Oak Micros announces the ZX-24e and ZX-24ae integrated microcontrollers that are hardware and software compatible with the ZX-24 and ZX-24a respectively from Elba Corporation. The most significant enhancements are full access to all 32 I/O pins and a switchable RS232 voltage level and logic level serial channel.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Austin, TX - 16 October 2006 -- Oak Micros today announced two new microcontrollers based on the ZX platform. The ZX-24e and ZX-24ae integrated microcontrollers are hardware and software compatible with the ZX-24 and ZX-24a respectively from Elba Corporation but have 40 pins, 32 of which are dedicated to I/O. As well as more I/O capability, the ZX-24e and ZX-24ae have a number of other advantages including a true voltage level RS232 transceiver, a slide switch to choose between RS232 and logic voltage levels for serial channel 1, a power LED, and an optional 8-pin socket that allows user flexibility to choose the technology, packaging, and size of ZBasic program memory. 

The ZX-24e and ZX-24ae are programmed using the ZBasic programming language which provides many advanced capabilities that help programmers write correct code more quickly. The compiler can detect common programming defects such as use of a variable before its initialization and other likely errors. The ZBasic compiler incorporates advanced optimization techniques that help programmers pack more functionality into the available code and data spaces by, for example, eliminating unused or superfluous variables and unreachable code.

Programs for the ZX-24e and ZX-24ae may be edited and compiled using a state-of-the-art Integrated Development Environment. The ZBasic IDE, based on an open-source programmer’s editor, provides productivity enhancing features such as word completion, call tips, auto-indenting, syntax highlighting and undo/redo. The IDE can also be used to perform field updates of the ZX microcontroller’s internal firmware, making it simple for customers to upgrade to new releases as they become available.

"We are pleased to see other companies take an interest in the ZBasic platform and produce licensed derivatives of our microcontrollers", said Donald Kinzer, President of Elba Corporation. "We have had a long relationship with Mike Perks, the owner of Oak Micros, stretching back to 2004 when ZBasic was still under development and  he was a Beta tester for the original ZX-24."

ZBasic, ZX-24, ZX-24a, ZX-40, ZX-40a, ZX-44 and ZX-44a are trademarks of Elba Corporation. The ZX-24e and ZX-24ae product names have been licensed from Elba Corporation.