Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!yale!yale.edu!spool.mu.edu!umn.edu!gold.tc.umn.edu!roger034
From: roger034@gold.tc.umn.edu (Brynn Rogers)
Subject: Re: Borland C++ on MicroController Board
Message-ID: <Cx2yz5.HCn@news.cis.umn.edu>
Sender: news@news.cis.umn.edu (Usenet News Administration)
Nntp-Posting-Host: gold.tc.umn.edu
Organization: University of Minnesota
References: <1994Sep28.205323.24428@news.wrc.xerox.com> <Cx0FKH.B1E@csn.org>
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 1994 04:54:18 GMT
Lines: 58

In article <Cx0FKH.B1E@csn.org>, Donald VuKovic <dvukovic@csn.org> wrote:
>John D Sotack (sotack@eng.mc.xerox.com) wrote: : I am interested in
>experimenting with a controller board at home and thus on a limited
>budget.  I understand that there are systems available allowing code
>compiled with Borland C++ / Microsoft C to be run on controllers using the
>same instruction set.

The best package I have seen is Paridigms RT/XXX, where XXX is 186,V25,V40
and a bunch of other x86 compatables.  Comes with a version of Turbo Debugger
that runs remotely over a serial port, and also includes a locater.

>Most people on this newsgroup would define controllers as single CHIP
>solutions with some RAM/ROM/IO on the chip. (with extended RAM/ROM/IO off
>chip)

That's the 'standard' definition, and I go by it too.

>( I know of only the V25 from NEC that has any ROM/RAM on the chip)
The V25 is availble with Masked ROM, the V25+ has no ROM.  Both have
like 512 Bytes on board, half of which is for bank switching the 
registers out [and macro service channels] which makes it VERY nice for
real time control, you don't have to save a bunch of registers to respond
to an interrupt.  The other half of the RAM is used for the special function
registers (the on chip DMA, timers, interrupt controller, wait state,
serial ports, ...).  You can use unused bytes as RAM, but you don't
really want to bother.


>Software is another issue. There have been articles about embedding
>Borland/Microsoft compilers on these boards. Where do you want to start.
>You could use the limited code supplied from these articles to embedded
>some ( less that 64k) on to your target, or you could buy a software
>package (some >$500) to handle all this work for you.If you truly
>understand the segments that BCC/CL create, you could 'rig up' your own
>locater. If not buy one. ( there are some locaters located on the net, but
>I can't think of any at this moment. Maybe some will follow up this post
>with come ideas) ( also i read in one of the software trades that
>Microsoft will ship a development kit for embedded systems sometime in the
>future, I am sure someone will follow up this comment as well.)

The Paridigm stuff costs about $250 and does everything you could want.
We did our last project at work using Paridigm debug RT/V25 only and never
needed to spend the $20,000 to get a REAL emulator.  The real emulator
would have been nice for 2 or 3 nasty bugs, but the debugger was so much
nicer to use.  Works slick with Microsoft or Borland C's, also assembler.

As far as Microsoft is concerned, they think everybody should be embedding
Windows into their toasters, and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for
any real support for practical apps.

Brynn



--
             Brynn Rogers                      roger034@gold.tc.umn.edu
----  Save the internet - keep the toll bridges out               
Autonomous robots get my interest.     Embedded systems pay my mortgage.
