Category Archives: CPU’s

Changing the CPU with Processor Expert

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I have an example project with Processor Expert and CodeWarrior. The problem I have is that I want to use it for another CPU derivative. So how can I migrate the project?

There are three different approaches:

  1. Change Wizard: In MCU10.2 there is the menu Project > Change Device/Connection. While this sounds promising, it only works for the very simple projects. And it does not change the project in-place: it simply creates a copy of the project and applies some (many times wrong) settings. So I do not recommend to use that option.
  2. New Project Wizard: For me in most cases this is the best way: this creates a new project for the new device, with everything set up correctly. In a second step I copy my source files and compiler settings (if I have changed them). The Processor Expert component I can transfer with using drag&drop.
  3. Changing the CPU: With Processor Expert, I can change the CPU. For this I add a new CPU to the project and change other settings (debugger, build tools settings) as needed.

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Sports Timing System in a Lunch Box

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The 2012 London Olympics are over. And I had my own special sports event last weekend. Although not part of the Olympics, it is part of the Switzerland Central Mountain Race Championship. This is a series of mountain running challenges. And no, I did not run the race. I love the mountains, and I love hiking in the mountains, but this is definitely for the greatest athletes. Instead to run the race, I have chosen to implement and run the timing system :-).

Athletes approaching the finish line

Athletes approaching the finish line

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Tutorial: Timer (LED) with Processor Expert for Kinetis

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In the ‘Pre-LDD age’, setting up a periodic timer event with Processor was really easy. With the concept of LED’s (see “There is a Time and Date for both Worlds”) things are a bit different. But once things are clear, it is not that hard. So here I’m doing a very exciting thing: blinking an LED using a timer! 😎

So I’m going to have an LED blinking every second. I’m using the TWR-K60N512 with an ARM Cortex-M4 and the Eclipse based CodeWarrior for MCU10.2. But it is easy to adopt it to any other Kinetis board.

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Eclipse Debugging with Strings – Part 2

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Maybe a better title for this post would be “Eclipse Debugging with Strings Attached’? Digging a bit more into the domain of string debugging, things are not always the way I wish they are.

I’m using here CodeWarrior for MCU10.2, which is based on Eclipse 3.6. Let’s use the following piece of code with the ARM Cortex-M4 Kinetis K60 core and the Freescale ARM compiler:

char buf[] = "abcd";
char *p = &buf[0];

unsigned char ubuf[]="ABCD";
unsigned char *up = &ubuf[0];

signed char sbuf[]="1234";
signed char *sp = &sbuf[0];

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Please Check Your License

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The good thing with many vendors is: they offer development tools free of charge. And the limitations are typically reasonable for many projects. The Eclipse based CodeWarrior for MCU10 is not an exception: it comes in a free (‘Special’) Edition which allows up to 128 KByte of code to download for my ARM/Kinetis projects.

But, when I tried to debug an Example I have downloaded from the web, I get this dialog:

“Download size limit has been exceeded. Please check your license.”

Download Size Limit Has Been Exceeded

Download Size Limit Has Been Exceeded

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A Shell for the Freedom KL25Z Board

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I’m a big fan of physical UART/RS-232 ports on boards. So I was somewhat disappointed not to see a serial 9pin connector on the Freedom KL25Z board. But it is perfectly understood that for this price costs are critical, and a serial header or connector is pushing the budget for that board very likely out of the water. Still, I want serial connectivity for my applications.

Freedom Board with RGB LED

Freedom Board with RGB LED

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Virtual COM/USB CDC for OSBDM/OSJTAG

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Many new notebooks do not have a serial port any more: everything is USB. This can lead to problems (see USB or not: CDC with Processor Expert) as many embedded targets  use normal RS-232. In my classes I’m using the Tower boards: some Tower boards have an on-board 2 pin RS-232 header, e.g. the Tower TWR-MCF52259. Others like the TWR-K60N512 use the added TWR-SER board. The Tower boards have as well a USB capable S08JM60 which is used for debugging (OSBDM/OSJTAG), so why not using the OSBDM microcontroller as Serial-to-USB gateway?

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Standalone Flash Programmer

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In Scripting, the Debugger Shell and Debugger Shell: Test Automation I was exploring how to use the Debugger Shell for automation. For my lectures at the university I need to program multiple boards with the same application. I don’t want (and need) a debugger for this: all what I need is a ‘Standalone Flash Programmer’: the ability to flash one or multiple boards without debugging.

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FatFs with Kinetis

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An SD (Secure Digital) Card interface is kind of standard for many applications today: it provides a lot of memory at a reasonable cost. Still, I need a software stack for it, up to the level of a file system. So far I was really happy with using FatFs: an open source FAT file system provided by Elm-Chan. I’m using the FatFs Processor Expert component already in multiple designs. What was missing: a port to the Freescale Kinetis ARM Cortex-M4 family of processors.

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There is a Time and Date for both Worlds

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The Kinetis ARM Cortex-M4(F) is a wonderful machine: a 32bit architecture, plenty of FLASH and RAM, an ideal play field. I love the Kinetis Tower boards, and even more the Freedom board which has an ARM Cortex-M0+ on it. I have a lot of projects on S08, S12 and ColdFire at the university, and they are all using a lot of Processor Expert components. Processor Expert is such a great productivity tool: having software in components allows easy software re-use. With Processor Expert abstracting from the hardware, I can easily port my applications to new boards and processors. Well, until Processor Expert changed for Kinetis :-(.

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