Kithara »Timer Toolkit« - Real-Time Applications under Windows

Since 10 years Kithara Software dedicates oneself to support system developers to access PC hardware. With the »Timer Toolkit« developers realize real-time and time critical applications under Windows. The »Timer Toolkit« of the Berlin company Kithara Software represents a basic development tool, which supports developers realizing real-time applications under windows, such as process control and automation or cyclical measurement acquirement or exact monitoring of process states. The »Timer Toolkit« provides high frequency and exact real-time mechanisms for measurement and control

applications, with an accuracy comparable to a real-time operating systems.

Timer programming is possible on user and also on kernel level. On the kernel level real-time timer are programmable with up to about 100 kHz or more, where the accuracy (jitter) amounts only few microseconds. In order to do fast data exchange between kernel and application level, the programmer can use events, shared memory and comfortable pipe mechanisms. Furthermore the »Timer Toolkit« is characterized by easiest usage: For realizing high-resolution and exact timer routines the developer works on the kernel level without to leave his usual programming environment.

Additionally, the »Timer Toolkit« includes functions for the determination of system time and short time delays with extreme accuracy (0.1 μs steps). For determining the system time the available hardware timer of the PC are used. System time is convertible in more than 10 different formats and the highest resolution is 0.1 μs.
The kernel support is provided for the programming languages C/C++ and Delphi (native). There is limited support for C# and so the .NET environment too. The »Timer Toolkit« runs on the operating systems Windows NT, 2000, XP, Server 2003 and Vista (32 bit). The Kithara »RealTime Suite« includes numerous application examples. On „kithara“ a free demo version for download is available as well as further information and a price list.

The Berlin company Kithara Software GmbH, founded 1996, has become a specialist for hardware dependent programming, real-time and communication solutions, especially for the Windows operating systems. Also, Kithara Software focuses on tools for driver development. The company provides real-time extensions for Windows to clients in a broad range of industrial automation. Kithara Software offers easy-to-use tools for hardware dependent programming for PCI and USB and expands the focus to real-time Ethernet communication, such as EtherCAT.