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Cosmic Software Frequently Asked Questions

Will the compiler work with my specific processor?


Each Cosmic compiler is designed to work with families of microcontrollers based on the instruction set. The compiler is not dependant on any one specific chip, as long as it is a member of the correct MCU family. An MCU family all use the MPU and same instruction set. Minor instruction set differences may be handled by a compiler option(s). For instance, the HC08 compiler will work with any chip in the HC08 and HCS08 families, however it will not generate the correct code to work on an ST7 family of processors. The only member specific item provided with the compiler is an IO header file which contains peripheral and register definitions that can be used in your C code. We supply several C (io.h) and assembly (io.s) files for each family and several members share the same file. If you do not see a particular io.h file that is applicable to your specific chip then you can request one from tech support or you can choose to create it yourself using the other files as examples. These files are located in the \hdrsXX folder of your compiler installation. The absence of a specific Io.h header file does not affect the code generation and your ability to use the compiler with a particular microcontroller. In fact, many users create their own versions in their own style often limiting them to only the registers and peripherals that they actually use.