Release of MSP430Eclipse 1.0.4.1

[xpg 127]

Hi folks,

 

Despite not having too much time to spend on this project, I have made a new release, which fixes a couple of bugs, and changes the way the msp430 tools are used:

 

• 
  [*:2ct61l15]- gcc, gdb, and mspdebug are no longer distributed as an eclipse plugin, but as a separate download package. This allows the tools to be installed in a user select location, rather than trying to install into the eclipse directory.
   
  [*:2ct61l15]- MSP430 C/C++ projects can now be created.
   
  [*:2ct61l15]- The protocol (SBW, JTAG) used by MSPDebug can now be selected.

 

In order to install the plugin, ensure that you have Eclipse Indigo, and add http://eclipse.xpg.dk as a software source in Eclipse, and install the Msp430Eclipse plugin.

Currently, only Indigo is supported, but the plugin might work with Helios as well.

 

If your system does not have up-to-date version of msp430-gcc, msp430-gdb, and mspdebug, you can download one of the following tool-packages:

 

Linux 64-bit: msp430-toolchain-linux-amd64-1.0.tar.bz2

Linux 32-bit: msp430-toolchain-linux-i386-1.0.tar.bz2

 

Extract the package in an appropriate location ($HOME, for instance), and go to Eclipse (with the MSP430Eclipse plugin installed), and from the menu select MSP430->Tool Manager. Click the "Add..."-button, and browse to the tool-package directory. Click "close".

 

Next, go to the Eclipse preference and select "MSP430". Here you will be able to choose if you want to use the tools from the tool-package, or supplied by the system.

 

If you are upgrading from an older, simply upgrade the Msp430 Eclipse plugin. You can remove the toolchains installed through eclipse, and install the toolchain packages as described above.

 

For more information see http://xpg.dk/projects/msp430/msp430-eclipse/.

 

Feedback is very welcome.

 

Cheers,

Paul

[bluehash 1,581]

Good. An official release. Thanks xpg!

[xpg 127]

Good. An official release.

 

I'll probably regret not testing it better. On the other hand, testing in "the wild" finds more bugs :-)

[Rickta59 589]

... Feedback is very welcome. ...

 

Awesome job thanks!

 

I've been using the stock version of Eclipse Indigo with my msp430 projects. Using the CDT cross compiler works great but required me to do a lot of hand configuration for each project. I had to add all the right compiler flags in all the right places. Setting up the gdb hardware debugging is doable but requires more work than should be required.

 

So I downloaded just your plugin and continued to use my hand built msp430-gcc on Ubuntu 11.04. It "just worked" out of the box and replaced all my hand configuring with a couple of mouse clicks in your custom plugin dialog boxes. Nice! Debugging setup was very simple. Even Nicer!! This is just great !

 

Just a couple of comments.

 

1.) When you offer the list of mcu targets, it isn't really true. The list of chips we can use is really limited by mspdebug, not the compiler. Maybe a way to show only those devices supported by mspdebug would be a nice limiter and make the processor selection faster.

 

2.) I find the "Target Management Terminal" package a really useful one to have installed in Eclipse. It allows you to connect to your Launchpad using the /dev/ttyACM0 device directly from inside of Eclipse. You can find this under the Mobile and Device Development section of the Eclipse Install dialog. Is there any way to suggest people install this when they install your plugin? Or help them by doing it automatically?

 

3.) Do you have the source code for this online in a repository anywhere? I'd love to add my own favorite features.

 

Thanks again, great effort.

 

-rick

[Rickta59 589]

One thing I just noticed with C++ files, they seem to be ignored if they are named with a '.cpp' extension. If I rename the file using a '.cc' it seems to work. Eclipse seems to know that .cpp files are C++ as the error parser will pick out problems with the file.

 

-rick

[xpg 127]

I've been using the stock version of Eclipse Indigo with my msp430 projects. Using the CDT cross compiler works great but required me to do a lot of hand configuration for each project. I had to add all the right compiler flags in all the right places. Setting up the gdb hardware debugging is doable but requires more work than should be required.

 

That was exactly the reason I created the plugin in the first place. Eclipse CDT can do all the heavy lifting, but it takes far too long to get started.

 

1.) When you offer the list of mcu targets, it isn't really true. The list of chips we can use is really limited by mspdebug, not the compiler. Maybe a way to show only those devices supported by mspdebug would be a nice limiter and make the processor selection faster.

