Mr. Integral
Embedded notes/Building and Running Firmware

STAGE 02 OF 5

Building and Running Firmware

From source to a running chip: what the toolchain produces, what happens between reset and main(), and how to see inside a system that has no screen.

3 units18 of 18 lessons available
∫ MR-INTEGRAL · 15 UNITS · 90 LESSONS016 lessonsPinssignals and circuits036 lessonsCPU coreand memory026 lessonsRegisters096 lessonsInterruptcontroller136 lessonsSchedulertasks and deadlines046 lessonsFlash imagebuilt by the toolchain156 lessonsSecure bootupdates and keys056 lessonsBoot ROMand reset066 lessonsDebug portprobe, trace146 lessonsPowersleep, brown-out126 lessonsDMA076 lessonsGPIOpins in and out086 lessonsClocksand timers106 lessonsUART · SPI · I²Cserial links116 lessonsADC · DACanalog
∫ MR-INTEGRAL · 15 UNITS01Pins · signals and circuits036 lessonsCPU coreand memory026 lessonsRegistersC close to the metal096 lessonsInterruptcontroller136 lessonsSchedulertasks and deadlines046 lessonsFlash imagebuilt by the toolchain156 lessonsSecure bootupdates and keys056 lessonsBoot ROMand reset066 lessonsDebug portprobe, trace146 lessonsPowersleep, brown-out126 lessonsDMA076 lessonsGPIOpins in and out086 lessonsClocksand timers106 lessonsUART · SPI · I²Cserial links116 lessonsADC · DACanalog

The Build Toolchain

From text files to the bytes in flash.

  1. From Source Code to Machine Code
  2. Compiling, Assembling, and Linking
  3. Object Files, Symbols, and Libraries
  4. Linker Scripts and Memory Sections
  5. Reading a Map File and Disassembly
  6. Build Configurations and Reproducible Builds

Startup and Boot

Everything that runs before main().

  1. What Happens at Reset?
  2. Boot Sources and Address Mapping
  3. Entry Points and Exception Tables
  4. Initializing the Stack and Runtime Memory
  5. From Startup Code to the Application
  6. Writing a Minimal Startup Sequence

Debugging and Measurement

See what the chip is really doing, without changing it.

  1. Programming and Connecting to a Target
  2. Breakpoints, Stepping, and Watchpoints
  3. Inspecting Registers, Memory, and the Stack
  4. Finding Crashes and Faults
  5. Using a Logic Analyzer and Oscilloscope
  6. Measuring Timing Without Disturbing It