At 05:33 PM 5/9/2008, you wrote: >Well, they're doing quite well. These chips have a hardware Background >Debug Module in them which allows real-time Breakpoint, Single Step, >Watch, etc. The Code Warrior compiler and assembler is free up to 32k. I >insist on hardware ICE/Debug now, having spent years in the dark >debugging :-)
32K is not bad but then how good is the free compiler? I used Code Warrior quite a few years back to write software for the MAC's, I'm not a fan, at least of their MAC version. Have you used the H12 family? they look quite interesting also with a little more horsepower than the h8 family. >That takes PIC out of the picture. I like Atmel but the >Debugger is expensive. The ATMEL (the models I use) and the Ti MSP430 also have hardware JTAG debugging which is a wonderful thing. The Ti JTAG debugger can be bought for less than $10, ATMEL ICE hardware Debuggers are not expensive, I bought one for $40 and I love it, it's also a programmer and can handle just about everything they have, I also have a ATMEL Dragon, that board is awesome, it can handle every programming scheme they have, and it includes a ICE unit and it cost $50. >That leaves Freescale with the USBSPYSER08. You >will be very comfortable with the instruction set as it is the same as >before plus enhancements in the S08 series. I also insist on C now, my >assembly days are over :-) Where is your sense of adventure, pain builds character! That is why I'm such a character. I love the MSP430 they have also a beautiful instruction set, but their problem is NO DIP packages so it makes it harder to improvise something, if you don't have an adapter board you are dead in the water. I recently started using the AVR family and I must say those little guys are easy to work with, are fast, cheap, and the development hardware at least for the newer chips that I'm interested in is not expensive, so I'm quite happy with them. I will have to look at the Freescale chips (H8and H12) and compare them to the ATMEL family. With this little conversion project I had to look at the H11 instruction set since the software is 50% assembler, and it's very easy to follow what is going on. Got to run, it time to go home for the weekend, YEAH!!!! Cecil K5NWA www.softrockradio.org www.qrpradio.com "Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light."
