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Embedded Software Engineering Lab #1 Simplicity Exercise
I- Installing Simplicity and Importing the example project:
1. Connect your Silicon Labs Pearl Gecko to your computer via mini USB cable
USB Input
Power Source
Selection
Silicon Labs Pearl Gecko Board
2. Ensure that the Power Source Select is to the DBG or AEM position
3. Download and Install Silicon Labs’ Simplicity Studio 4 development environment. You can download the software from the following site and it will be easiest if you have your Pearl Gecko Start Kit plugged into your computer.
◦ https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/simplicity-studio
◦ You will be asked to create a Silicon Labs account
◦ If you have your Pearl Gecko Starter Kit plugged into your computer, you should get a popup screen on how to install. Select by “Install by Device.”
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• In the next popup, you should see a screen like the following.
If you have the PG starter kit
plugged in, you should see it here
If you do not have the board
plugged in, type EFM32PG12 and
select the SLSTK3402A Kit below.
You will then see the dev kit in the
window above as if you had the
board plugged into your computer
• Double click the SLSTK3402A kit in the upper left window and it will then appear in the right window. Click on Next and follow the remaining prompts to install the software.
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4. YOU WILL NEED YOUR Pearl Gecko dev kit plugged in for the next two steps to ensure that all the proper software was installed into Simplicity Studio.
a. Make sure the J-Link or adapter firmware is up to date or installed. It may require a two-step process of download and then click install. You can determine and execute the download by being in the launcher perspective and clicking on the J-Link symbol to the left and check the middle of the screen whether the adapter is installed and to the latest revision. You will know if you do not have the latest firmware by seeing a prompt to download or install the latest version. If you do not have the latest version, download, and install the update. The picture below is what it should look like when you complete the operation.
i. Please note that the latest version has changed since this screen shot
Gecko SDK Suite v2.7.6 MCU 5.9.6.0
If your Firmware needs
to be updated, it will
note it here.
b. To ensure that the proper toolchain is installed, GNU toolchain v7.2.1, go to the upper left window and click on the gear icon to open the Simplicity Preference Window.
c. In the Simplicity Preference window, select toolchain in the left window and validate that it shows the most recent GNU toolchain, GNU toolchain v7.2.1.
d. To ensure that all the software toolchains are downloaded and installed, find
“update software” with your board installed and select install by device. Select your kit to move it to the right side when asked to select the device. Once you get to the screen to select the different software packages, scroll down to the bottom and if you use see packages for GNU toolchain v7.2.1, click on it to install.
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e. If the toolchain GNU toolchain v7.2.1, is not present, you will need to update your software. Find “update software” with your board installed and select install by device. Select your kit to move it to the right side when asked to select the device. Once you get to the screen to select the different software packages, scroll down to the bottom and if you use see packages for GNU toolchain v7.2.1, click on it to install.
Click the downward
arrow into the inbox to
update your software
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5. Download the example project from Canvas in the Lab 1 folder -> “Pearl_Blinky_F2020.zip”
6. When you open Simplicity, you can open the Simplicity IDE by clicking on the menu just to the left of the Launcher selection on the menu bar.
7. Now go into the Simplicity IDE by clicking on Simplicity IDE in the Menu bar
8. Select Import under File and then select “More Import Options” -> “Existing Projects into Workspace” and click on Next
9. Select the “Select Archive File” and browse to select the downloaded archive project file for this lab “Pearl_Blinky_F2020.zip”. Then click on Finish. Now, the demo / example project should be loaded into your workspace.
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10. Change the name of the project by adding your two initials in front of the project name Pearl_Blinky.zip. You can rename your project by right clicking the project while in the Simplicity IDE perspective and select rename
a. Ex. For Keith Graham, the name would change to KG_Pearl_Blink.zip
II- Changing Code Optimization Level:
1. Right click the project name and scroll all the way down and open Properties
2. Within properties, select Settings within C/C++ Build and set the Optimization Level to
“None (-O0)” for Windows and “None” for MACs. a. Do not input anything in “Other Debug Flags”
III- Verify board SDK – MCU 5.9.6.0
1. As you did previously to check and possibly change the optimization setting, right click your project and then click on Board / Part / SDK.
