Comments on: Microchip’s PIC: developing with Mac http://carsonbaker.org/2007/05/24/developing-embedded-systems-on-the-mac/ Thoughts on finance, robotics, embedded systems, and interactive art. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:55:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Rob Barris http://carsonbaker.org/2007/05/24/developing-embedded-systems-on-the-mac/#comment-6 Rob Barris Fri, 25 May 2007 06:52:44 +0000 http://2007.carsonbaker.org/?p=7#comment-6 I am partial to Motorola HC11 and HC12, I use boards from Technological Arts ( www.technologicalarts.com ) such as the NanoCore12, pretty affordable. I have scripts that can build the GCC toolchain on OSX(*), I use these to write HC12 progs in C, works for me. A serial BDM is recommended suuch as the MicroBDM12-SX on the TechArts site. * gdb isn't building but I haven't pursued it, I just use 'gcc' 'ld' 'make' and binutils, and do downloads with ZTerm. Email me if you are interested in the GCC/HC12 connection. I am partial to Motorola HC11 and HC12, I use boards from Technological Arts ( http://www.technologicalarts.com ) such as the NanoCore12, pretty affordable. I have scripts that can build the GCC toolchain on OSX(*), I use these to write HC12 progs in C, works for me. A serial BDM is recommended suuch as the MicroBDM12-SX on the TechArts site.

* gdb isn’t building but I haven’t pursued it, I just use ‘gcc’ ‘ld’ ‘make’ and binutils, and do downloads with ZTerm.

Email me if you are interested in the GCC/HC12 connection.

]]> By: carson http://carsonbaker.org/2007/05/24/developing-embedded-systems-on-the-mac/#comment-5 carson Fri, 25 May 2007 06:49:23 +0000 http://2007.carsonbaker.org/?p=7#comment-5 Göran Stigler wrote in to mention the following: A PIC ASM IDE: http://www.macrobotics.com/MacrocASM/MacrocASM.html (I tried this out and didn't care much for the way it worked. Granted I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but gpasm seemed to do a better job.) A Mac editor for Basic Stamp: http://www.muratnkonar.com/otherstuff/macbs2/ Göran Stigler wrote in to mention the following:

A PIC ASM IDE: http://www.macrobotics.com/MacrocASM/MacrocASM.html

(I tried this out and didn’t care much for the way it worked. Granted I didn’t spend a lot of time with it, but gpasm seemed to do a better job.)

A Mac editor for Basic Stamp: http://www.muratnkonar.com/otherstuff/macbs2/

]]> By: thej http://carsonbaker.org/2007/05/24/developing-embedded-systems-on-the-mac/#comment-4 thej Fri, 25 May 2007 06:47:25 +0000 http://2007.carsonbaker.org/?p=7#comment-4 Someone has posted an AVR ISP Programmer on AVRfreaks that has a USB interface. He built it so he could use it on his Mac ! He has the postscript files for the PCB layout available for download too. http://www.avrfreaks.net/Tools/showtools.php?ToolID=551 Also, here is a beginners tutorial to learn assembly on the AVR. http://www.avr-asm-tutorial.net/avr_en/index.html Someone has posted an AVR ISP Programmer on AVRfreaks that has a USB interface. He built it so he could use it on his Mac ! He has the postscript files for the PCB layout available for download too.
http://www.avrfreaks.net/Tools/showtools.php?ToolID=551

Also, here is a beginners tutorial to learn assembly on the AVR.
http://www.avr-asm-tutorial.net/avr_en/index.html

]]> By: Jim Schimpf http://carsonbaker.org/2007/05/24/developing-embedded-systems-on-the-mac/#comment-3 Jim Schimpf Fri, 25 May 2007 06:44:04 +0000 http://2007.carsonbaker.org/?p=7#comment-3 Very interesting, I also would like tools on the Mac so I could do embedded work on the box. I do this for a living (test equipment for telecom) and would like to work using my favorite OS instead of Windows. The next problems you will hit after you find a tool to build the code (as you did with AVR-GCC and GNUPic) are (1) programming the part and (2) debugging the code. Almost all the tools for small processor programming/debugging assume a parallel port connection or some funky use of hardware serial ports. There a very few USB or ETHERNET devices out there but they are VERY expensive (why I don't know). My hope is that as Window's laptops leave the legacy ports behind that manufacturers will finally build USB hardware for embedded work and then the Mac can compete on equal footing. Also as the Linux folk use these tools we can benefit also. Very interesting, I also would like tools on the Mac so I could do embedded work on the box. I do this for a living (test equipment for telecom) and would like to work using my favorite OS instead of Windows. The next problems you will hit after you find a tool to build the code (as you did with AVR-GCC and GNUPic) are (1) programming the part and (2) debugging the code. Almost all the tools for small processor programming/debugging assume a parallel port connection or some funky use of hardware serial ports. There a very few USB or ETHERNET devices out there but they are VERY expensive (why I don’t know). My hope is that as Window’s laptops leave the legacy ports behind that manufacturers will finally build USB hardware for embedded work and then the Mac can compete on equal footing. Also as the Linux folk use these tools we can benefit also.

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