File systems for CF devices are more reliable

Abacus Polar is introducing a range of products for embedded devices including file system software

The products follow the signing of a distribution agreement with HCC-Embedded, and complement existing embedded systems from Abacus. These range from microcontrollers and DSP devices, through to memory and development tools and complete systems based on Microsoft Windows CE and XP Embedded.
The HCC portfolio comprises several families of file systems targeted on standard NOR devices, serial Flash and RAM drives, through microcontrollers with embedded Flash, to PC-compatible cards in Compact Flash, MMC and Secure Digital formats.

In addition there is software enabling MCUs to be mounted as pen drives on a standard PC.

EFFS-TINY is a fail-safe file system designed for Flash devices that have small erasable sectors, and hence demand a small ROM footprint and tiny usage of RAM.
It is ideal for most standard serial Flash parts, RAM drives, and especially microcontrollers such as the MSP430, which feature Flash that is both erasable in small sectors and is application programmable.

Using EFFS-TINY allows new possibilities, such as storing configuration data as standard initialization or text files, or simply being able to drop 'wav' files to the microcontroller.

The file system eliminates the need to worry about Flash layout and fragmentation issues.

Other file system products in the EFFS family include EFFS-STD - a fully featured embedded Flash file system for standard flash chips (NOR and NAND) integrated in an embedded design.

EFFS-FAT is HCC's FAT12/16/32 file system for use in embedded devices that require access to PC compatible media, for example, Compact Flash Cards, MMC and Secure Digital Cards.

A scalable and highly optimised version of EFFS-FAT, designated EFFS-THIN, offers a smaller footprint and memory usage, making it suitable for 8051 micros or any 8bit or 16bit application with limited resources.

Complementing the EFFS-TINY and EFFS-THIN file systems, HCC's uCDrive software allows MCUs to appear as pen drives on a PC through a simple serial port connection.

A simple 3-wire connection can be used to enable a PC manage configuration, diagnostic, data logging and field upgrade functions in a safe and reliable way.

These are all supplied royalty free and with full source C source code.

They also come with detailed implementation guide, six month's technical support and one year of free upgrades.

Development tools and evaluation kits have also been developed via partnerships with a broad range of hardware and software vendors including Altera, Lynuxworks, Motorola and TI.

All are available from Abacus Polar.