AVR-Chat

On Fri, 2005-08-12 at 10:16 -0500, David Kelly wrote:
[ additional text removed for brevity]
> avr-gcc is very good. The WinAVR package makes it painless to get
> running on Microsoft platforms (let me condition that with "as
> painless
> as it gets there.")

   I have a few complaints about avr-gcc, though.   One is that it
doesn't geenrate very tight code.  Try the -S option, and take a look at
the assembly source the code generator is outputting.  Not very
efficient.

   In particular, they use r24-r25 to load every variable referenced,
then transfer to values to other registers for operastions.  Wasteful of
time, and program memory space (which, on most AVRs, is severely
restricted).  There is also a fiar amount of manipulation of vlaues that
may well be necessary, but I have been unable to determine why, or gfor
what.  In very simple programs (test cases) involving something as
simple as adding two values together, there will be numerous rotate and
shift instructions which, for the life of me, I cannot identify the
purpose of.

   Granted, being unwilling (or, as in my case, unable to afford to) pay
the price of a commercial product, one shouldn't complain too loudly
about the free product's blemishes.

   I have been very frsutrated trying to get the emulators and such to
work under linux, though.   Since my WinBlows box died, I have only this
old P-II/333 with 64 MB of RAM, and I haven't been able to get anything
but avr-gcc to actually work.  I have tried several of the "programmer"
packages, witgh my ETT ET-JRavr, to no avail.  I also have an "AVR Lite"
board that doesn't seem to work with anyof these programs.

  Speaking of the ET-JRavr, I have a small problem perhaps someone here
cam assist me with:  I purchased this board on eBay, complete with
documentation CD.  It arrived exactly as advertised (I have no room,,
technical.y, for complaint).  Only one problem.  The documentation on
the CD is all written in Thai!  No English options.  I have communicated
with ETT in Thailand several times via email, with no respoinse (I have
a sneaking suspicion no one in their home office speaks/reasds English).

  Further research yileded the information that an outfit named
FutureLec also sells this board.  I have emailed them at least 1/2 dozen
times, also with no response.   I need English lnagueg documentation on
this developmebtboard, if I am to make any use of it at all.

  It offers many amenitys, including every I/O pin being availabel at at
least one header.  In has 5 8 pin DIP sockets for a real-time clock
chip, an ADC chip, and some serial EEROMS (I assume).  Again, without
data, I have no ideas what I can plug into these sockets.  I has a
header fo an LCD display, for various forms of serial and parallel I/O,
for PWM output, analog input, etc., etc.  It is amazingly complete.  If
only I had some idea how to use all these features.  *sad grin*

  Can anyone on the list assist me in this?  I have this marvelous CD
full of wonderful documentation in Thai (which is joyous to look at, so
cursive and festive), which is 100% useless to me.

Thanks in advance 

tom