RTOS/MSP430F5438A: How to configure the TI-RTOS to generate MSP-EXP430F5438-A2_pr430XS with __pic (position independent code) runtime

Hello Allen,

You may find it helpful to search for "__pic" in the IAR C/C++ Compiler Reference Guide for Texas Instruments’ MSP430 Microcontroller. It seems that for the Runtime model attribute "__pic", you can specify either "ropi" or "no" for the value.

Also, I found another related thread where the Debug versus Release configurations affected this behavior. According to Anders, enabling "ropi" made the code much harder to read.

Release hex created in IAR MSP430 does not work?

Regards,

James

MSP Customer Applications

Thanks Sean,

Yesterday I tried to rebuild the TI-RTOS by modifying the build configuration files (bios.bld and drivers.bld).

var ccOpts = {
......

"iar.targets.msp430.MSP430X_small" : "--ropi",     // --ropi is noe added

......
};

However, the build stops with some error messages shown below. It seems the compiler option key words "--ropi", "__pic", or "__ropi" are not supported.

Is it correct to add compiler option in that two .bld file? If yes, what is the key word?? 

Thanks very much.

Allen

Another possible solution is to reconfigure the BIOS by a proper compiler options, but I was not able to find the right option for PIC or ROPI yet.

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the feedback.

1) For you first suggestion of rebuilding driverlib/drivers, I have successfully rebuilt the bios.o with the --ropi option, by adding this compiler option in the .cfg file.

BIOS.libType = BIOS.LibType_Custom;

BIOS.customCCOpts += "--ropi";

However, another file xxx_pr430XS.or430XS (locates in the folder xxx\configPkg\package\cfg) is still not 'ropi' enabled.

It seems this file is built automatically, how can we add the "--ropi" to this file as well?

2) How to add the files (driverlib and driver files) directly into the project?

Thanks

Allen

Allen,

I haven't had luck rebuilding those libraries with that option thus far, have you tried adding '-ropi' to the 'profiles' section of this file:?

C:\ti\tirtos_msp43x_2_20_00_06\products\bios_6_46_00_23\packages\iar\targets\msp430\MSP430X_small.xdc

But maybe we could get around needing those libraries at all if we added the source/header files directly to your project.

For adding the files, you'd have to know which drivers your application was using as well as the driverlib files that those drivers were using and add them into your IAR project. Then those files would be compiled locally with your project's compile flags and so the library wouldn't be necessary at link time.

Thanks,

Sean

Hi Sean,

Thanks, I just tried to add the "--ropi" option in the file MSP430X_small.xdc in the folder C:\ti\tirtos_msp43x_2_20_00_06\products\bios_6_46_00_23\packages\iar\targets\msp430\.

/*!
* ======== cc ========
* The command used to compile C/C++ source files into object files
*
* Defaults:
* @p(dlist)
* -`-e`
* enable compiler extensions so it's possible to get segment
* start addresses in C, via:
* @p(code)
* #pragma segment = "CSTACK"
* isrStack = __segment_begin("CSTACK");
* @p
* -`--core=430X`
* MSP430X architecture
* -`--data_model`
* Small data model for MSP430X architecture
* -`--save_reg20`
* All 20 bits of registers are preserved in all interrupt functions
* @p
*/
override readonly config Command cc = {
cmd: "icc430",
opts: "-e --core=430X --data_model=small --save_reg20 --ropi"
};

But the build log still indicates as follows:

"Error[e117]: Incompatible runtime models. Module MSP-EXP430F5438-A2_pr430XS specifies that '__pic' must be 'no', but module adc has the value 'ropi'

"

I have not got chance to add the library files to the project directly, did you successfully try this method?

Hi Sean,

In the link below which says "There is no way to use SYS/BIOS without XDCtools. To replace XDCtools, you would need another tool to read a CFG script and then generate a source file that's compiled and linked with SYS/BIOS libraries and the app. I don't know of any such tool."

https://e2e.ti.com/support/embedded/tirtos/f/355/t/189232?DSP-SYS-BIOS-without-using-the-XDC

So how could we manage to use the BIOS and library without the config file and XDCTool in your opinion?

Thanks

Allen

Hi Allen,

Thanks again for your patience. Just a quick status update. After some debugging with engineers more familiar with XDCtools, we've determined that the IAR xdc tooling does not pass the flag properly and lacks the option to specify a custom config bld file. Overwriting the xdc target is also not sufficient unless the package is rebuilt on our end. We are exploring alternate solutions for this problem and hopefully I will have better news for you early next week.

Thanks,

Sean

Thanks Sean for the update.

Hope the alternate solution will be found for this problem.

Besides adding "ropi" to the IAR_MSP430X_SMALL target, do we need to rebuild the library with the --ropi option as well? 

If so, where shall we add the option?

Thanks

Allen

Thanks Sean,

I will try your solutions in the following days and I will let you know how it works. 

For you last suggestion, "compile the kernel normally with a small app that jumps into the separate position independent code app", if I understand correct, the small app has the RTOS enabled and the other app code which supports the independent code will not use the RTOS? 

Do I understand correctly?

Thanks

Allen