
	Make Controller Kit Firmware API

Make Controller Kit - Firmware API

Overview

The Make Controller Board is a powerful, flexible, and easy to use microcontroller, based on the Atmel ARM7 SAM7X256. It is designed to interface easily to additional circuitry in order to connect with the real world.

The Make Controller Board can be plugged into into the Make Application Board which makes use of nearly all the devices on the Controller. Alternatively, it can be plugged into a piece of hardware of your creation.

To jump right into browsing the API, click on Modules above.

Software Environment

The Make Controller Kit software environment is a fusion of four main bodies of code:

User code - the applications that you, the user, create.
MakingThings library - code that MakingThings has contributed to make it easier to work with the Make Controller Kit.
FreeRTOS - an open source Real Time Operating System for the SAM7X. See http://www.freertos.org
lwIP - a complete and open source TCIP/IP code library. See http://www.sics.se/~adam/lwip/

To ensure that the software environment for the Controller is consistent, regardless of the interface hardware, the code for the Controller Board has been kept separate from the code for the Application Board to make this as easy as possible:

The Controller module provides the core routines required for the Make Controller Board.
The AppBoard module provides routines that work with the Make Application Board, and are often based on or use code from the ControllerBoard module.
The OSC module provides a communication interface to the Make Controller Kit from other computers and devices.

Software for the Make Controller Kit is open source, and thus subject to the licensing of each module of code. Be sure to acquaint yourself with the licenses for the main bodies of code in the Make Controller firmware codebase:

MakingThings: http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
FreeRTOS: http://www.freertos.org/a00114.html
lwIP: http://www.xfree86.org/3.3.6/COPYRIGHT2.html#5

Tools

The firmware for the Make Controller Kit can be built using the freely available ARM-flavored version of the GCC compiler, arm-elf-gcc. Many toolchains are available - OS X and Windows versions can be found on the MakingThings downloads page: http://www.makingthings.com/resources/downloads Other good options include:

GNU-ARM: http://www.gnuarm.com
WinARM (Windows-only): http://www.siwawi.arubi.uni-kl.de/avr_projects/arm_projects/#winarm
YAGARTO (Windows-only): http://www.yagarto.de

To upload new firmware to your Make Controller, you have a few options:

Use mchelper, Make Controller Helper, an app from MakingThings: http://www.makingthings.com/resources/downloads
Use sam7utils, a command line app: http://oss.tekno.us/sam7utils
Use a JTAG device.

Rowley also provides a very good IDE for ARM7 projects called CrossWorks, which supports in-circuit debugging. There are single user licenses available. Check http://www.rowley.co.uk/arm/index.htm

Community

As you begin to create projects with the Make Controller, please consider contributing any potentially helpful material you generate or come across. This could be anything from source code, to schematics, to instructions on how to interface with a particular device.

The best places to get in touch are:

MakingThings forums: http://www.makingthings.com/forum
MakingThings bug tracker & development wiki: http://dev.makingthings.com
MakingThings IRC channel: makingthings on irc.freenode.net

We look forward to hearing about your projects! Make Controller Kit