SST Unveils Enhanced Tool Suite to Support Its FlashFlex51 Family of 8-bit 8051 Microcontrollers

Business Wire, March 11, 2002

Business Editors and High Tech Writers

Embedded Systems Conference 2002

Booth #4760

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 11, 2002

New Tools Leverage MCU's In-Application Programming Capabilities for

On-the-Fly Updating of Program Code

SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.)(Nasdaq:SSTI), a leader in flash memory technology, today announced comprehensive enhancements to support tool suites for its FlashFlex51 family of 8-bit 8051 microcontrollers (MCUs) that will facilitate the chip's deployment by system designers. Included among these tool additions are the company's second generation Boot-Strap Loader (BSL) demo kit with enhanced Windows software, as well as SST's new FlashFlex51 SoftICE (software in-circuit emulator), a software utility that offers true in-circuit emulation capabilities through a popular third-party Windows monitor interface without requiring additional on-chip peripheral circuits and external components.

The new SoftICE tool was specifically developed to support the FlashFlex51 In-Application Programming (IAP) scheme that was unveiled by SST in 1997. IAP allows the MCU to concurrently execute user code while updating the flash contents in the background. It allows customers to make "field upgrades" of the flash contents (both program code and data) at any time in the product's life cycle via an Internet or LAN connection, while the product remains in use or in service.

"Field upgradability has become a fundamental requirement in a majority of 8051 applications," said Eugene Feng, business director, Application Specific Product Group, SST. "As a result, the creation and availability of support tools to satisfy our customers' in-application programming needs and to keep them at the cutting edge of technology advancement has been one of our primary directives. This new suite of products will enable designers to more easily integrate cost-effective IAP functionality into their target systems."

SST's SoftICE is a downloadable microcontroller-resident software utility that provides in-circuit emulation capability through a popular third-party Windows monitor interface. It is the only software utility on the market today that provides "true" in-circuit emulation without the need for a "bondout" chip or on-board "hooks" circuitry. It helps debug users' target software in real-time, thus providing engineers with an in-circuit development tool, which is effective, easy to use and requires no extra emulator hardware. SoftICE has most of the features of sophisticated hardware emulators.

The new FlashFlex51 BSL Demo Kit boasts new BSL features with enhanced Windows software as well as an improved target board for SST microcontrollers to demonstrate full IAP capabilities of the FlashFlex51 MCUs through the Boot-Strap Loader, which is factory pre-programmed into most of the FlashFlex51 microcontrollers. With the new board, designers can vary the operating frequency; run the device at any voltage between 2.7V and 5.5V; control the device reset and EA pins on-board and off-board; and upload and download MCU files from either internal or external memory. The board also provides 64 KBytes of external program memory and access to all microcontroller pins. The demo kit also can be used for project development and as a low-cost programmer in a development environment. SST's SoftICE is also provided with the demo kit.

Other support tools SST is announcing today include:

-- Boot-Strap Loader v1.1F - An upgrade version of SST's Boot-Strap Loader
(BSL) software that is factory pre-programmed into most of the FlashFlex51
microcontrollers. It provides an easy way for users to add or update program
code into the microcontrollers late in the manufacturing cycle and easily
upgrade code in the field. New features include auto baud rate detection,
password protection and byte programming.

-- FlashFlex51 Downloader Kit - An interface between a PC and the FlashFlex51
microcontroller on a user target board. The kit contains a small RS-232
interface board with a connection to the PC and connector on the target board
that provides power and connections through the UART to the microcontroller.
Both BSL and SoftICE software utilities are also included in the kit.

-- MetaLink Enhanced Hooks Emulator for the SST89x564 Microcontroller Family -
The emulator provides full hardware emulation for the SST89x564 microcontroller
family.

-- SST Special Edition Programmer - A low-cost universal programmer, which
provides programming support for all SST microcontrollers. Additionally, it
provides programming support for all SST serial and parallel flash memory
devices. Lifetime free software updates are available from SST's Web site at
http://www.sst.com.


Pricing and Availability

Product                              Price          Availability
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FlashFlex51 SoftICE                   Free      Now, on SST's Web site
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Boot-Strap Loader v1.1F               Free      Now, on SST's Web site
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FlashFlex51 Boot-Strap Loader Demo  $99.00  Now, from SST distributors
Kit (SST89CK78BSL)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FlashFlex51 Down-Loader Kit         $39.00  Now, from SST distributors
(SST89CK79LDR)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SST Special Edition Programmer     $279.00  Now, from SST distributors
(by Phyton) (SST00CK00PMR)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MetaLink Enhanced Hooks Emulator $2,000.00  Now, direct from MetaLink
for the SST89x564 MCU Family                Corporation
(XF43S564xAA4xx)
----------------------------------------------------------------------