AVR-Chat

E. Weddington wrote:
> Russell Shaw wrote:
> 
>>
>> Adding new commands into gdb that you can use from the gdb shell and
>> call up a help page isn't hard. I've added commands to set and
>> show fuses and lock bits, and reset the device sanely. I'll add some
>> others such as to upload code out the device etc.
>>
>> To add a simulator or another target is easiest just to look at the
>> others that are already in there to see how they fit in the gdb
>> framework, and didn't look very hard at all.
>>
>> All programming devices such as stk500, avrisp, and freeware ones
>> could be controlled from gdb.
> 
> That would be fantastic!
> 
> I wonder, though, what about the parallel port programmers, such as 
> found in avrdude?

I haven't done parport programming in linux yet, and i haven't seen
any parport stuff in gdb (tho i haven't specifically grepped for it).
I could probably add the capability, but it would be something done
later rather than sooner.

>> I've been thinking of making a gtk frontend for gdb with user
>> configurable buttons and things that are useful for embedded targets,
>> but i have to fit it in between paying work for next few weeks:(
>>
> Pretty ambitious, but I would certainly welcome something a little 
> better than Insight; as long as your gtk frontend could be built for and 
> run on a Windows host as well. In fact, Colin and I were just talking 
> about this very thing offline....

There's lots of gtk apps ported to windows.

>>> It would be a Good Thing to get a simulator into the GDB tree, one 
>>> that can handle running the GCC test suite. There's been a lot of 
>>> work recently in getting the GCC test suite working for the AVR 
>>> (using simulavr).
>>>
>>> Interesting possibilities...
>>
>>
>> I've looked into simulavr before but was always put off by the
>> tediousness of connecting gdb to it with a unix socket. I'll
>> probably get it into gdb sometime too.
>>
> 
> FYI, simulavrxx has somewhat superseded simulavr. They are both located 
> on the same "SimulAVR" project on Savannah. simulavrxx has more 
> capabilities, but the GCC test suite for the AVR is being put together 
> by Bjoerne Haas using simulavr.

Problem is that gdb doesn't seem to have any C++ stuff, and i like C
hacking anyway. I'll have to resurrect simulavr as straight C.
I wouldn't worry about the peripherals, just the core would be
important, with probably some user commands to manually trigger
an interrupt.