2. Verify that the setting’s “snapshot” below is similar to your configuration. The SDK should be Gecko SDK Suite: MCU 5.9.6.0.
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MCU 5.9.6
3. If your system does not match the above, search these parameters and select the item that matches the above.
4. The most likely item you may not find here is the SDK. If you cannot find MCU 5.9.6 by clicking on Manage SDKs, you will need to update your Simplicity to this SDK.
a. To learn how to locate MCU 5.9.6 to download, it is the same process as the instruction to possibly fix your build issue by downloading a different GNU toolchain described further in this document. Instead of locating the GNU tools, scroll down to find the SDK files. You may need to click on view all previous versions as well.
b. If you have any difficulty, please contact the instructing staff immediately.
IV- Finding and setting the LED Pins:
1. Go to the dev kit’s schematic and find which pins of the Pearl Gecko are connected to the LED0 and LED1 of the dev kit. You can find the schematic in Simplicity from the Launcher perspective, under the Documentation Tab.
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2. DEBUG HINT:
a. Now try to build your project by first selecting a file in your project and then clicking the build icon, the hammer, in the top menu bar
b. The build will fail, and you should see something similar to the below screen shot in the console window:
c. To get to the compile error quickly, click on the Problem Tab to get to a list of all the make / build errors
i. You many need to expand “Errors” to see the list
d. For all the non “make” errors, you can double-click the error and it will open the “Resource” file and take you to the error
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e. Sometimes it is helpful to know the line numbers in a file. To view line numbers in a file, right click the left edge/bar of the .c or .h file to open the menu. Select
“Show Line Numbers.”
f. After selecting / clicking on “Show Line Numbers,” your view should now look like the below screen shot
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g. Here is a third way of locating a compile error. On the right side of the .c or .h file, if you see a “red dot,” there is an error on the line of code. Scroll up or down until the error appears in the file window
i. If you see a “yellow dot” instead of a “red dot,” the yellow dot indicates a warning instead of a problem
h. To learn more about the error, you can hoover the cursor over the red circle with the white X to the left of the line of code to obtain a helpful popup window
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3. You can find the Port and Pin information for the LED0 and LED1 in several different documents:
a. The Pearl Gecko Dev Kit Starter Kit documentation:
i. UG257: EFM32 Pearl Gecko PG12 Starter Kit User's Guide
ii. https://www.silabs.com/documents/public/user-guides/ug257-stk3402-usersguide.pdf
b. The Pearl Gecko Dev Kit Schematic:
i. You can locate the LED0 and LED1 devices using ctrl-F and then backtrack the signal back to the Pearl Gecko to find its Port and Pin information
ii. https://www.silabs.com/documents/public/schematic-files/EFM32PG12-BRD2501A-A01-schematic.pdf
4. The Pearl Gecko pins are described with the letter P for Port, a letter for the port specified, and then the port pin numbers:
a. For example, in the below schematic snapshot. The signal MCU_PA4 connects to the Pearl Gecko I/O port PA4
b. PA4 represents the following:
i. P = Port
ii. A = A port whose firmware enumeration is gpioPortA
iii. 4 = pin 4 of Port A
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5. Once you find the Port and Pin of the LEDs, expand the Pearl_Blinky project and then open the /src/Header_Files folder. Next, open the brd_config.h file and complete the following #define statements by tracing the connection from the LEDs to the Pearl Gecko. Ports are defined using the enumerations of gpioPortA, gpioPortB, etc.. Pins should be unsigned integers.
