Programming Persistors in C

At one level, programming in C for the Persistor is very similar to programming native C applications for your desktop computer. This is largely due to the Metrowerks CodeWarrior programming tools for the Persistor which are designed for native application development and must compete on an even footing with the best of the commercial compiler packages. It's also due to the sophistication of the Motorola 68338 microcontroller and the ability of the PicoDOS operating system to provide a familiar DOS-like environment. MotoCross glues this all together with high speed communications between your PC and the Persistor for quick "code and test" iteration cycles.

At another level, programming in C for the Persistor is very different from desktop coding. First, you're coding programs on one machine that are meant to work on a completely different machine. This means debugging with printf statements and an oscilloscope which is much more tedious than simply dropping into a friendly source level debugger and stepping through the C instructions. Second, it's extremely unlikely you can get away with ignoring the hardware and achieve the goals that prompted you to buy a Persistor.

So, if your only programming experience has been on the desktop for native applications, you'll find this system comfortable, but a bit more complex than straight PC programming. If your only programming experience has been with embedded computers and conventional cross development systems, be prepared for a real treat.

MotoCross and CodeWarrior Pro

The MotoCross package transforms the Metrowerks CodeWarrior C Compiler into a powerful integrated development environments for embedded 68000 based microcontrollers. Using MotoCross, you can write and test code for your Persistor with the same speed and convenience you've become accustomed to in native code development.

The principal components of the MotoCross package are replacement CPU32 modules that handle startup and support the standard C libraries, the Persistor function libraries, a post linker that generates the loadable binary and hex files, and the MotoCross communications program to interact with your target system.

Installation and Tutorial

Your first step toward developing with the CF1 is installing Metrowerks CodeWarrior and working through an example project. This is described in the printed Getting Started Guide that came with your CF1 Developers Kit and is also available as the Adobe Acrobat PDF document CF1 Getting Started Guide.

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