Prev: GNUARM multiple definition of AT91F_AIC_ConfigureIt
Next: What is your favorite PCB software?
From: kaiki on 21 Dec 2007 10:00
can you comment on the power consumption of these devices? All I saw on the
family datasheet was TBD for all current ratings.


From: connectable on 22 Dec 2007 14:24
Hi, sorry about the multiple sends - unfamiliarity with this setup is my
excuse!
Nice post. I've ordered a PIC32 starter kit and look forward to having a
play with it in the next week or two. I'll feed back any points additional
to those already posted if and when I find them. I'm new to MIPS32 code so
it should be fun.
Regards,
Joe Brown.

>I got PIC32 starter kit today. Here are some impressions:
>
>- Comes with eval version of C32 C-compiler with 64KB code size limit.
C32
> is actually called C32-gcc, so it's a gcc derivative. The source is
on
> the website, but who knows if it's recent or complete.
>
>- Hardware debugging (breakpoints, goto cursor) works in MPLAB on this
> little board, but I found that sometimes it gets into a mode where it
> thinks that breakpoints are not supported: "breakpoint limit for
hardware
> is 0" in the breakpoint dialogue. This is fixed if you restart MPLAB.

> Anyway, you can view both assembly and C source during single-stepping.

> It's pretty nice.
>
>- You can DBPRINTF over JTAG (and also DBGETS). It's very slow. It was
not
> documented that you had to add a define to make this work for new
projects
> (-DPIC32_START_KIT- add the define in Project->Build
> Options->Project->C-compiler->Macros). The debug I/O library is not
part
> of the main library- it was just a db_utils.a file (no source) in the
> StartKitTutorial directory (the "hello world" program).
>
> I had to copy it to the timer interrupt demo program that I wanted to
try
> to get it working. I then had to replace all the UART I/O calls to
debug
> I/O calls. There is no UART interface on the starter board, so they
must
> be designing these demos for some other board (actually they are labs
for
> a course- maybe FAE or early customer training?)
>
> One annoying thing about this form of JTAG I/O (which is not unique to
> PIC)- it's not a real serial port. When you call DBGETS, a window pops
up
> in MPLAB for you to type a string. This is a modal window, so you can
not
> actually halt the debugger when it is up. So don't put DBGETS in a
loop!
> There is no way to poll for keyboard input. When the DBGETS is
waiting
> for input, the CPU is basically break-point halted, so interrupts stop
> running.
>
>- This is how you make interrupt handlers:
>
> void __ISR(TIMER_1_VECTOR, ipl2) my_handler(void)
> {
> mPORTDToggleBits(BIT_0); // Blink a led
> mT1ClearIntFlag();
> }
>
> And that's about it (set up the timer and EnableIntT1). You do not
have to
> explicity write the my_handler address to a vector, the compiler just
does
> it.
>
>- The IDE needs a little work. There were some screen update glitches
when
> I closed various windows. It core dumped when switching projects.
The
> manual for the C-libraries (particularly the peripherals) is missing.
>
>- On the other hand, things did generally work. You basically hit F10
to
> compile and F9 to run. It prompts you for downloading the code to the
> board.
>
>- There are compiler settings for making compressed MIPS 16-bit code
(like
> the ARM thumb code). Both worked. Last time I used MIPS, there was
no
> 16-bit option.
>
>Some notes about the PIC32 CPU:
>
>- Someone complained that the chip has only 16-bit timers: this is not
> exactly true: timers can be paired up to form single 32-bit timers.
>
>- There is a RTC clock generator (and an RTCC block) on the chip with
pins
> for a 32 KHz crystal.
>
>- There is support for some kind of external trace buffer on the CPU.
You
> must have to buy some special ICE to make use of it.
>
>- The code examples include HTML server on a TCP/IP stack, but they need
a
> board with Microchip's ethernet to SPI interface chip.
>
>--
>/* jhallen(a)world.std.com AB1GO */ /* Joseph H.
Allen */
>int
a[1817];main(z,p,q,r){for(p=80;q+p-80;p-=2*a[p])for(z=9;z--;)q=3&(r=time(0)
>+r*57)/7,q=q?q-1?q-2?1-p%79?-1:0:p%79-77?1:0:p<1659?79:0:p>158?-79:0,q?!a[p+q*2
>]?a[p+=a[p+=q]=q]=q:0:0;for(;q++-1817;)printf(q%79?"%c":"%c\n","
#"[!a[q-1]]);}
>


 | 
Pages: 1
Prev: GNUARM multiple definition of AT91F_AIC_ConfigureIt
Next: What is your favorite PCB software?