Beaverton, OR (PRWEB) February 5, 2010
Elba Corporation announced today the release of v3.0 of the ZBasic compiler for the company’s ZX-series microcontrollers. The new version supports ZBasic Object-Oriented Extensions and incorporates other productivity enhancements to assist scientists, engineers and hobbyists in developing their embedded applications quickly. Typical applications for ZX microcontrollers include robotics, consumer electronics devices, laboratory control, industrial automation, and home automation.
Although ZBasic was originally developed as a subset of Microsoft’s Visual Basic (VB6), the object-oriented extensions are patterned after the more powerful and sophisticated O-O models of Java and C++. The ZBasic compiler is available as a free download and it produces code for all of the devices in the ZX family of microcontrollers, now comprising more than 15 models with various capabilities and package configurations. The entry-level 24-pin package devices are pin compatible with the venerable Parallax Basic Stamp BS-2 but offer vastly larger RAM and program spaces, much faster execution times and a superior set of hardware and firmware capabilities. Moreover, ZX devices support an easy-to-use yet powerful multi-tasking model that simplifies the implementation of many kinds of embedded applications.
The ZBasic compiler also incorporates an advanced stack use analyzer that utilizes sophisticated static analysis techniques to determine the maximum stack use of each task comprising the application. This powerful facility helps ensure that each task has sufficient stack space, eliminating the more typical method of “guesstimating” stack use or wastefully allocating overly large stacks.
ZX devices are available in both Virtual Machine (VM) and native mode models. The VM models provide a more controlled execution environment and the benefit of optional run-time stack checking. In contrast, the native mode models allow for significantly faster execution speed and access to advanced features such as creating interrupt service routines, utilizing C and assembly language code and linking with pre-compiled modules and libraries. The prices of the ZX devices range from $ 9.95 to $ 59.95 in single unit quantities, quantity discounts are available.
More information and a free download of the installer for the compiler, IDE and documentation are available at http://www.zbasic.net.
ZBasic, ZX-24, ZX-24a, ZX-24p, ZX-24n, ZX-40, ZX-40a, ZX-40p, ZX-40n, ZX-44, ZX-44a, ZX-44p, ZX-44n, ZX-328n, ZX-328l, ZX-32n, ZX-32l, ZX-1281, ZX-1281n, ZX-1280, ZX-1281n and Elba are trademarks of Elba Corp. Other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.
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