Bill Spees, PhD
Forensic Software Engineer
Division of Electrical and Software Engineering
FDA/Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Office of Science and Technology

Mapletech Productions LLC has collaborated with Microchip Technology Inc and HI-TECH Software to provide Staccato™ for Microchip's PICkit^tm 2 Debug Express (PICkit^tm 2 Debug Express purchased separately from Microchip). Harness the power of Staccato^tm for your PIC Micro®-based embedded products, using HI-TECH's PICC^tm C Compilers, with either Microchip's MPLAB® IDE or HI-TECH's HI-TIDE^tm IDE. Learn this powerful C-Language method of programming your PIC® Microcontrollers now!

The CD includes the Staccato^tm for PICkit^tm 2 Debug Express Developer's Guide (PDF) and C source-code for the Demo Application.

The PICkit^tm 2 Debug Express will have either the PIC16F887 or PIC16F917 8-bit microcontroller installed with interfaces to a Momentary Switch, a Potentiometer and (8) LEDs.

Staccato^tm for PICkit^tm 2 Debug Express - $299.00 USD plus tax where applicable - FREE Shipping

PICkit^tm 2 Debug Express must be purchased directly from Microchip Technology, Inc

Includes:

• Course 1 and 2 on (2) CDs as Microsoft^TM PowerPoint Presentations
• (1) IEEE CEU Certification for each course
• Staccato Crossroads Demo Project with C - Source and all documentation (Product Specs, SRS, SDD in PDFs)
• Borland International's V5.02 C Compiler / IDE
• Staccato Microcontroller Source Template
• Developer's Guide (PDF)

See below for more information.

The IEEE is an Authorized Provider of Continuing Education and Training through The International Association for Continuing Education and Training ((IACET). IACET CEU Provider #1255

Staccato^tm Crossroads SDK is available now. Learn this Software Design Method and Architecture for Embedded Systems by purchasing the Staccato^tm Crossroads SDK with Certified Training package now. The training is provided as two courses. Both courses are narrated and animated Microsoft PowerPoint^tm Presentations, each earning 0.3 IEEE CEUs. The courses have runtimes of about 75 minutes each, and contain numerous animated diagrams and source code examples of the software design methods described. Self-test questions are included to reinforce the concepts of this valuable training program. Click here for Course Overviews...

The Crossroads SDK contains a Demo Application with C-source. The Staccato Crossroads Demo Application is a DOS Real Mode VESA 800x600 16 color DOS application. It contains a GUI and  demonstrates the Staccato Design concepts covered in the Staccato SDK Courseware. Use the included Borland International's C Compiler/IDE V5.02 to experiment with these valuable design concepts. Learn how to provide complete Embedded System Software documentation from the Product Specs, SRS and SDD provided. Also included is the Source Template for your microcontroller-based embedded software projects.

Both software and hardware engineers with a basic understanding of the C Language will benefit from this valuable Design Method. The Staccato^TM Crossroads SDK is also appropriate for embedded system program managers, in that it provides guidelines for the entire software development process, including important design documentation that will ensure successful validation and verification.

The Staccato^TM Crossroads Software Development Kit (SDK) and Certified Training objectives include:

• Guidelines for your embedded systems software documentation: the SRS and SDD

• How to partition your embedded system software into application tasks

• How to design the application tasks as finite state machines, and how to encode them into your modules

• How to use the Staccato^TM System Core and System Calls

• How to accommodate common scenarios such as 'common states within a task', and how multiple related tasks can utilize the same process code.

• How to design and build a Graphical User Interface

Course 1 Overview

• Embedded Systems in Industry - Learn the basic design principles of Embedded Systems as they are found in various industries.

• State Diagrams - Learn how to use these powerful concepts to analyze and design both abstract and physical systems. Includes many examples which will help you master the skill of using State Diagrams effectively.

• Staccato^tm System Core - Learn how the 'executive' executes the state machine program for each virtual-processor task. Includes a complete description, with source code examples, of the executive, the system timer, inter-task communication and system calls. Learn how to effectively encode your tasks' state machines.

• Staccato^tm Design Method - Learn the important processes involved in developing a safe and effective Embedded System product. From start to finish, this process covers the importance of effective documentation of Product Specifications, Software Requirements, Test Plans , Software Design, and Validation and Verification. Because of the superior design architecture inherent in Staccato^tm, these processes become an assurance of success.

• How to Get Started - Learn how to start using the Staccato Design Method immediately.

Course 2 Overview...

Course 2 expands on the concepts introduced in Course 1, with emphasis on useful Design and Coding Guidelines. Upon completing this second course, you will have learned everything needed to implement the Staccato^tm Design Method and Architecture in your current embedded system project.

• Review of Important Concepts from Course 1 - Review of the Design Process, the System Core, Coding State Diagrams and System Core Files

• Partitioning the System - Learn how to partition your embedded system into application tasks. General Purpose I/O Matrix, The Control Task, Multiple Processor Architecture, including examples of architectures with proper partitioning of tasks.

• How to Accommodate 'Common States' in State Diagram Designs - Learn how Staccato^tm cleverly addresses this commonly occurring aspect of State Machine design.

• Multiple Tasks - Single Process - Learn two design methods that will allow multiple related tasks to use the same process state machine code.

• How to Design a GUI for your Embedded System - Learn how the Staccato^tm Design Method simplifies the implementation details of a Graphical User Interface. Learn how to use Look-Up-Tables (LUTs) effectively for graphic objects and screens. Includes much detail of the tasks involved in responding to user input, with examples.

• System Calls - Learn how to use each of the provided 'system calls' in your task state machine encodings, with source code and state diagram examples.

• Testability - Learn how the inherent structure of the Staccato^tm architecture will simplify test and debug.

• System Performance - Presents a meaningful discussion of your embedded system software performance using Staccato^tm.