Design Tools
Overview
- Libero SoC Design Suite - Microsemi's comprehensive, easy to use FPGA design suite
- SoftConsole IDE - Microsemi's free software development environment that enables the rapid production of C and C++ executables and includes GNU ARM Eclipse Plug-in, GCC compiler, and GDB debugger
- Firmware Catalog includes all of the available drivers and is installed with Libero or available standalone
- Antmicro provides rapid development and debug capabilities with its Renode open source framework for multi-node simulation
- Imperas supports Microsemi RISC-V based SoC FPGAs with the Mi-V FreeRTOS Extendable Platform Kit (EPK)
- Programming & ; Debug Tools - required for programming target device if full Libero install is not available
Microsemi’s comprehensive, easy to learn, easy to adopt Libero SoC design suite offers a complete firmware design and development environment starting from design entry to programming FPGA silicon.
SoftConsole provides a flexible, easy-to-use GUI for managing embedded software development projects. Softconsole enables users to quickly develop, edit and debug software programs for Microsemi target devices and other RISC-V processors.
Other integrated development environments (IDE) from IAR Systems and Keil can be used to compile and debug soft ARM Cortex-M1 or hard ARM Cortex-M3 processors in SmartFusion2 and SmartFusion devices.
Microsemi provides a standalone executable program called the Firmware Catalog that supports Microsemi SoftConsole, Keil MDK, and IAR Embedded Workbench embedded processor development tool chains targeting the ARM Cortex-M1, and ARM Cortex-M3 processors. The Firmware Catalog streamlines locating and generating firmware that is compatible with Intellectual Property (IP) cores used in Microsemi FPGA designs. Firmware can also be delivered through SmartDesign within the Libero environment.
Software drivers are available free of charge and delivered as a C source. These drivers hide the implementation details of peripheral operations behind a driver application program interface (API), so the developer need only be concerned with the peripheral's function.
Virtual Platforms
Imperas supports Microsemi RISC-V based SoC FPGAs with the Mi-V FreeRTOS Extendable Platform Kit (EPK), and with tools to help with the development, porting, debug and test of software and operating systems running on these devices. The Mi-V FreeRTOS EPK includes open source models of the RISC-V RV32IM processor available from Microsemi as a soft core, models of various peripheral devices such as UART and timer, and the platform model. These models – the virtual platform – enable FreeRTOS to run on the EPK, just as it runs on the hardware. The EPK provides a quick start to porting and bringing up software on the RISC-V platform, and also provides an environment for comprehensive testing of the software.