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Author Topic: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?  (Read 7254 times)

Edson

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #15 on: August 04, 2022, 08:09:39 pm »
Not FPC, but my compiler https://github.com/t-edson/PicPas supports the more ridiculous minimalistic PIC microcontrollers like the PIC10F200.
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AlanTheBeast

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #16 on: August 04, 2022, 08:46:17 pm »
Not FPC, but my compiler https://github.com/t-edson/PicPas supports the more ridiculous minimalistic PIC microcontrollers like the PIC10F200.

At that level I'd probably just write it in assembler or the company C.

I do like that device.  But probably too lean for the application and I'd have to add peripherals to that to do what I need to do.

Thx!
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AlanTheBeast

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #17 on: August 04, 2022, 08:54:43 pm »
Hi,

Key thing (which Dimitrios Chr. Ioannidis touched on) is programming it once the image is built...

All the suggestions above ( arduino uno / nano, esp32, rp pico, etc ), can be programmed "out-of-box", as they aleady have the supporting hardware and/or firmware.

I was talking about the case, you maybe want to use an mcu with your own minimal homemade board i.e. From Arduino to a Microcontroller on a Breadboard.
Ah.  Got it.

It would be cool to program the device and make a literal breadboard ... indeed that would fit in with the end goal of the project.

I have a lot of green "bread" boards in 0.1" (2.54mm) pitch in various sizes as well.

Thanks!
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MarkMLl

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #18 on: August 04, 2022, 09:55:29 pm »
It would be cool to program the device and make a literal breadboard ... indeed that would fit in with the end goal of the project.

You'd find the electrical characteristics of wood to be incompatible with modern electronics.

The days are long gone when you could screw a couple of bits of tin can down, put a length of pencil between them, and call it a precision resistor...

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winni

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #19 on: August 04, 2022, 10:30:48 pm »
You'd find the electrical characteristics of wood to be incompatible with modern electronics.

Hi

Not  a big trick.

The main parameters are:
   
* moisture content
* type of wood (oak or balsa?)

further

* humidity
* temperature

That's all

Coming soon: Eco resistors made from wood ...

Winni



funlw65

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #20 on: September 21, 2022, 09:01:20 am »
Not FPC, but my compiler https://github.com/t-edson/PicPas supports the more ridiculous minimalistic PIC microcontrollers like the PIC10F200.

At that level I'd probably just write it in assembler or the company C.

I do like that device.  But probably too lean for the application and I'd have to add peripherals to that to do what I need to do.

Thx!

Apart of the @Edson's  PicPas solution which is not FPC but is a Lazarus project and a Pascal language non the less, there is another free Pascal solution which programs from PIC12F to the fat-est PIC18F, named Pic Micro Pascal. Both of them program families of microcontrollers not supported by FPC. Both well optimized. 

If your choice is AVR (ATmega, ATtiny) then the only free, non-limited Pascal compiler might be FreePascal but, if you can use BASIC instead, there is Great Cow Basic compiler that manages both PICs and AVRs with better results.

Back to PICs, Jalv2 compiler (JAL language, similar to ADA?) and Great Cow Basic have always support for the latest (most recent) PIC microcontroller with a great library of functions for all the internal peripherals and a plethora of external devices, with tons of application examples. And great communities.

If you want to try PIC24 and dsPIC33 families (which sometimes are a better choice than many ARM counterparts), then the best solution is Firewing Basic (similar to Visual Basic language) - free and non-limited (it converts BASIC to C language which is then compiled by a full featured C compiler, delivered in the package). You can have access to more PIC24 and dsPIC33 micros (otherwise I would have recommended other BASIC compilers) than are included in the package, but you have to develop your own libraries. Regardless, you have access to a free, fully optimized solution.

