Tag Archives: LPC

Tutorial: Creating Bare-bare Embedded Projects with CMake, with Eclipse included

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MCU vendors offer SDKs and configuration tools: that’s a good thing, because that way I can get started quickly and get something up and running ideally in a few minutes. But this gets you into a dependency on tools, SDK and configuration tools too: changing later from one MCU to another can be difficult and time consuming. So why not get started with a ‘bare’ project, using general available tools, just with a basic initialization (clocking, startup code, CMSIS), even with the silicon vendor provided IDE and basic support files?

In this case, I show how you easily can do this with CMake, make and Eclipse, without the (direct) need of an SDK.

NXP LPC55S69-EVK with LoRa Shield
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Are WLCSP the Solution during Silicon Shortage?

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If you are in the electronics or microcontroller business: you very well know the problems with chip and silicon availability. What was supposed to last maybe for a few months starting with COVID-19 is still a problem in 2022: chips are not available or the price has skyrocket.

Cost-effective usage of NXP LPC804 with WLCSP20 Package

We at the Lucerne University are using NXP Kinetis micro controllers which seem to be affected by the silicon shortage somewhat more than any other devices? When looking that the usual sources, it was clear some are still available, but in a rather exotic WLCSP package. So the question is: can it be useful?

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Doubling the performance of NXP LPC845 with improved Flash Access Time

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For more than two years I’m using the NXP LPC845 in my university courses. Beside of that it is used in many projects. First, because the LPC845-BRK board is small, breadboard friendly and inexpensive. Second, for many small projects that Cortex-M0+ provides just the right amount of processing power and memory.

NXP LPC845-BRK Board
NXP LPC845-BRK Board

If you search for ‘LPC845’ on my blog, you will find many articles about it. We are using the LPC845 in a research project, and one developer asked me why the LPC845 seems to run slower than expected. And I was sure that I wrote already an article about this, but to my disappointment: even Google did not find it? So complete this unfortunate gap, here is it: how to optimize the LPC845 and running it at full speed, with the hand-brake released.

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Debug Firmware Switching for the LPC4322

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In “Freelink LPC4322JET100 based Debug Circuit on NXP i.MX RT1064-EVK Board” I described how to change the factory firmware from OpenSDA to the LPC-Link2 one.

Debug Circuit on i.MX RT1064
Debug Circuit on i.MX RT1064

Now it is possible to use a Segger J-Link firmware too, or to switch back to the factory default one.

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MCUXpresso IDE V11.3.0 for 2021

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I’m in the middle of the university exam season: means writing exams and do grading. The same time the new semester is approaching too and I need to prepare the new course material. For the classes using NXP parts I’m using the Eclipse based MCUXpresso IDE, and I just received the announcement that a new version V11.3.0 is available: time to check out what is new.

MCUXpresso IDE v11.3.0 (Build 5222)

MCUXpresso IDE v11.3.0 (Build 5222)

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OpenOCD with MCU-Link

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The NXP MCU-Link is a powerful $10 debug probe for ARM Cortex-M devices and works with the NXP LinkServer for debugging. The LinkServer does not an implement a gdb server, so it limits its usage e.g. for scripting or command line debugging. But as MCU-Link is also a CMSIS-DAP compatible debug probe, I can use it with OpenOCD which is open source and implements a GDB server. This article shows how I can use it with the MCU-Link.

Debugging FRDM-KL25Z with MCU-Link

Debugging FRDM-KL25Z with MCU-Link

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New MCU-Link Debug Probe from NXP

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The NXP MCUXpressso IDE Release V11.2.1 gave a hint about a coming new debug probe, the MCU-Link which is available now:

MCU-Link debugging the LPC845-BRK Board

MCU-Link in 3D printed enclosure debugging the LPC845-BRK Board

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MCUXpresso IDE V11.2.1

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I have started the semester and labs using the MCUXpresso IDE V11.2.0 which has been available from July this year. The past week I received the notification that the update V11.2.1 is available: time to check it out….

MCUXpresso IDE V11.2.1

MCUXpresso IDE V11.2.1

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Behind the Canvas: Making of “60 Billion Lights”

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As promised I’m going to share more details about the “60 Billion Lights” project. It is about a project to build a piece of electronics behind a 100×50 cm canvas to show animations or to display information like temperature, humidity, weather, time or just any arbitrary text.

Make it

Writing text

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Tutorial: Adding FreeRTOS to where there is no FreeRTOS

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FreeRTOS is pretty much everywhere because it is so simple and universal, and it runs from the smallest to the biggest systems. But it still might be that for the microcontroller device you have selected there is no example or SDK support for it from your vendor of choice. In that case: no problem: I show how you could easily add FreeRTOS plus many more goodies to it.

Binky on NXP LPC845-BRK Board

Binky on NXP LPC845-BRK Board

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