Category Archives: Debugging

Constructing a Classroom IDE with Eclipse for ARM

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For the next semester I will do things differently in my advanced embedded systems programming course (INTRO) at the University of Lucerne: Instead of using the Freescale provided CodeWarrior, we will use a DIY tool chain for ARM with Eclipse Kepler.

Eclipse Kepler Ready for Classroom Usage

Eclipse Kepler Ready for Classroom Usage

That way we we can offer students an open and convenient tool chain for their lab work, course assignments and own projects both at work and at home. So this post is about spending about 30 minutes to build your own tool chain which then can passed to students and coworkers so they have a complete toolchain installed in a few minutes.

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C/C++ Watchpoints with Eclipse Kepler

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In “Watchpoints: Data Breakpoints” I used the Eclipse based CodeWarrior to set breakpoints so the debugger stops when my application is writing or reading a certain memory location. That CodeWarrior is based on an earlier Eclipse version, and things are different in Eclipse Kepler and not so easy to find. So here is how I can use watchpoints in Eclipse Kepler:

Watchpoints in Breakpoint View

Watchpoints in Breakpoint View

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Joystick Shield with nRF24L01 driving a Zumo Robot

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With the Joystick shield I have a convenient way to drive and control a Zumo Robot without a wired connection:

Joystick Shield with Robot

Joystick Shield with Robot

While things started promising, there was a power supply problem at the end to be solved…

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Enhanced RNet Wireless Components and Communication Stack

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I’m using both the Freescale MC1320x and Nordic Semiconductor nRF24L01+ 2.4GHz in many projects. To make it even easier to use these transceivers in the RNet stack, I have updated it with several new functions.

MC13202 and nRF24L01+

MC13202 and nRF24L01+

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GNU ARM Eclipse & Segger J-Link Device Name Settings

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Thanks to the GNU ARM Eclipse plugins from Liviu it is easy to build and debug projects for all the different ARM cores. But I need to specify the device name in the debug configuration:

Device Name for Segger GDB Configuration

Device Name for Segger GDB Configuration

There must be an easier way for this? Yes, indeed, there is 🙂

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Segger J-Link Firmware for OpenSDAv2

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Segger just has released their OpenSDAv2 firmware. The OpenSDAv2 firmware is different from the OpenSDAv1 as it is using a different memory map and bootloader. The OpenSDAv2 e.g. is present on the new FRDM-K64F board. The availability of the Segger firmware is definitely good news for any owner of the FRDM-K64F board: so far only the CMSIS-DAP firmware was available (on top of the mbed bootloader). With this, it was not possible to use the board with CodeWarrior, except with using an external P&E Multilink or Segger J-Link. With that new Segger J-Link OpenSDAv2 firmware, I can now use the FRDM-K64F with any IDE which supports the Segger J-Link :-).

FRDM-K64F with Segger OpenSDAv2 Firmware

FRDM-K64F with Segger OpenSDAv2 Firmware

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Binary (and S19) Files for the mbed Bootloader with Eclipse and GNU ARM Eclipse Plugins

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The existing OpenSDAv1 (see “OpenSDA on the Freedom KL25Z Board“) bootloader is using the industry standard Motorola S-Record (S19) Files. However, new FRDM-K64F board (see “FTF: FRDM-K64F, Kinetis Design Studio and Kinetis SDK“) has OpenSDAv2 on it, which is an mbed bootloader. So how to create files with an IDE other than mbed for that bootloader which is present on the FRDM-K64F board by default? Well, creating binary files is one thing, but to have it working with the mbed bootloader is another challenge :-(.

FRDM-K64F with mbed MSD bootloader

FRDM-K64F with mbed MSD bootloader

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Using the FRDM-K64F with CodeWarrior

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The new flagship of FRDM boards is the FRDM-K64F board. After FTF I have explored different ways debugging the board, and received many comments and questions about it (thanks!). Freescale announced the supports with the new Eclipse based Kinetis Design Studio (KDS). But until KDS is out, how can I use the FRDM-K64F board with CodeWarrior?

Debugging FRDM-K64F Board with CodeWarrior for MCU v10.6

Debugging FRDM-K64F Board with CodeWarrior for MCU v10.6

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Recovering FRDM-K64F mbed Board

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The mbed for FRDM-K64F firmware (http://mbed.org/handbook/Firmware-FRDM-K64F) has great potential. Unfortunately it seems that edges are still very rough: It happens very  often that my FRDM-K64F board gets locked up :-(. I can see that the target CPU is constantly resetting: the red reset LED is always on:

FRDM-K64F Red Reset LED always on

FRDM-K64F Red Reset LED always on

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Creating New Eclipse Debug Configuration

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Eclipse is very powerful. To the point that you can do the same thing in multiple ways. I’m always learning new things, and recently I discovered a new way how to create a new launch or debug configuration.

So far I selected the item (e.g. GDB Hardware Debugging) and used the ‘New’ Icon:

New Debug Configuration with New Icon

New Debug Configuration with New Icon

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