Re: Getting started with building a GCC cross-compiler

[Dave Nadler <Dave dot Nadler at nadler dot com>]

At 09:06 AM 11/25/2008, Duane Ellis wrote:
> david> [I need a C++ compiler - my chip vendor only gave me a gcc Compiler]
> [snip]
> david> Configure parameters
> [snip]
> david>  --target=pic32mx
>
> For those who do not know - "Microchip pic32" - is a mips m4K core micro 
> controller.
>
> If I remember correctly, PIC32 has limited very RAM (64K) and no external 
> memory interface.

I wish ! 32kb RAM. But it does have up to 512kb ROM.

> You sure you want C++?

Absolutely. Used carefully C++ will help keep the app small and tight, and 
I've got a pile of existing C++ code it needs to run.

> You might look "upstream" from them and figure out where they got it from 
> (ie: From MIPS) perhaps they have  subset of the Mips package?

Done...

> Second, you'll need to look at your DEBUG options - they are not using GDB 
> - and there is *some* *limited* support for ejtag in OpenOCD.

I expect (hope ?) to use GDB via JTAG. Proof of concept here is using the 
ICD programmer but the MPLAB stuff will never support C++...

> Third, if I remember correctly gcc-pic32 has many #pragma hacks- that get 
> picked up by the linker later on - and handles the bare metal chip 
> initialization stuff.

Exactly; this is one of the reasons I'd like to rebuild their version 
rather than move to a 3rd party version (the 3rd parties don't support the 
Microchip extensions, leading to a different set of problems).

> -Duane.

Thanks Duane !


Dave Nadler, USA East Coast voice (978) 263-0097,  drn@nadler.com