Quick-Connect Studio speeds IoT design

Renesas Electronics Corp. recently unveiled Quick-Connect Studio, its new online, cloud-based IoT system design platform that enables development at the solution level graphically—a top-down approach versus working from the ground up. Claimed as the first cloud-based system development tool to dynamically create IoT software, the platform lets users graphically build hardware and software simultaneously, quickly validate prototypes and accelerate product development and time to market.

Development cycles today are cumbersome and slow, requiring developers to wade through a number of steps sequentially. They have to define the research and project, collect device information and requirements, layout hardware, develop software, test and iterate until the product is ready for market. Each step takes substantial time and the software development phase accounts for the most engineering power and is the biggest bottleneck.

The Quick-Connect Studio development tool addresses these challenges by enabling users to graphically drag-and-drop device and subsystem blocks; generate, compile, and build software automatically (zero-coding) and develop production level software before the hardware. It enables engineers to perform hardware and software development simultaneously, allowing them to quickly reconfigure and test product ideas and validate designs before committing to the hardware layout.

(Source: Renesas Electronics Corp.)

The tool is accessible online through a browser, eliminating software installs. Users can build a full solution in the cloud and deploy to hardware with little upfront learning or investment.

“The cloud compute power provides fast compilation, and the GUI reduces the learning curve and promotes project reuse,” said Brad Rex, director, Systems and Solutions, Renesas. “Developers can just drag-and-drop device and subsystem blocks on the cloud, building their solution. After placing blocks, users generate, compile, and build software automatically, a major shift towards no-code development.

“They’re getting started very quickly, just five to 10 minutes to have it all up and running using Quick-Connect Studio. At the very front of the development cycle, when they’re doing their evaluations, they don’t have to look at datasheets or read app notes—everything is done graphically. A lot of that learning can be eliminated.”

It would be easy to think that this is just an online tool for writing code in a browser. But it’s much more powerful. It helps users piece together device and subsystem blocks graphically without any code, build software immediately and quickly reconfigure and test product ideas.

Providing an online tool is a first for Renesas. “We went from desktop software to a browser-based platform,” said Rex. “When we were creating the Studio, we dealt with issues such as security and scaling. We are using the cloud to debug, so as users are continually added, we will need to continue to scale cloud capabilities.”

Built on the existing Quick-Connect IoT platform of standardized hardware that features industry-established interfaces such as PMOD, Arduino and Mikroe, engineers can mix and match microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs), sensors and connectivity boards seamlessly, using standard connectors. It enables users to build a quick system prototype using standard kits; plug, program and test a complete system; generate system projects automatically and support standard interfaces.

Comparing the two tools, Quick-Connect IoT is a plug-and-play platform to rapidly prototype, while Quick Connect Studio enables users to modify designs on the fly.

With Quick-Connect Studio, users will eventually be able to extend and expand beyond Renesas to different partners including major cloud providers, service integrators, and leaders in the open-source community. It automatically generates system projects to download and import into Renesas’s e2 studio as a pre-built binary or full-source code project, leveraging the complete Renesas tool chain.

Quick-Connect Studio is available today, supported by a variety of Quick-Connect IoT development boards that span MCUs, connectivity and sensors. Development kits, PMODs and peripheral boards will continuously be added to the platform.

To see a live demonstration of Quick-Connect Studio, join Renesas at embedded world 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany, March 14-16 in Hall 1, Stand 234. Attendees will experience how a full system prototype is built in just minutes.