Lpc2000

>It seems as though the AT91SAM7 Yahoo group no longer exists - at
>least I haven't been able to find it for a few weeks now - I get
>only an error message and searching for it also turns up a blank
>(very strange because it was an interesting group).

Seems to work for me:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AT91SAM/

Not as active as the LPC group.

>As it happens I have 'finally' got the SAM7x chips (engineering
>samples) and they are soldered onto new boards and beginning to do
>some stuff.

Odd how long that has taken.  I thought they were more available than that.


>I am hoping to complete a port (non-pre-emptive port, so rather
>easier) by the beginning of next week but my first experiences have
>shown that things don't always work out as well as expected. I have
>a couple of questions:
>1. Do you know where this topic is now being discussed. I don't
>really know of any other good active group.

You could try http://www.at91.com.  There is a forum, but I have not
used/read it more than once or twice so I don't know how active it is.

>2. Did you do a project for IAR? I am using this with J-Link
>debugger and have lost a lot of time because as soon as I had
>stopped the code my PIT interrupt would never come again. Firstly it
>made it difficult to know what was going on when initially getting
>the interrupt up and running (not knowing that the debugger was
>causing problems...) and then having to restart after a breakpoint
>was also very annoying.

I have used the J-Link without too many problems.  It occasionally hangs up
and requires me to shut down the IDE in order to make a connection again,
but this is only when downloading code.  Check the .mac file that you are
using (the macros that are run on debug events).  There seem to be a lot
around and some are not full implementations.  Original versions did not
reset interrupts properly so the debug session would only work once per
board reset.


>I think that I know why because after closing a memory windows it
>seems to work (quite) well. It seems as though the memory windows
>update was causing the PIT registers to be read and resetting
>(interrupt related) things in the process. Do you know of this
>problem and work-arounds???

Should have read that before writing the above ....

Never come across this problem.  I use the memory window quite extensively,
but maybe not over the PIT register region.


>3. Presently I am loading part of the project into RAM so that the
>debugging works well but the code size will not always allow this -
>it will soon have to go into FLASH. Do you have any experience /
>tips about how it is best to go about this ? [I would like to
>generally use the serial debug interface and debug difficult cases
>in FLASH with J-Link].

I have not used the serial debug interface, and think there may be some
conflict with using the PIT for the timer.  Can't quite remember without
checking the data sheet.


>4. My project needs serial and Ethernet and I have a Micrel PHY. I
>supose you used the DAVICON on the Eval board. Do you have any tips
>about things to watch out for in the process?

Sorry, never used a Micrel PHY.  I know the original SAM7X Atmel eval boards
had a timing error in the design that meant RMII interface did not work
properly, so I hope you didn't copy the design ;-)   MII works fine.


Regards,
Richard.

http://www.FreeRTOS.org