Program won't fit weirdness

[crouzilles 0]

Hi all,

 

I am new to the forum to MCUs and to energia.

 

I have the TI Launchpad MSP430G2553 with a maximum of 16,384 bytes of available ram as far as I understand.

 

The program below compiles at 3,061 bytes if I use the data type "byte" for my large array, but apparently I am missing 72 bytes of space if I use the data type "int" which if I understand things well is only twice the size of a byte.

 

Can someone explain to me why I get this error?

 

P.S: Some variables are not yet used I know, but they will be

int dot   = 0;
int dash  = 1;
int empty = -1;
int unit  = 50;
int dot_unit = 1;
int dash_unit = 3;
int letter_space = 1;
int letters_space = 3;
int words_space = 7;

#define LED RED_LED

/*
Alphanumeric structure from A-Z and 0-9.
Values in the last column correspond to
decimal values for each ASCII character.
*/
byte alpha_num[36][6] = {
 {0,1,-1,-1,-1,65}, 
 {1,0,0,0,-1,66},
 {1,0,1,0,-1,67},
 {1,0,0,-1,-1,68},
 {0,-1,-1,-1,-1,69},
 {0,0,1,0,-1,70},
 {1,1,0,-1,-1,71},
 {0,0,0,0,-1,72},
 {0,0,-1,-1,-1,73},
 {0,1,1,1,-1,74},
 {1,0,1,-1,-1,75},
 {0,1,0,0,-1,76},
 {1,1,-1,-1,-1,77},
 {1,0,-1,-1,-1,78},
 {1,1,1,-1,-1,79},
 {0,1,1,0,-1,80},
 {1,1,0,1,-1,81},
 {0,1,0,-1,-1,82},
 {0,0,0,-1,-1,83},
 {1,-1,-1,-1,-1,84},
 {0,0,1,-1,-1,85},
 {0,0,0,1,-1,86},
 {0,1,1,-1,-1,87},
 {1,0,0,1,-1,88},
 {1,0,1,1,-1,89},
 {1,1,0,0,-1,90},
 {1,1,1,1,1,48},
 {0,1,1,1,1,49},
 {0,0,1,1,1,50},
 {0,0,0,1,1,51},
 {0,0,0,0,1,52},
 {0,0,0,0,0,53},
 {1,0,0,0,0,54},
 {1,1,0,0,0,55},
 {1,1,1,0,0,56},
 {1,1,1,1,0,57}
};

void setup() {
  
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);
  //Initialize serial and wait for port to open:
  Serial.begin(9600); 

  // prints title with ending line break 
  Serial.println("Alphanumeric ASCII table"); 
}

void loop()
{
	print_table_values();
}

void print_table_values() 
{
        digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
	for (int i = 0; i < 36; i++)
	{
		Serial.print(alpha_num[i][5]); 
		Serial.print(" is: ");
		Serial.write(alpha_num[i][5]);
		Serial.println("");
	}
        digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
	while(true) { 
		continue;
	}
}

If I use "int" as the array's data type I get the following error

[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-g++, -c, -Os, -w, -ffunction-sections, -fdata-sections, -mmcu=msp430g2553, -DF_CPU=16000000L, -MMD, -DARDUINO=101, -DENERGIA=17, -IC:\energia\hardware\msp430\cores\msp430, -IC:\energia\hardware\msp430\variants\launchpad, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\morse_ino.cpp, -o, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\morse_ino.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\atof.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\dtostrf.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\itoa.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\random.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\twi.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\twi_sw.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\usci_isr_handler.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\WInterrupts.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\wiring.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\wiring_analog.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\wiring_digital.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\wiring_pulse.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\wiring_shift.c.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\HardwareSerial.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\IPAddress.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\MACAddress.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\main.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\new.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\Print.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\Stream.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\TimerSerial.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\Tone.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\Wire.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\WMath.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-ar, rcs, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\WString.cpp.o]
[C:\energia\hardware\tools\msp430\bin\msp430-gcc, -Os, -Wl,-gc-sections,-u,main, -mmcu=msp430g2553, -o, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\morse_ino.cpp.elf, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\morse_ino.cpp.o, C:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp\core.a, -LC:\Users\xavier\AppData\Local\Temp\build7733100553055358358.tmp, -lm]
c:/energia/hardware/tools/msp430/bin/../lib/gcc/msp430/4.6.3/../../../../msp430/bin/ld.exe: morse_ino.cpp.elf section `.bss' will not fit in region `ram'
c:/energia/hardware/tools/msp430/bin/../lib/gcc/msp430/4.6.3/../../../../msp430/bin/ld.exe: region `ram' overflowed by 72 bytes
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status

This does not make sense to me.

Regards

X

[terjeio 134]

MSP430G2553 has only 512 bytes RAM - so not much to play with for storing variables.

You can change the alpha_num data stucture to const to save RAM if you do not need to change it.

16KB is the amount of flash memory available.

[chicken 630]

To expand on the answer by @@terjeio

 

The const keyword tells the compiler, that a variable is a constant. This allows the compiler to store the variable in read-only memory (ROM, i.e. Flash) instead of read/write aka random access memory (RAM).

 

Changing the line

byte alpha_num[36][6] = {

to

const byte alpha_num[36][6] = {

should do the trick.

 

You can do the same thing with the int variables you declare at the top.

[crouzilles 0]

Thank you both for the information, very much appreciated.

Regards

X

[terjeio 134]

Sorry for beeing a bit terse. I will add another tip - storing an array of strings in flash is not as straigthforward, this is what I had to do:

char const *const command[] = {
	"first",
	"second",
	"third"
}

I had to do some research to figure that out - a constant array of pointers to constant strings (if I read it correctly now - still learning...)

[chicken 630]

I'm pretty sure that the first const goes before char.

[chicken 630]

PS: As a string literal ("xyz") is already a const char* (i.e. stored in ROM), I don't think the second const is needed. But I'd have to test that to be sure.

const char* commands[] = { "one", "two", "three" };

[Rickta59 589]

cdecl.org is your friend here:

http://cdecl.ridiculousfish.com/?q=const+char+*+const+command%5B%5D

[chicken 630]

cdecl.org is your friend here:

http://cdecl.ridiculousfish.com/?q=const+char+*+const+command%5B%5D

 

That's a great site! :-)

[tripwire 139]

I'm pretty sure that the first const goes before char.

 

Either way works (char const * const is equivalent to const char * const). That cdecl site only accepts the latter, however.

 

PS: As a string literal ("xyz") is already a const char* (i.e. stored in ROM), I don't think the second const is needed. But I'd have to test that to be sure.

 

The const after the * is the one that makes the pointers in the array const. You could get away with omitting the first const in this case, but I tend to just use both.

[colotron 5]

I'm pretty sure that the first const goes before char.

Some people prefer to read variable declarations right-to-left instead of left-to-right, thus: type const * const pointer; makes some sense.

I don't like it, but they exist