• //LED 0 pin is
//Example: PZ23
•
#define LED0_Port
XX
//Example: for port Z, use
gpioPortZ
•
#define LED0_Pin
XX
//Example: 23u (u = unsigned)
•
#define LED0_Default
0
//Default false (0) = off, true (1) = on
• //LED 1 pin is
//Example: PX14
•
#define LED1_Port
XX
//Example: for port X, use
gpioPortX
•
#define LED1_Pin
XX
//Example: 14u (u = unsigned)
•
#define LED1_Default
0
// Default false (0) = off, true (1) = on
NOTE 1:
If you have header file inclusion errors, follow these steps:
1. Right click on your project and click on Properties
2. Expand C/C++ Build and click on Settings
3. Under GNU ARM C Compiler, click on Includes and then Add:
4. You should see this dialog box, click on Workspace:
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5. Expand your project, and src. You should see Header_Files and Source Files
6. Click on Header_Files and then OK
7. Click on OK again to close the dialog box
8. Repeat the same steps to add the Source_Files folder
9. Your screen should look like this:
Do not perform the below instructions of adding the header and source includes under the assembler section. There are instructions how to remove them below.
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a. Please check if you have included “Header_Files” and “Source_Files” under GNU ARM Assembler folders such as Includes. If yes, select these links and delete them.
◦ Right click your project, and click on Properties
◦ Expand C/C++ Build and click on Settings
◦ Click on “GNU ARM Assembler”
o Check each folder
o If you have references to Header_Files and Source_Files, click on each one and then click on the delete icon found above it.
◦ The Header_Files and Source_Files includes mentioned above should only be within the Settings “GNU ARM C Compiler/Includes” folder
10. Click on Apply then OK
11. Your project should now build without include errors
NOTE 2:
If you get a “MAKE” error or similar, you might be missing a toolchain:
To install the missing toolchain (such as GNU ARM v7.2.1) follow these steps
1. Click on the launcher view if you are not already on it:
2.
3.
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At the top right, you should see an icon like the one shown below “Update Software”:
3. Once the Package Manger window appears, click on the “Tools” tab and scroll towards the end. You should see a toolchains section
4. Find GNU ARM Toolchain v7.2 and simply click on Install if it is not already installed:
5. That’s it! Your project should now build without errors.
V- Building and Profiling:
1. Now, click on build to build the project and under the Run pull down menu, select
“Profile.”
b. Simplicity IDE should begin to compile the project, and then download and flash the code onto the Pearl Gecko dev kit
c. After flashing the microcontroller, the code should begin to run, and the LEDs on the dev kit should begin to flash
d. You should always power cycle your board after programming to reset the Energy profiler by switching the power switch from AEM/DBG to BAT and back
If you are using a MacBook and received the below screenshot error message while running the Energy Profiler, please refer to the Appendix at the end of this Lab Assignment.
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2. In the Energy Profiler, click the pause button towards the top center.
3. Reset the measurements by clicking on their respective resets. See next figure.
a. Click the play button towards the top center to restart the Energy Profiler measurements.
[Grab your reader’s attention with
a great quote from the document
or use this space to emphasize a
key point. To place this text box
anywhere on the page, just drag
it.]Reset Resets
4. Click on the lower left of the vertical access to change the scale from logarithmic to linear. Linear is indicated by a straight line at a 45 degree angle while logarithmic is indicated by an arc. Use the linear mode for all measurements in this course. WE WILL
BE USING THE LINEAR MODE FOR ALL MEASUREMENTS IN THIS COURSE UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED!
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5. To get accurate current readings, after each code download, you must move the Power Select Switch on the Pearl Geck dev kit completely to the left and then back to the right.
a. Failure to perform this power reset can affect your Lab worksheet scores
6. You can zoom in and out the vertical axis, current measurement, via the + and – buttons located on the left side approximately ¼ down from the top. The circular arrow will reset the scale to the default current / division setting.
7. You can zoom in and out the horizontal axis, time, via the + and – buttons located at the bottom right corner. The circular arrow will reset the scale to the default time / division setting.
