1. Introduction

The RabbitCore RCM2300 is a very small advanced core module that incorporates the powerful Rabbit 2000^TM microprocessor, flash memory, static RAM, and digital I/O ports, all on a PCB that is just 1.15" × 1.60" (29.2 mm × 40.6 mm).

The RCM2300 has a Rabbit 2000 microprocessor operating at 22.1 MHz, static RAM, flash memory, two clocks (main oscillator and timekeeping), and the circuitry necessary for reset and management of battery backup of the Rabbit 2000's internal real-time clock and the static RAM. Two 26-pin headers bring out the Rabbit 2000 I/O bus lines, address lines, data lines, parallel ports, and serial ports.

The RCM2300 receives its +5 V power from the user board on which it is mounted. The RabbitCore RCM2300 can interface with all kinds of CMOS-compatible digital devices through the user board.

1.1 RabbitCore RCM2300 Features

• Small size: 1.15" × 1.60" × 0.48"
  (29 mm × 41 mm × 12 mm)
• Microprocessor: Rabbit 2000 running at 22.1 MHz
• 29 parallel I/O lines: 17 configurable for input or output, 8 fixed inputs, 4 fixed outputs
• 11 additional I/O are available via less convenient 0.30" diameter through-hole connection points
• 8 data lines (D0-D7)
• 4 address lines (A0-A3)
• Memory I/0 read, write
• External reset input
• Five 8-bit timers (cascadable in pairs) and one 10-bit timer with two match registers
• 256K flash memory, 128K SRAM
• Real-time clock
• Watchdog supervisor
• Provision for customer-supplied backup battery via header connections
• Four CMOS-compatible serial ports. All the serial ports can be configured asynchronously, and two serial ports can be configured synchronously if so desired. The maximum asynchronous baud rate is 691,200 bps (Dynamic C drivers are capable of handling up to the sustained rate of 345,600 bps), and the maximum synchronous baud rate is 5.5296 Mbps (user-written drivers can sustain a rate of 2.7648 Mbps). One synchronous port clock line is available only on the programming header.
• The programming port is also routed to the 26-pin headers, which allows the user board the ability to reprogram the RCM2300.

Appendix A, "RabbitCore RCM2300 Specifications," provides detailed specifications for the RCM2300.

1.2 Advantages of the RabbitCore RCM2300

• Fast time to market using a fully engineered, "ready to run" microprocessor core.
• Competitive pricing when compared with the alternative of purchasing and assembling individual components.
• Easy C-language program development and debugging, including rapid production loading of programs.
• Generous memory size allows large programs with tens of thousands of lines of code, and substantial data storage.
• Very small size.

1.3 Development and Evaluation Tools

A complete Development Kit, which includes a Prototyping Board and Dynamic C development software, is available for the RCM2300. The Development Kit puts together the essentials you need to design an embedded microprocessor-based system rapidly and efficiently.

See the RabbitCore RCM2300 Getting Started Manual for complete information on the Development Kit.

1.4 How to Use This Manual

This user's manual is intended to give users detailed information on the RCM2300 module. It does not contain detailed information on the Dyna-mic C development environment. Most users will want more detailed information on some or all of these topics in order to put the RCM2300 module to effective use.

1.4.1 Additional Product Information

Introductory information about the RCM2300 and its associated Development Kit and Prototyping Board will be found in the printed RabbitCore RCM2300 Getting Started Manual, which is also provided on the accompanying CD-ROM in both HTML and Adobe PDF format.

We recommend that any users unfamiliar with Z-World products, or those who will be using the prototyping board for initial evaluation and development, begin with at least a read-through of the Getting Started manual.

1.4.2 Additional Reference Information

In addition to the product-specific information contained in the RabbitCore RCM2300 Getting Started Manual and the RabbitCore RCM2300 User's Manual (this manual), two higher level reference manuals are provided in HTML and PDF form on the accompanying CD-ROM. Advanced users will find these references valuable in developing systems based on the RCM2300 modules:

• Dynamic C Premier User's Manual
• Rabbit 2000 Microprocessor User's Manual

1.4.3 Using Online Documentation

We provide the bulk of our user and reference documentation in two electronic formats, HTML and Adobe PDF. We do this for several reasons.

We believe that providing all users with our complete library of product and reference manuals is a useful convenience. However, printed manuals are expensive to print, stock, and ship. Rather than include and charge for manuals that every user may not want, or provide only product-specific manuals, we choose to provide our complete documentation and reference library in electronic form with every Development Kit and with our Dynamic C development environment.

NOTE	The most current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader can always be downloaded from Adobe's Web site at http://www.adobe.com. We recommend that you use version 4.0 or later.

Providing this documentation in electronic form saves an enormous amount of paper by not printing copies of manuals that users don't need. It reduces the number of outdated manuals we have to discard from stock as well, and it makes providing a complete library of manuals an almost cost-free option. For one-time or infrequent reference, electronic documents are more convenient than printed ones.

1.4.3.1 Finding Online Documents

The online documentation is installed along with Dynamic C, and an icon for the documentation menu is placed on the workstation's desktop. Double-click this icon to reach the menu. If the icon is missing, use your browser to find and load default.htm in the docs folder, found in the Dynamic C installation folder.

The latest versions of all documents are always available for free, unregistered download from our Web sites as well.

1.4.3.2 Printing Electronic Manuals

We recognize that many users prefer printed manuals for some uses. Users can easily print all or parts of those manuals provided in electronic form. The following guidelines may be helpful:

• Print from the Adobe PDF versions of the files, not the HTML versions.
• Print only the sections you will need to refer to more than once.
• Print manuals overnight, when appropriate, to keep from tying up shared resources during the work day.
• If your printer supports duplex printing, print pages double-sided to save paper and increase convenience.
• If you do not have a suitable printer or do not want to print the manual yourself, most retail copy shops (e.g., Kinkos, AlphaGraphics, CopyMax) will print the manual from the PDF file and bind it for a reasonable charge--about what we would have to charge for a printed and bound manual.