[mc1322x] New to the list and Freescale CPUs - firmware loading question

[Jon Smirl]

On Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 11:30 AM, Barry Michels
<bmichels at theadvancedgroupinc.com> wrote:
> After seeing the 2010 DefCon Ninja Badge, I started investigating the
> Freescale MC13224V.  I come from a Microchip PIC background, but don't
> really care for their ZigBee offerings.  The Freescale CPU with everything
> on-board is very attractive.
>
> I just subscribed and looked through the archives of this mailing list, but
> haven't found an answer to my question: If I get a RedBee EconoTAG and
> develop something, what then?  What is required to program my firmware onto
> a blank chip?  I'm so used to the PIC 5-pin programming interface and
> needing a programmer (Warp-13, PicKit3) to load firmware.  The Freescale
> website and datasheets aren't that clear on what is required to download
> firmware.  The EconoTAG description says: "On board ROM bootloader for
> flashing --- no other programming hardware is necessary."  Sounds to me like
> the CPU populated on that board has a bootloader, but chips from the factory
> won't.  Is that correct?


The mc13224 has a ROM on it. When you boot the ROM first looks at the
flash for a signature. If there is a valid signature the ROM jumps to
the flash.

If there isn't a valid signature the ROM loops looking at the serial
port (ie USB serial port) for a download image. We have a small perl
script that copies a BIN file down the serial port and into RAM.
That's the way I normally develop. I never bother flashing anything. I
just use the serial port to download into RAM and start testing.

But you can also download a second stage boot loader. That boot loader
looks at the serial port for another BIN file. It then takes that BIN
file and writes it into flash. Once you flash the device it will be
stuck running the program in flash until you use the switches to erase
the flash.

The econtag is one better. The econtag has a JTAG pod built onto the
PCB. JTAG lets you single step, dump registers, set breakpoints, etc.
You use OpenOCD to control the JTAG and do source level debugging. An
econtag is a great deal for $55. Stand alone JTAG pods cost more than
$55.

As a developer you want the Econotag. When you make production devices
you would leave the ft2232 chip out of the design.

>
>
> Thanks for your time,
> Barry
>
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>



-- 
Jon Smirl
jonsmirl at gmail.com