Thanks a lot to all the people who gave me detailed replies as to how to go about. I will start with these recommendations. Thanks again
Regards Naveen On 3/9/07, David Smead <[email protected]> wrote:
Naveen, I run gcc and gdb under Linux for MSP430 devices, AVR devices, and Arm processors. Being able to move across processor families and not have to change development methods is extremely liberating. Another benefit is the fact that sharing C code is almost a `no-work' deal. I gave up using Windows in 1994, so I can't be any help there, but if you want to use GNU software under Windows then you have to install the `cygwin' environment and tools. I'm guessing that you want to start with www.cygwin.com. Besides a plain text editor you need the gcc, the C compiler, as, the assembler and ld, the object module linker. You also need tools that generate code listings, allow you to see memory distribution, and generate files which can be download into the target microcomputer. All of those tools are wrapped up in a package called binutils. The binutils package has to be cross-compiled for the target microcomputer family you plan to use and installed before the others. Many programmers use a program called make that automates the process of compiling and linking. Actually make is a command processor so it can be used for what ever purpose you want. Make files can be quite simple if all the files for a project are kept in one directory, but when you start sharing code from repositories common to other programmers make gets more complicated. There are so-called Integrated Development Environments, IDE, that supposedly make writing and debugging code easier -- maybe a novice can get something working initially using and IDE, but I think learning how to use make is well worth the learning curve. Once you have all the tools in place to be able to generate a program file, you need an interface between your computer and the target device. Now, finally you're ready to actually stuff a program into it and wonder why it doesn't work! The "hello world" program for microcomputers is generally a flashing LED connected via a resistor to one of the I/O pins. There are examples of those to be found but they won't work if you don't wire the LED circuit to the same pin the program uses. LED circuits are your friends. I'm putting the final touches on a realtime, premptive, task multiplexing, message passing system running on an ARM chip. I have six LED circuits. One is flashing at a rate derived from the timer interrupt. Another flashes everytime I type a character into the `stdin' task. The other four are coupled to tasks and they flash at different rates depending one task states and what messages they receive from other tasks. By the time you get your first LED flashing you'll have done a tremendous amount of learning and work. The MSP430 family is quite powerful and an excellent choice to learn embedded system programming. The tough part will be sticking with it until you get over the initial hurdles. Sincerely, David Smead www.amplepower.com www.amplepower.net On Thu, 8 Mar 2007, Naveen Madabhushi wrote: > Looks like i have touched some very sensitive chords there..just to make > things clear..i have only said in my earlier mails that i downloaded IAR as > a first step and whether its right choice or not..i didnt ask about any > issues related to IAR.. only asked for some pointers towards getting started > with MSP 430..it could have been mspgcc or anything else.. > > i guess i might as well start with mspgcc and then get back to this forum > with any specific problems/doubts..that i feel would be lot better than > taking this discussion into some tangential lines > > Naveen > > > On 3/8/07, Grant Edwards <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> On 2007-03-08, Steffen Netz <[email protected]> wrote: >> > Lichen Wang wrote: >> >> Naveen, >> >> >> >> Do you ask questions about Windows in Mac User's Group? >> > ??? >> >> Just kiding. But this is mspgcc-users group. Most of the people here >> use GCC for MSP430. >> > >> > What? >> > Why Mac? >> >> It was a metaphor. Asking about IAR in a GCC group is like >> asking about Windows in a Mac group. It's like asking about >> Porches in a Mercedes-Benz group. >> >> -- >> Grant Edwards grante Yow! ... Get me a GIN >> at and TONIC!!...make it >> visi.com HAIR TONIC!! >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT >> Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share >> your >> opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash >> http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV >> _______________________________________________ >> Mspgcc-users mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mspgcc-users >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take Surveys. Earn Cash. Influence the Future of IT Join SourceForge.net's Techsay panel and you'll get the chance to share your opinions on IT & business topics through brief surveys-and earn cash http://www.techsay.com/default.php?page=join.php&p=sourceforge&CID=DEVDEV _______________________________________________ Mspgcc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mspgcc-users
