Getting started with XMOS

[Folknology]

Excellent that's really cool Corin, I didn't even know about these (the software links), is this an announcement or were they announced before? The reason I ask is because when I originally requested them (rather a long time ago) they could not be provided, and I hadn't seen any announcement subsequently.

It might be a good idea to get it up on the xcore github area where you can include the Xmos opensource license and contributor agreement, plus any documentation however sparse. I am sure folks here will be keen to contribute and help make it even better.

regards
Al

[Corin]

These items went up approximately a year ago when the other USB items got placed on the website.

We'll look into getting them put up on github...

Kind Regards,
Corin

[Folknology]

Thanks Corin

[Ganux]

So if I got this right, you have to use an LS1 to load the program-code in my LS2 over JTAG?

Regards,
Ganux

[Corin]

Correct. The L1 featured on the XTAG2 is a USB to JTAG convetor.

After making the board, the XTAG2 bootloader firmware needs burning into the OTP of the L1-64LQFP - probably using another XTAG2.

Kind Regards,
Corin

[Ganux]

So, no mather what, I'll need an XTAG2 device to program the L1?
Isn't there a way to program it in any other way, without the use of extra hardware (wich i do not really want to put on my PCB...)?

[Corin]

Unfortunately yes - unless you already have an Amontec JTAGkey which also work with our tools, or a SPI FLASH programmer, with which you can program the firmware onto a SPI FLASH.

Kind Regards,
Corin

[jonathan]

As Corin says, you don't *need* the XTAG-2 interface, but it is recommended by XMOS as that's what they are spending time developing "features" for at the moment. All you really need is a JTAG programmer but you will need the one Corin specified because the tools (unmodified) only support that specific programmer at present.

I think that part of the tools can be binary patched to enable the support of other programmers - and has been by some smart individuals - which would of course be unnecessary if this part of the tools were open-sourced (when support for any programmer could just be added at the source level).

[Ganux]

so, can i use my AVRisp mkII to program the L1?

[Corin]

No - you can either use an Amontec JTAGkey, XTAG or XTAG2.

Kind Regards,
Corin