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Remote debugging via serial

Hello,

I am working on an industrial automation project that involves programming the i188 PC-compatible controller with embedded DOS and several serial ports. What options do I have for debugging on this hardware?

Specifications of the controller: CPU 80188 or compatible, 40 MHz (RDC R-8820, clone of Am188ES ?) SRAM 512KBytes Flash 512KBytes EEPROM 2KBytes COM 0 Internal communication with the I/O modules COM 1 RS-232 (system console is here) COM 2 RS-485 COM 3 RS-232/RS-485 COM 4 RS-232 Model: ICPDAS I-8411 Detailed spec:

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The controller has DOS-compatible OS in the boot sector of its Flash disk (first 64K), called MiniOS7. Flash disk has rudimentary file system: no directories, only full erase (OS is not affected since it resides in boot sector). There is no video card, but serial RS-232 console can be used instead. (COM 1)

For development I can use any compiler (I program in 'C') that can target DOS and i186. Manufacturer supplies system library (LIB and H files) that I link to my program for interfacing with controller's devices. Then I'm supposed to transfer binary to controller using manufacturer's terminal program.

Are there any DOS-targetting 'C' compilers that have what I need - remote debugging via RS-232?

Regards, Nickolai Leschov

Reply to
Nickolai Leschov
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About a decade ago I was using the Paradigm debugger on '188 based systems -- it did everything you could ever hope for a serial debugger to do, with very little muss or fuss.

I don't know where they are now, but it's worth checking on the name on the web.

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Reply to
Tim Wescott

Borland had such a program (called tdremote IIRC). It was a TSR so you would need at least that much DOS compatibility. You might check with them and see if it still exists (maybe in the community version?)

Robert

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Reply to
Robert Adsett

Wasn't TDREMOTE part of Turbo Debugger, a separate package? The free version of Borland C++ last I checked was 5.5, which targets Win32 only :(

However, Open Watcom includes a serial debugger and best of all it's free :)))

Watcom C/C++ was my favorite development environment for DOS and OS/2. (I could never afford VisualAge).

Reply to
larwe

I am sure Turbo C V3 did both DOS and win3 . I believe that is also freely available.

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Reply to
Chris H

Thanks for the advice, Tim I don't remember I heard of this name before (Paradigm) I'll try it.

Regards, Nickolai Leschov

Reply to
Nickolai Leschov

Thanks, I have found tdremote. I managed to get Borland C++ versions 3.1 (the last one with TurboVision DOS IDE) and 5.02 (the last full version) Both of them have tdremote, and v. 5.02 even seems to have newer version (I expected that they discontinued or dropped it with the DOS IDE) I transferred and ran it on the controller, but the controller would just reboot. OTOH, some other DOS programs, such as Borland's tdrf.exe do run (it outputs ). Seems like programs using only '86 instructions and standard I/O will work.

I have 2 versions of why tdremote doesn't work:

  1. It doesn't know to clear i188 controller's watchdog timer. The timer is there, it is running by default and can be turned off in user's program. I checked with OS's built-in diagnostic command that it is running. I can turn it off in my program, but it is on again when program returns to OS. tdremote doesn't know anything about the timer and the timer just reboots the system.
  2. serial port on the i188 controller chip doesn't happen to be the same as PC's serial port.

Both are very likely.

Suggestions, anyone?

P.S. As far as I understand, tdremote is for running on target machine, right?

Reply to
Nickolai Leschov

Me too. It works great. Plus a sound compiler.

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george

Reply to
GMM50

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