Regarding FPC, I would recommend you to experiment with a cheap Nucleo STM32 board, even if overkill for your project. It has a programmer on board and enough FLASH memory for your programs. In my view, is a better solution than a Pico. Yeah, in my opinion, a Nucleo board is best suited for FPC. Support? I think the STM32 family is the best represented...
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marcov

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #21 on: September 21, 2022, 09:37:11 am »
Or just do C till FPC is ready.  As I have done with various pic18F and then later dspics (F,E,C) over the years.

d.ioannidis

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #22 on: September 21, 2022, 10:32:42 am »
IMHO, the FPC for AVR compiler currently faces the classic problem. No users ( or no feedback ) -> no need/care for AVR development and no development -> no more users interested .... . It seems to me that the FPC embedded users are not a large group ( or not too loud ;) ).

Or just do C till FPC is ready.  As I have done with various pic18F and then later dspics (F,E,C) over the years.

 In git main the AVR part has progressed, IMO, and I'm expecting that the fpc 3.2 fixes release, it'll be a decent, stable, and capable AVR compiler.

Also, AFAIU, the only person that pushes Free Pascal AVR development forward is ccrause. If one cares/wants to use Free Pascal for AVR it should at least report bugs, make tutorials, or post some projects made, to show that there is interest and help spread the word, that FPC for AVR is, for simple projects at least, a viable option.

marcov

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #23 on: September 21, 2022, 11:10:32 am »
Florian has originally done the AVR port and is still regularly committing to it. But maybe more the compiler

d.ioannidis

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #24 on: September 21, 2022, 11:29:02 am »
Florian has originally done the AVR port and is still regularly committing to it. But maybe more the compiler

Also, AFAIU, the only person that pushes Free Pascal AVR development forward is ccrause.

I forgot to add the word, currently, in the above sentence ... Apologies !  :-[

AFAIU, Florian ( and Laksen ) fixes things as they are known to them . That's why I mentioned that bug reporting is very helpful,  in my previous post .

Thaddy

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #25 on: September 21, 2022, 11:54:45 am »
IMHO, the FPC for AVR compiler currently faces the classic problem. No users ( or no feedback ) -> no need/care for AVR development and no development -> no
I think it has more to do with the nature of AVR type projects which is often/mostly hardware control.
In my case, if I get a project working (hard- and software), I will leave it alone. (mostly robotica and miniature railway control, I have a huge set of Jouef, the base dating from Christmas 1961 (1962 catalogue), when I was three years old.)
In my case, I only do one or two projects a year.
Maybe that goes for many programmers.

The point is that even the users use the AVR compiler sporadically. So therefor feedback is also sporadically.
Can that be the case?
« Last Edit: September 21, 2022, 12:22:48 pm by Thaddy »
Specialize a type, not a var.

funlw65

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #26 on: September 21, 2022, 01:11:27 pm »
Or just do C till FPC is ready. ... dspics (F,E,C) over the years.

FPC for dsPICs ... that would be awesome. There is an open source assembler for PIC24 and dsPICs, with it's own particularities... If FPC could generate the required assembler file, FPC for dsPIC can become a reality much sooner than waiting for it to directly generate a proper .HEX file...

I'm talking about naken_asm assembler/disassembler from here:  https://github.com/mikeakohn/naken_asm

It supports a lot of micros...
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PascalDragon

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #27 on: September 21, 2022, 01:48:57 pm »
FPC for dsPICs ... that would be awesome. There is an open source assembler for PIC24 and dsPICs, with it's own particularities... If FPC could generate the required assembler file, FPC for dsPIC can become a reality much sooner than waiting for it to directly generate a proper .HEX file...

The assembler itself is usually not the problem and the assembler doesn't need to be open source to be usable. The main point of work is the code generator backend and that is always the biggest part.

funlw65

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #28 on: September 21, 2022, 01:57:23 pm »
Not to clear in my mind, but the author has also a "java grinder", it writes the program in java then it has a tool (if I correctly understood) that produces assembler from the class bytecode?
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dseligo

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Re: Smallest/lightest FPC capable processor?
« Reply #29 on: September 22, 2022, 12:02:39 am »
In my case, I only do one or two projects a year.
Maybe that goes for many programmers.

The point is that even the users use the AVR compiler sporadically. So therefor feedback is also sporadically.
Can that be the case?

I agree, I have similar experience, although I'd like to work with AVR more, it's fun.

 

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