Free Eclipse IDE and GNU toolchain for ColdFire (Set up instructions and example for 5282)

[mccPaul]

Hi all,

I have eventually written up the instructions for setting up a complete C/C++ development system for Coldfire, using the Eclipse IDE, GNU toolchain and SubVersion for source control. All of the software is open source and can be downloaded for free (links are provided).

If you have a P&E Micro BDM cable, you also get integrated visual debugging with GDB.

There is no 'Managed Make' plugin, so you have to roll your own makefiles. I have created a hello_world application that can be used as a starting point. If you aren't willing or able to learn GNU Make (it is very complicated) then I suggest you look at commercial packages based on Eclipse that come with a 'Managed Make' plugin in - available from many suppliers of commercial tools for ColdFire.

Eclipse is a superb IDE that is supported with hundreds of free and commercial plugins for all sorts of development tasks. It is probably the best I have used in 20 years of professional programming! When you combine it with source control issue tracking and an integrated serial terminal (all available for free!!) you have a top quality professional developemnt environment.

This has all been written from the point of view of setting up a development environment for the 5282, hosted on a Windows platform. I'm sure that much of the instructions can be adapted for Linux but don't ask me for help with Linux because I don't use it! It should be very easy to adapt the set up for other ColdFire/68K CPUs.

There is a PDF and HTML instructions hosted on my company's website:

http://www.cambridgeimaging.co.uk/whitepapers.php

Enjoy!

Paul.

Message Edited by t.dowe on 2008-10-30 02:59 PM

[imkevin]

Paul,

The link you provided http://www.cambridgeimaging.co.uk/whitepapers.php

is no longer active.  Where can I find this paper?

Thanks

-Kevin

[mccPaul]

The paper is available onthis page now.

It is a bit out of date, but should be a useful starting point. We currently use the CodeSourcery (now Mentor Graphics) community edition compiler and debug sprite with the current version of Eclipse to build bare metal firmware for mcf5282, mcf5208 and mcf54453 targets.

Paul.

[zwilcox]

Hey Paul!  Is there an update to this link?  Thank you kindly.

[miduo]

Hello,

This is really an old post and it seems that the link is not available now. Anyway, for any GNU toolchain for ColdFire, we recommend :  Sourcery Tools Services - Mentor Graphics 

And also please have a look at this:https://community.nxp.com/thread/325877 

[zwilcox]

Thank you good sir.

[DaveTonyCook]

Hi There,  great article but cant find your hello_5282.zip.  Is it still available?

Thanks

[mccPaul]

We changed our website ages ago, and the zip file seems to have been missed off.

I've attached it here - the only proviso is that the the eclipse project files in here may be out of date.

[mevansdadof6]

Has anyone put together an environment that does not use G++ since it is no longer free except for a 30 day trial?

[BradDixon]

"Has anyone put together an environment that does not use G++ since it is no longer free except for a 30 day trial?"

That's not true.

http://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/sourcery-tools/sourcery-codebench/editions/lite-edition

Every single toolchain on that page is free. Pick one and download.

[mccPaul]

To update the original post, my paper is now on this page:

http://www.cambridgeimaging.co.uk/articles.html

The paper is a bit out of date, but still useful. We now use the Mentor builds as above and target mcf5282, mcf5208 & mcf54455.

Our development platform is based on the standard Eclipse CDT package, with the standard CDT hardware debugging extensions installed. We use MacBook Pros running 64-bit Windows 7 and the P&E Micro USB BDM dongles.