8. Pausing the Energy Profiler, with zooming in while using the linear scale, take the average current measurement to determine the following:
e. Total current drawn when both LEDs are OFF
f. Total current drawn when one LED is ON
g. Total current drawn when both LEDs are ON
9. How much current is one LED consuming?
10. The Pearl Gecko’s outputs can be configured to provide different amount of currents to its output pins. This feature can be used to reduce signal noise by reducing the transition time of the signal or to safe power.
a. In brd_config.h, you will be switching the drive strengths used by gpio.c by altering the definition of the #define STRONG_DRIVE
b. In gpio.h, you will find the commands to set the drive strength of the LED0 and LED1 pins
i. GPIO_DriveStrengthSet(LED1_PORT, LED0_DRIVE_STRENGTH); GPIO_DriveStrengthSet(LED1_PORT, LED1_DRIVE_STRENGTH);
ii. LED0_DRIVE_STRENGTH and LED1_DRIVE_STRENGTH are definitions defined in brd_config.h.
c. The compiler directive in brd_config.h will define these constants as STRONG if the definition STRONG_DRIVE is defined
d. For the next part of this assignment, you will want to explore how changing the output drive of the Pearl Gecko’s outputs affect your previous measurements.
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By commenting out the definition of STRONG_DRIVE, you will see that the else
clause is now active, not shaded out, indicating that the definitions
LED0_DRIVE_STRENGTH and LED1_DRIVE_STRENGTH will now be defined as
Weak.
11. Rebuild/compile and run the updated program. Remember to always switch the power connector from AEM/DBG to BAT and back to reset the Energy Profiler
11. Pausing the Energy Profiler, with zooming in with the linear scale, take the average current measurement to determine the following:
a. Total current drawn when both LEDs are OFF
b. Total current drawn when one LED is ON
c. Total current drawn when two LEDs are ON
12. How much current is one LED consuming?
13. Now go back into the Simplicity IDE, and comment out the following line of code in the main.c routine
a. GPIO_PinOutSet(LED1_port, LED1_pin); => //GPIO_PinOutSet(LED1_port, LED1_pin);
14. Now click on Run for Simplicity Studio to compile, flash, and start the updated program.
15. To complete the assignment, you must export your project and upload it into the Lab 1 Assignment in the course Canvas website.
a. Export the project by right clicking your project in the IDE perspective and then selecting Export from the main menu File pulldown
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b. In the Export popup window, insure your project is select and then click on More Export Options.
c. In the More Export Options, you may need to expand the window to see all the options. Select Archive File and then click on Next.
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d. In the next Export popup window, make sure that only your project is selected and that you have selected a folder and name for the exported .zip project. Once ready, click Finish.
e. Now locate your .zip exported project and upload it into the Lab 1 assignment located in this course Canvas course website.
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Reference link: Hardware Abstraction Level (HAL)
• https://docs.silabs.com/mcu/latest/efm32pg12/
Questions:
Complete the Lab 1 worksheet for this Lab. The Lab 1 worksheet can be found in the Canvas Course Quiz section.
Point breakdown:
Lab 1
•
Program execution (exported project)
10 pts
Late Penalty deduction:
• Exported program
o Due day + 1 day
o 1 day late to 3 days late
o After 3 days late
max score is 8 pts
max score is 6 pts
max score is 0 pts
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Appendix A (Possible MAC O/S fix for j-link silink error):
If you are on a MacBook and have issues with the Energy Profiler, please try the following recommendation from Silicon Labs. It has been validated by several students.
Here is the feedback from Silicon Labs regarding the j-link/silink error on MAC O/S based systems. If you are having this issue, can you please read the following and implement the recommended work around?
I just verified the bug on my Mac. It is a bug occurring on the newest SDK. The bug fix is provided in the KBA provided by Craig and I have verified it works on Mac.
Craig's knowledge based posting:
https://www.silabs.com/community/software/simplicity-studio/knowledge-base.entry.html/2019/12/20/issue_with_networkanalyzerandenergyprofileron-uqTQ (Links to an external site.)
Here is a bit more specific solution:
cd /Applications/Simplicity\ Studio.app/Contents/Eclipse/developer/adapter_packs/silink (this is the default path on the Mac, it could be different if customized installation path is used, just cd into the silink folder inside the SDK)
rm libjlinkarm.6.dylib
ln -s libjlinkarm.6.22.4.dylib libjlinkarm.6.dylib
rm libjlinkarm.dylib
ln -s libjlinkarm.6.22.4.dylib libjlinkarm.dylib
5 lines into terminal, and it should fix the problem.
Hope this resolved your problem! Go Buffs!
Regards,
Silicon Labs
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