG unit as well. Installations of the FreeRTOS are available for both development platforms.
The development board comes preprogrammed with a Light Geiger Counter demo that makes use of the buzzer and photocell found on the board. Power can be provided via the USB port (cable included) or via power connectors. A power brick is not included.
Luminary’s chip actually comes on a daughter board that plugs into the main development board. The former contains the chip, a crystal and various probes. All the IO is brought out to pins that can be connected via jumpers to peripherals on the main board. The main board includes an LCD panel, status LEDs, push buttons, a DIP switch, a potentiometer and sufficient jumpers to make sure you don’t lose the online docs. A package of jumper cables and jumper headers are included. A small patch area allows custom interfaces to be added.
Overall, Luminary Micro has done a great job in packaging its development kit. The minimal samples and tutorial support will not deter the professional developer who will also appreciate the high quality hardware and software support.