Tricore: serial download of source code

Hello,

I'm a complete newbie to Tricore. For a private project, I'm planning to use it (TC1165), but know very little about it up to now. So before I'm starting with layouting the PCB, I want to check, whether the tools etc. I need are available reasonably priced.

As my budget is limited, I'm intending to start downloading the code using the serial com, instead of buying an expensive JTAG.

Can anyone tell me, what I would need in the minimum to write, compile and download self written code? Is this possible using the serial com link at all (with reasonable effort)?

I have downloaded the PXROS TriCore System Developent Platform v3.3.7.1 evaluation version from HighTec. It looks really nice and has the GNU C Compiler included.

I also have the Schematics of the Evaluation Board, which exists for the TriCore

-> I don't understand it's limitations of the PXROS Evaluation version up to now though (have tried very little). It says, it's an evaluation version, yet there is no time limit mentioned or anything else... so what's yet better in the real version?

-> are there Bootloader / preloader for the Tricore available which would help me download the code using the serial link?

-> does anybody have a (cheap) OCDS JTAG he's not using anymore, and which would work together with a TC1165?

thanks for any info...

My experience is with TC1796, not TC1165, so ymmv. Also, I don't have my notes to hand, so this is from memory:

If you have the PCB schematic, you can extract the JTAG/parallel port bit, it's just a couple of buffer chips. Given that, GDB works fine.
Infineon have a free download tool, "MemTool", which programs on-board flash through the serial port.
You don't need PXROS, you can build your own software, or use a freeware kernel (I did).
Another Infineon tool, "DAvE" ("Digital Application virtual Engineer"

- do you think I'm joking?), generates the hardware initialisation code for TC1796, it may also be available for TC1165. You may argue with its coding style, but it saves a lot of head-scratching setting up all the IO registers. Note the PXROS version of crt0.s may need some tweaking to run with DAvE's code: I am using a totally re-written version myself, as I wanted some extra features.

If anyone knows of a genuinely free (ie FOSS) compiler, rather than evaluation versions or high-cost, I'd love to know. The GCC that comes with PXROS is not FOSS. The only compiler I know of apart from the GCC that comes with PXROS, is put out by Altium/Tasking. If you can get a demo of this, it's worth studying the examples if you plan to use DAvE, as they use it.
To get started, if you already have the PXROS kit, use one of the examples & build on it. This will get you started, although PXROS is not compatible with DAvE, should you use it. Tip: the linker - at least for TC1796 - insists on linking the library version of crt0.s & gcclib.a (names by memory). The "no-std-libs" option doesn't work. So, if you want to really write all your own code (ie have no closed source in your project), you need to replace these with empty files, & explicitly link in your real files.
If you set up a testbench with serial (MemTool) & parallel (GDB) cables connected, you may find GDB sometimes leaves the parallel port in a bad state when it exits. This stops the board restarting in serial mode, so MemTool fails. The cure is to unplug the parallel cable, then MemTool is OK. In any event, GDB will start again OK.
I'm not sure if the TC1165 has a PCP (Peripheral Control Processor): that's a whole new ballgame.

Good luck,