 

Ahh, so true, so true. Thank you for pointing that out. Currently, I just list the the MCUs that GCC has link scripts for. I'll change that in the next version. I think that the output from "mspdebug --fet-list" can be used. And parsing that list is much nicer than listing files in a directory.

 

2.) I find the "Target Management Terminal" package a really useful one to have installed in Eclipse. It allows you to connect to your Launchpad using the /dev/ttyACM0 device directly from inside of Eclipse. You can find this under the Mobile and Device Development section of the Eclipse Install dialog. Is there any way to suggest people install this when they install your plugin? Or help them by doing it automatically?

 

I haven't tried that plugin, but it sounds really useful. I'll check it out, and can add it as a dependency, which means that it will be installed automatically.

 

3.) Do you have the source code for this online in a repository anywhere? I'd love to add my own favorite features.

 

Yes, the source code is at gitorious: http://gitorious.org/msp430eclipse/msp430eclipse

If you have an account at gitorious, I can give you commit rights (or whatever it is called in git terms).

 

One thing I just noticed with C++ files, they seem to be ignored if they are named with a '.cpp' extension. If I rename the file using a '.cc' it seems to work.

 

Uhh, another very good point. I forgot about .cpp, when adding the support to the MSP430 compiler. I'll fix that soon.

 

Thanks again, great effort.

 

Thank you for your comments. Good to know that it works for you :-)

[Rickta59 589]

One more change : ) .. with the FRAM board and mspdebug (msp430fr5739) you don't use 'prog foo.elf' to flash the device as it fails if you try and erase it. With this board you have to use 'load foo.elf'

 

-rick

[xpg 127]

One more change : ) .. with the FRAM board and mspdebug (msp430fr5739) you don't use 'prog foo.elf' to flash the device as it fails if you try and erase it. With this board you have to use 'load foo.elf'

 

Damn, you're good :-). Added to my todo list.

 

Cheers,

Paul

[aadeesh 0]

xpg:

I thank you for sharing the excellent work you are doing. Keep it up.

I installed your plugin and extracted the mspgcc on my Ubuntu box.

 

But some how the code builds but the symbols (ex. WDTCTL) are not resolved by Eclipse (Indigo).

I created a new MSP430 cross-toolchain project (selecting the correct target, MSP430G2231 (Launchpad)) and my MSP430 preferences are set to "xpg pre-build toolchain 1.0"

 

Any more configuration needed? I have already build mspgcc, mspdebug etc. on my machine before I saw your plugin.

 

SOLUTION:

replace the " with (actual) " in the udev rule (/etc/udev/rules.d/46-TI_launchpad.rules)

ATTRS{idVendor}=="0451", ATTRS{idProduct}=="f432", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev"

to

ATTRS{idVendor}=="0451", ATTRS{idProduct}=="f432", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev"

[xpg 127]

I thank you for sharing the excellent work you are doing. Keep it up.

Thanks.

 

Any more configuration needed? I have already build mspgcc, mspdebug etc. on my machine before I saw your plugin.

 

Try going to your Eclipse preferences, and select "C/C++ -> Editor -> Content Assist -> Advanced" in the left-side pane. Ensure that the "Parsing-Based Proposals" are checked.

[OppaErich 25]

Still doesn't work with my system tools, target MCU list is empty.

Debian Sid (siduction)

[xpg 127]

Still doesn't work with my system tools, target MCU list is empty.

Debian Sid (siduction)

 

Thanks. I have the feeling that I broke the system tools. Does it work with the packaged tools?

 

Cheers,

Paul

[OppaErich 25]

I didn't try to compile or deploy but the targets are there using the packaged tools.

 

Is it me ? I entered /usr/bin for the three paths. Does it need to be like /usr/bin/mspdebug ?

[xpg 127]

I didn't try to compile or deploy but the targets are there using the packaged tools.

 

Is it me ? I entered /usr/bin for the three paths. Does it need to be like /usr/bin/mspdebug ?

 

You don't need to type in the paths, if the binaries are in your $PATH. However, I think you have found a bug. I'll see if I can fix it and make a release within a couple of days.

 

Cheers,

Paul

[aadeesh 0]

Try going to your Eclipse preferences, and select "C/C++ -> Editor -> Content Assist -> Advanced" in the left-side pane. Ensure that the "Parsing-Based Proposals" are checked.

 

I did that before but it does not work.