TBLCF open source debugging cable

[DanielM]

Hello everybody,

for the benefit of the ColdFire users community I am releasing an open-source debugging cable. The cable works with CodeWarrior version 6.3. You can download evaluation version of CodeWarrior 6.3 here:

https://www.freescale.com/lgfiles/updates/CWCF/CW_ColdFire_6.3_Update.exe

Cost of components for the cable is under $10.

Feedback on functionality and/or any problems is most welcome.

I will be updating this post with new releases in case of bug fixes or other improvements.

I have added a zip file with the PCB design in EPS and BMP formats.

Daniel

Message Edited by DanielM on 2006-10-13 11:03 AM

tblcf_v10.zip

eps_and_bmp_v2B.zip

Message Edited by t.dowe on 2009-09-02 04:58 PM

[DanielM]

Oh, I see - I misunderstood.

What OS are you using? Windows, Linux or something else? I am forced by circumstances to use Windows and I cannot develop for any other OS at the moment. If you are using GDB under Windows and the dBUG support is a clearly module in GDB then I might be tempted to get involved and convert that into a module which would support USB and TBLCF.

Daniel

[alsuren]

At work, I'm on Windows (2000, the height of Microsoft's operating system line). GDB compiles under mingw with dBUG support if you configure it with --target=m68k-dbug-elf (might want to try compiling under cygwin if it doesn't work, but cygwin is *painfully* slow).

GCC, on the other hand, has *major* problems with cygwin/mingw, so I've been using the pre-compiled mingw binaries from P&E (you can download them for free, in the "starter" development kit, but they come packaged with a crippleware BDM debugger/flasher, code limited to 64k, and a version of newlib that may or may not be modified, so redistributing their binaries is not something I'm prepared to risk) This is just until I can get something compiled myself, of course. Running their binaries with the -v option gives some interesting insights into how they were cross-compiled.

--no need to read below this line, as it has little to do with GDB--

At present, I'm stuck at home on linux, with a cold, so I can't give details about my windows system, but the eventual aim is to distribute a mingw system in a zip file that contains the full source code to gcc, newlib and gdb, and a set of scripts which will reliably compile those tools (so you can edit them if you want), plus pre-compiled binaries as a fall-back for the lazy among us, and a pre-compiled version of eclipse, with example projects (probably based loosely on the public domain dBUG code) which are automatically built by the eclipse Managed Make tool, even when you add new C source files. It will then be up to the community to add support headers etc. for the memory mapped peripherals on different coldfires.

The other possible path is a set of scripts and binaries for use on an x86 system (probably [k]ubuntu dapper, because it's easier to install for new users) with *known* versions of compilers etc. which will perform the same mystical feats. This is likely to be easier to develop for me, and more useful, because I don't have a version of windows lying around at uni, but my sense of ego wants to see this project go cross-platform.

Ambitious? Possibly. Maybe it's the cold talking.

[wste]

I recently built a cygwin based gcc cross tool chain for m68k, using quite actual versions of the tools: binutils 2.17 (+CPU32 patch), gcc 3.4.6 and 4.1.1, bdm tools from sf.net/projects/bdm/ (CVS release + Coldfire 2/2M patches by Christian Walter) for the P&E parallel-port BDM interface that shipped with my M5235BCC eval board. With these tools, I am able to build a very basic app, download it and single-step on the target.

What gcc related problems are you referring to? The build went quite smooth for me, albeit the cygwin build takes ages to complete, under Linux, the same toolchain was built in about one quater to one fifth of the time.

I would like to try the USB BDM interface and even potentially invest some free time to interface it with the BDM work at sourceforge. But unfortunately I am not in the position to build that interface myself...

As for gdb, I had to use the old (2003) 6.0 version, because for 6.5, the register mapping stuff was changed completely and I don't know enough about the Coldfire family and gdb internals to integrate that correclty, alas! I'll be posting on that subject to the bdm-devel list soon. I feel, Freescale could really help out in that project! Would be a great move of them.

PS: I didn't know, gdb supports dBUG! Shame on me I missed that...
Have to try that...

[alsuren]

Alright: I have made a zip file of my mingw/gcc/eclipse install, with an example project that will compile for coldfire. It's a bit huge, and it also contains some example code which may or may not have a restrictive copyright on it. I am in the process of contacting P&E to ask what the terms of distribution are, but for now, please get the "64K Starter Edition" from the P&E website (might require registration) and then email me asking for a link. That way, I can't be accused of giving you anything you don't already have.

At present, it doesn't include an m68k-elf-dbug version of GDB, because I've not had an opportunity to test it, but if anyone wishes to add support for dBUG/BDM+gdb, and can guarantee that they're not breaking any laws in the process, I might be able to host it for you.

As I say: if you're interested, email me.

[wste]

Hello,

sorry, if I may sound stupid, but I seem to have missed something.
Why do I need P&E software? Is it required for the USB BDM interface?
The 64K starter edition of what?

I would like to try your toolchain. I am using eclipse myself already, both, on windows and linux. I use the CDT in combination with my own makefiles, though.
I could not find your email address in your profile.

Thanks for your help,

-wolfi

[alsuren]

Sorry. I was slightly off topic: What I was saying is that I have an example project that shows off eclipse's managed make, but it's based on example project code provided by P&E. Has nothing to do with the debugger, but I don't know what the rights are to the code samples they give, so I don't want to link the download to people who don't already have the code.

My email address for this forum is alsuren@gmail.com. Probably should have provided it with the original comment, but I couldn't remember whether I had included it in my contact details or not. Hopefully, I will get a reply from P&E soon, so that I don't have to go through all this silliness, and I can post a link straight on the boards. Sorry for the inconvenience until then.