Overview: From Snippets to Code Generation

To build an application for a modern microcontroller today is not a simple thing. Well, it depends what ‘simple’ means. But compared to the ‘old days of 8bit micro controllers’ (which are still in use!) developing for a complex 32bit device is definitely a different thing. Not only the complexity has changed, but as well the breath of tools and helpers. In my view, the only constant is ‘change’, and I have changed the way how to develop several times in my career. In this post I present several different techniques I’m using in my development.

Processor Expert CPU View

Processor Expert CPU View

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Thank you for all your comments!

Wordpress Dashboard

WordPress Dashboard

I did not realize that the number of comments passed the 10k number 🙂

I want to pause for a minute and thank all my readers and commenters for all the feedback, suggestions, thoughts and learning material you provide with your comments.

Thank you all, and keep Commenting 🙂

PS: You might notice the amount of spam comments. Luckly WordPress is very good in filtering these out :-). But in case your comment somehow does not get through, contact me on the email address listed in the About page.

The Lost Bell Tower of Graun in Lake Reschen

On our motorbike tour through the Alps this weekend, we visited Italy, Austria and of course many summits in Switzerland. On the way from Italy to Austria we visited Lake Reschen (or Lago di Resia), an artificial Lake in South Tyrol, Italy, south of the Reschen Summit. The lake is famous for the bell tower of a 14th-century church: the tower is all what remains from the submerged village of Graun, and it probably Italy’s most famous drowned town:

Reschensee Glockenturm

Glockenturm im Reschensee

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Getting started with Kinetis FRDM- K64F: New and Better!! :)

Hello all!

Here is my second blog about the Kinetis MCU development boards, introducing you to the new and more informative Getting Started process for Kinetis FRDM-K64F from Freescale. As a part of my internship I got the amazing opportunity to play with the ‘New Getting Started’ process and the most recent box of the FRDM-K64F development board from Freescale.

Freescale have been working all along to make the life of its customers easier. So, at the FTF 2015 we launched the new website:

http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=FRDM-K64F&tab=In-Depth_Tab

This website is for the new Getting started process for FRDM K-64F. This website will tell you all that you will need to start the FRDM K-64F development board. Continue reading

Open Source Static Code Analysis: Cppcheck with Eclipse

I have a challenge for you: Can you spot the problem in the following source?

TMOUT1_CounterHandle TMOUT1_GetCounter(TMOUT1_CounterType nofTicks)
{
  TMOUT1_CounterHandle handle;
  CS1_CriticalVariable();
  handle = 0;
  if (nofTicks==0) {
    nofTicks = 1; /* wait at least for one tick, otherwise will timeout immediately */
  }
  CS1_EnterCritical();
  while (!TMOUT1_FreeCounters[handle] && handle<TMOUT1_NOF_COUNTERS) {
    handle++;
  }
  if (handle<TMOUT1_NOF_COUNTERS) {
    TMOUT1_FreeCounters[handle]=FALSE;
    TMOUT1_Counters[handle] = nofTicks;
  }
  CS1_ExitCritical();
  if (handle==TMOUT1_NOF_COUNTERS) {
    return TMOUT1_OUT_OF_HANDLE;
  }
  return handle;
}

No? Well, I have not spotted the problem the first time neither. However, a reader of this blog did: he used a cool tool named ‘cppcheck’: that tool reported the following:

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The Joy of Travel – Ready to Reboot!

Preamble: I’m writing this while in the air, somewhere between Ireland and Island, and it will be posted after I’m on the ground in New York later today. Hopefully….

I’m going to present multiple sessions at the Freescale Technology Forum in Austin/TX (June 22nd to 25) which is a great thing! Naturally, for me living in Europe, this means an air travel over the Atlantic ocean. Some of my work peers and (extended) family members think that air travel must be a lot of fun. Well, maybe 20 years ago? I rather say that travel today is ‘special’, with all the needed security measures, long waiting lines and all the hassles. I have travelled many times, and many times it was ok, or I was just lucky. But business travel usually is exhausting, and definitely *not* fun. Or would you buy and eat typical airplane food in a normal restaurant? I do not.

Airline Food

Airline Food

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Merging NXP LPCXpresso IDE with Freescale Kinetis Design Studio, Processor Expert and Kinetis SDK

So NXP announced here a $40 Billion Merger with Freescale. Frequent readers of my blog will know that I’m using in my own and university projects many Freescale devices with Eclipse based tools (Eclipse Kepler/Luna, Emprog ThunderBench, Atollic TrueSTUDIO, Freescale CodeWarrior and of Freescale Kinetis Design Studio) in combination with Processor Expert. In a few projects I have used NXP devices with the CodeRed Eclipse base tools too. So I was curious how that merger of the two silicon companies could look like, if you merge the Freescale and NXP Eclipse based tools, and mix it with Processor Expert and the Freescale Kinetis SDK? The result looks like this:

LPCXpresso v7.7.2 with Processor Expert and Kinetis SDK

LPCXpresso v7.7.2 with Processor Expert and Kinetis SDK

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1000 Days of Blogging: Numbers and Tips for You

Surprise, surprise: I have completed my first 1000 days of blogging on McuOnEclipse :-). And *finally* I have completed today the Compendium. When I started the blog back at Feb 1st 2012, it was the beginning of a journey to the unknown. And yes, it is still Kevin’s fault ;-). During these days (actually: nights) of that project, I have learned a lot, so let me share some of the data.

Wordpress statistics

WordPress Statistics (dzone not included)

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