[thm59]

Hello,

It is possible to configure a fully free and unlimited toolchain for ColdFire MCUs, based on Eclipse and  the lite version of CodeSourcery GCC  with a low cost USBDM ( +/- 20 USD) debugger  from PGO (see on the OSBDM forum)

The problem of flashing the code in the MCU (no flasher is included in the lite version of CodeSourcery) :

-          PGO share a (unlimited) flash programmer for Coldfire V1 with his USBDM. The simplest and cheapest USBDM version based on JS16 is sufficient

-          PGO distribute a dll to allow using CFFfasher with his USBDM (V2 to Vx cores)

The problem of interfacing GDB (debugging) with the hardware :

-          PGO distributes a dll to emulate the Freescale OSBDM-JM60 which is supported by the free GDB sprite of the lite Codesourcery toolchain (both for V1 and V2 CFs) with the USBDM

Links :

The description of PGO : http://usbdm.sourceforge.net/USBDM_V4.7/USBDM_JS16/html/code_sourcery_page.html

A more detailed description of Joel (C++, V1 only) : http://myfreescalewebpage.free.fr/advanced/codesourcery.htm

In French (V1 only) : http://www.68hc08.net/articles.item.152/chaine-de-developpement-gratuite-et-illimitee-pour-coldfire-...

Thierry

[JimDon]

I don't understand what you mean by trail - are you refering to CW Eclipse, CodeSourcery, or "Free" Eclipse? 

[mevansdadof6]

I am talking about the Codesourcery G++ wich is now owned by Mentor Graphics.  You can only get a 30 day trial version for free.

[JimDon]

I see you mean CodeBench, because the codesorcery g++ lite command line compiler is free.

https://sourcery.mentor.com/sgpp/portal/subscription?@template=lite&lite=coldfire

[FreeRTOS_org]

FreeRTOS.org also now contains an Eclipse GCC demo with full setup instructions.  See http://www.freertos.org/ColdFire-RTOS-Port-Using-Eclipse.html (go directly to http://www.FreeRTOS.org to see the menu frame).

Hopefully it will be useful to some readers.

[SVC1]

Hi,

I am following the document to install the tools and got stuck on getting the Zylin plugins.

The ZYlin web site says:

  1.. Install Zylin Embedded CDT using, the update site
  http://www.zylin.com/zylincdt


This link does not exist!

Where can I get the plugins from?

Thanks,

Simon

[mccPaul]

Hi

If you follow the link to http://www.zylin.com/embeddedcdt.html, and look at 'Download & Installation' step 3 you'll see that the instructions have changed a little as the Zylin plugin now uses the Eclipse updater:

3. Install Zylin Embedded CDT using, the update site

http://www.zylin.com/zylincdt

You need to add the URL above to the Eclipse update dialog:

1. Select Help->Software Updates

2. Select 'Search for new updates to install'

3. Select 'New Remote Site'

4. Enter 'Zylin CDT plugin' for the name and http://www.zylin.com/zylincdt for the URL

5. Select Finish

6. After searching, Eclipse should present you with a 'Search Results' dialog which shows the Zylin plugin in th eresults tree.

7. Tick the Zylin check box and select Finish to install.

Enjoy.

Paul.

[JamesZhou]

hi, Paul

is this Free Eclipse IDE and GNU toolchain able to support Freescale MC68332?

I am looking for a good IDE for MC68332, but no results until now. I hope this IDE tool chain is able to support 68332.

Thanks very much!

James

[thm59]

Hello,

I was able to debug programs in Flash, with the Lite (free) gcc version of CodeSourcery.
As said before, gdb cannot load programs in flash, it is nedded to use CFFlasher.
To debug in Flash :
1. Choose the appropriate linker script to build the program in rom (m5213evb-66-rom-hosted.ld for example)
2. Create a S19 file from your elf : m68k-elf-objcopy -I elf32-big myproject.elf -O symbolsrec myproject.s19
3. Flash "myproject.s19" with CFFlasher
4. Remove the "load" command in gdb "run" commands set-up.

Run GDB, it works with the program in Flash.

Last step to have a totally free IDE : support of TBLCF by CFFlasher (hello, FSL...?)

th.

[Steve99]

---

thm59 wrote:
..
2. Create a S19 file from your elf : m68k-elf-objcopy -I elf32-big myproject.elf -O symbolsrec myproject.s19
..

---

Thanks!  I was stuck on how to convert elf to s19.  Somehow I can write flash using CFflasher but not with metrowerks utility.  But CFflasher only accepts S19 files