Tag Archives: technology

Bluetooth with the Freedom Board

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I’m working now on a lecture robot project using my Freedom Board. And for this I need a wireless communication. I already have IEEE802.15.4 (SMAC) working, but I wanted to add Bluetooth as a low-cost option. I have found an inexpensive Bluetooth module which is available for only around $4-8 which we use in another university class project. The module is an AT command module: that means the microcontroller communicates with AT serial commands with the module, and the Bluetooth stack itself runs on the module. In a minimal configuration I only need 3.3V, GND, TX and RX plus a CMD (Command) pin:

Bluetooth Module

Bluetooth Module

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Tutorial: Using the ARM CMSIS Library

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One of the great advantage of using an ARM core as on my FRDM-KL25Z board is that I can leverage a lot of things from the community. And one big thing around ARM is CMSIS (Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard). It is an industry wide software library for the ARM Cortex microcontroller. Using the CMSIS libraries and interfaces will make it easier to port applications within the ARM Cortex family.

CMSIS Version 3 Block Diagram (Source: Arm.com)

CMSIS Version 3 Block Diagram (Source: Arm.com)

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Turning the Freedom Board into a Logic Analyzer

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I think the most important tool for a firmware engineer is a Logic Analyzer. I always have one on my desk. Working in different locations, sometimes I forget to carry it with me. And  for sure I would need it. To buy another one to compensate my laziness? Or maybe there is another solution? And here I stumbled over an article about the Logic Sniffer project recently: it is about an open source logic analyzer hardware and firmware project. What a cool idea! Why not using my FRDM-KL25Z Freedom board as a Logic Analyzer? Heck, that would be awesome 🙂

I2C Capture with Decoder

Logic Analyzer with the KL25Z Freedom Board

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Tutorial: IAR + FreeRTOS + Freedom Board

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Maybe Eclipse is ‘too much’, and you are looking for something different? The cool thing with Processor Expert is that while this is Eclipse based, you can use it easily with other tool chains like IAR Embedded Workbench. So you have the choice, and I have explored things a little with porting FreeRTOS for Cortex-M0+ to IAR :-).

IAR Embedded Workbench with FreeRTOS

IAR Embedded Workbench with FreeRTOS

In this tutorial I’m showing how use IAR with FreeRTOS and the Freedom FRDM-KL25Z Board, using Processor Expert components.

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Free Static Code Analysis with Eclipse

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I know for myself: the earlier I’m able to fix a bug, the better. So I’m always grateful for things which help me to find issues in my sources as early in the development process as possible. Eclipse and CodeWarrior already help me to find syntax errors in my code while I’m typing:

Eclipse highlighting syntax error

Eclipse highlighting syntax error

With the built-in syntax checker of Eclipse, this helps me many times to get things right without the need to build my code with the compiler. But when I’m able to compile successfully my code, this does not mean it is without bugs. It would be good to catch as many errors *before* downloading and running it on the target.

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Show Workspace Location in the Title Bar

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A central concept of the Eclipse framework is the concept of a workspace. The workspace holds project and project references, among with other settings. I’m using multiple workspaces all the time, and in parallel. How to know which workspace I’m using? By default, the CodeWarrior Eclipse IDE main window comes up like this:

Default CodeWarrior Eclipse Main Frame

Default CodeWarrior Eclipse Main Frame

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