Introduction

The Paradigm C++ software development tools are often used by developers to produce embedded, ROMable 32-bit applications for 80386 protected mode target hardware. This document will show how to produce a ROMable version of the AMX 386/ET Sample Program using the Paradigm C++ IDE.

It is assumed that Paradigm C++ has been installed. It is further assumed that AMX 386/ET has been installed into directory C:\KADAK\AMX722.

 Step 1: Start the PDREMOTE/ROM Target Monitor

For purposes of illustration, a conventional 80x86 PC/AT operating in protected mode will be used as the embedded PC.

In order to treat a standard PC as an embedded Paradigm PDREMOTE/ROM target, you must first boot the target PC from a custom Paradigm boot disk, thereby starting the Paradigm PDREMOTE/ROM Target Monitor. You can create the boot floppy disk by using the PDREMOTE/ROM Wizard as follows:

From the Paradigm C++ IDE File menu, create a new PDREMOTE/ROM Wizard project. In the dialog that appears, enter the properties as shown.

The wizard will create the new PDREMOTE/ROM monitor project shown below:

By default, the newly created PDREMOTE/ROM Target Monitor is configured to communicate at 115200 baud via COM1 of the target PC. If you need to use a different COM port or baud rate, edit the COMPORT declaration line in the PDREM32.CFG file.

Next, build the new monitor by selecting the Build all command on the Project menu.

Finally, create the boot disk floppy by right-clicking the PDREM32.RTB node and selecting the BootDisk32 command.

Connect COM1 of the host PC on which the Paradigm tools are being used to COM1 of the target PC. Then reboot the target PC using the boot disk created by the Paradigm utility. Your 80x86 embedded target is then ready for test.

 Step 2: Prepare AMX 386/ET Files

The AMX 386/ET installation directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE will be used as the home directory for this sample Paradigm C++ IDE project. The Sample Program files will be found in directory AMX722\TOOLPD\SAMPLE. Since a conventional PC is being used as the target processor, the board specific files will be taken from directory AMX722\TOOLPD\SAMPLE\AT386.

The AMX 386/ET System Configuration Module and Target Configuration Module must be created outside the Paradigm C++ IDE environment. The AMX 386/ET Configuration Manager utility CJ722CM.EXE is used to create and/or edit the AMX 386/ET Sample Program User Parameter File CJSAMSCF.UP and Target Parameter File CJSAMTCF.UP as described in the AMX 386/ET Reference Manual. Copy files AMX722\TOOLPD\SAMPLE\CJSAMSCF.UP and AMX722\TOOLPD\SAMPLE\AT386\CJSAMTCF.UP to the project directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE.

From the Windows Start menu, select the MS-DOS Command Prompt. Then make directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE the current directory. To start the AMX 386/ET Configuration Manager, issue the following command from the MS-DOS command prompt:

..\..\CFGBLDW\CJ722CM CJSAMSCF.UP

Once the Configuration Manager has been started, choose Templates from the File menu and update the locations of the AMX System Configuration Template file CJ722CG.CT and the AMX Target Configuration Template file CJ722HDW.CT. You can browse to find these files. Both are located in directory AMX722\TOOLPD\CFG.

Generate the System Configuration Module CJSAMSCF.C by selecting the Generate option from the File menu. If you generated the System Configuration Module in some other directory, move or copy the resulting file CJSAMSCF.C to the sample project directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE.

From the manager's File menu, choose Open and open the Target Parameter File CJSAMTCF.UP. Generate the Target Configuration Module CJSAMTCF.ASM by selecting the Generate option from the File menu. If you generated the Target Configuration Module in some other directory, move or copy the resulting file CJSAMTCF.ASM to the sample project directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE.

 

 Step 3: Create the Paradigm C++ Project

From the Paradigm C++ IDE File menu, create a new project. In the New Target dialog that appears, enter the properties as shown.

The project name cjsample was chosen arbitrarily. As noted in Step 2, the project has been created in the AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE directory for convenience. The AMX 386/ET object modules and libraries in directory TOOLPD\LIB can be readily imported by the Paradigm tools.

Note that you must select the Protected address mode Platform and the Win32 Embedded Target Model. AMX 386/ET does not support the Win32 Emulation model.

From the Advanced options, select the No Source Node option since existing files will be imported. When creating a new application, you may wish to create an initial node.

 Step 4: Set the Project Options

There are several project options which must be selected to properly build an AMX 386/ET application. From the main menu, select Options ==> Project... to invoke the Project Options dialog.

Add the path to the directory containing the AMX 386/ET header files to the Include: list of search directories. Append the text ;..\DEF to the existing search path. This path is relative to the project directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE. The semicolon is used as a separator when multiple paths are specified.

 

 Step 5: Set the Environment Options

From the main menu, select Options ==> Environment.... to invoke the Environment Options dialog.

Make sure that Start application execution at application entry point is enabled. If the option is disabled, the program will attempt to start at address 0FFFFFFF0 and will not operate properly when used with the PDREMOTE/ROM Target Monitor on PC hardware.

 Step 6: Modify the Locate Configuration

The AMX 386/ET Sample Program Link Specification File CJSAMPLE.LKS and Locate Specification File CJSAMPLE.CFG provided with AMX 386/ET are not used when generating the AMX 386/ET Sample Program within the Paradigm IDE. Instead, a custom Locate Configuration File CJSAMPLE.CFG is used. This file is automatically generated in the project directory AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE by the Paradigm tools.

The Locate Configuration File CJSAMPLE.CFG generated by the Paradigm tools must be edited before it can be used with AMX 386/ET. The memory region definitions must be copied from the Locate Configuration File, PDREM.CFG, used to build the PDREMOTE/ROM monitor in Step 1. Also, the Reserve directive must be modified to point to the monitor's PDREM32.RTB file.

 Step 7: Add the Files to the Project

Next, add to the project all of the files which are required to build the application. Files are added by right clicking on the CJSAMPLE.ROM node in the Project window and selecting Add node. For the AMX 386/ET Sample Program, the list of files is as shown below. All file paths are relative to the project directory, AMX722\TOOLPD\IDE.

The AMX 386/ET Sample Program requires character level console services for display output. The AMX 386/ET serial I/O driver CH8250S.C provides this service for a conventional PC COM port. Note that, for this configuration, two COM ports are required: one for the terminal and one for the Paradigm PDREMOTE/ROM Target Monitor.

The AMX 386/ET Sample Program also requires a clock for timing purposes and a board support module. The AMX 386/ET clock driver CH8253T.C and PC/AT board support module AT386BRD.C are used in this example.

 

 Step 8: Build and Run the AMX 386/ET Sample Program

From the main menu, select Project ==> Make all or click on the toolbar button. Either action will force the application to build, producing an executable load module with the name CJSAMPLE.AXE.

Upon completion of the build, the following dialog will appear, indicating that the build was successful.

From the main menu, select Debug ==> Run or click on the toolbar button. Either action will force the debugger to download module CJSAMPLE.AXE to the target hardware and begin execution.

Once the AMX 386/ET Sample Program is running, the application will send the timer tick messages generated by the AMX 386/ET application out the PC's COM2 interface at 9600 baud.