Windows Quick Start - Revision history

Fede.tft at 21:03, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T21:03:18Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:03, 10 May 2026
Line 142:		Line 142:
	== Compiling ==		== Compiling ==

	In the same terminal you used to run Perl, type ''make'' to build the kernel. If all goes well, the result should look like this.		In the same terminal you used to run Perl, type ''make'' to build the kernel.

			<source lang="bash">
			make
			</source>

			If all goes well, the result should look like this.

	[[File:Make-output-windows.png]]		[[File:Make-output-windows.png]]

Fede.tft at 21:00, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T21:00:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 10 May 2026
Line 131:		Line 131:
	</source>		</source>

	At this point, it's good to have a quick walkthrough of this hello world program. Miosix is based on a [[Fluid kernel]] architecture: in a nutshell it's kernel that supports writing applications both inside the kernel, and inside userspace programs. In this tutorial, we're using it as a unikernel. This means when power is applied to the board, the kernel will boot, and then start running the ''main()'' function you just wrote ''in kernelspace''. This means you have both support for C/C++ standard libraries and unrestricted hardware access.		At this point, it's good to have a quick walkthrough of this hello world program. Miosix is based on a [[Fluid kernel]] architecture: in a nutshell it's a kernel that supports writing applications both inside the kernel, and inside userspace programs. In this tutorial, we're using it as a unikernel. This means when power is applied to the board, the kernel will boot, and then start running the ''main()'' function you just wrote ''in kernelspace''. This means you have both support for C/C++ standard libraries and unrestricted hardware access.

	This main() function will print "Hello world" and blink an LED approximately every second.		This main() function will print "Hello world" and blink an LED approximately every second.
	The printing is done with the ''iprintf()'' function. If you expected just ''printf()'' without the ''i'', the reason is that Miosix uses the [https://sourceware.org/newlib/ Newlib] C standard library that provides both ''printf()'' and ''iprintf()'', an optimized version that is smaller in code size but incapable of printing floating point numbers. So you can also use ''printf()'' if you wish, but this optimization is worth knowing from the start.		The printing is done with the ''iprintf()'' function. If you expected just ''printf()'' without the ''i'', the reason is that Miosix uses the [https://sourceware.org/newlib/ Newlib] C standard library that provides both ''printf()'' and ''iprintf()'', an optimized version that is smaller in code size but incapable of printing floating point numbers. So you can also use ''printf()'' if you wish, but this optimization is worth knowing from the start.

	Sleeping to blink the LED is done with the [https://en.cppreference.com/cpp/thread/sleep_for sleep_for()] function from the C++ standard library. Miosix supports other sleeping APIs, such as [https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/nanosleep.html nanosleep()] from POSIX, or ''Thread::sleep()'', a native Miosix function. All these functions do the same thing: they tell the scheduler to stop the currently running thread, run some other thread, and resume execution after a given time interval. Miosix is a preemptive multithreading operating system, so you should get comfortable with the fact that the code you're writing lives in a thread and ~~shared~~ the CPU with other threads.		Sleeping to blink the LED is done with the [https://en.cppreference.com/cpp/thread/sleep_for sleep_for()] function from the C++ standard library. Miosix supports other sleeping APIs, such as [https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/functions/nanosleep.html nanosleep()] from POSIX, or ''Thread::sleep()'', a native Miosix function. All these functions do the same thing: they tell the scheduler to stop the currently running thread, run some other thread, and resume execution after a given time interval. Miosix is a preemptive multithreading operating system, so you should get comfortable with the fact that the code you're writing lives in a thread and shares the CPU with other threads.

	Many (but not all!) board support packages define the ''ledOn()'' and ''ledOff()'' functions to control one of the LED on the board. This should be true for all the boards that have at least one software-accessible LED. This is true for the ''stm32f746zg_nucleo'' board we selected, but if you selected a different board with no LEDs, then compiling will fail with an error related to ''ledOn()'' and ''ledOff()''. You can comment out those two lines in this case, your hello world will only print to the serial port.		Many (but not all!) board support packages define the ''ledOn()'' and ''ledOff()'' functions to control one of the LED on the board. This should be true for all the boards that have at least one software-accessible LED. This is true for the ''stm32f746zg_nucleo'' board we selected, but if you selected a different board with no LEDs, then compiling will fail with an error related to ''ledOn()'' and ''ledOff()''. You can comment out those two lines in this case, your hello world will only print to the serial port.

Fede.tft at 17:07, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T17:07:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:07, 10 May 2026
Line 156:		Line 156:
	== Accessing the serial port ==		== Accessing the serial port ==

	The USB to serial port adapter will appear on Windows ~~appears~~ as a randomly numbered COM port. To figure out the right number, you'll have to open ''Devices'' from the control panel:		The USB to serial port adapter will appear on Windows as a randomly numbered COM port. To figure out the right number, you'll have to open ''Devices'' from the control panel:

	[[File:Windows-list-devices.png]]		[[File:Windows-list-devices.png]]

Fede.tft at 17:06, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T17:06:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:06, 10 May 2026
Line 150:		Line 150:
	== Flashing ==		== Flashing ==

	The procedure to flash the microcontroller board on Windows depends on the vendor-provided flashing tool. ~~The~~ usually provide a GUI where you can load the ''.bin'' file and then connect to the board and flash it. For Miosix the file is named main.bin if you're not using processes, or image.bin if you are using processes. For this tutorial, look for ''main.bin'' in the '''hello''' directory.		The procedure to flash the microcontroller board on Windows depends on the vendor-provided flashing tool. They usually provide a GUI where you can load the ''.bin'' file and then connect to the board and flash it. For Miosix the file is named main.bin if you're not using processes, or image.bin if you are using processes. For this tutorial, look for ''main.bin'' in the '''hello''' directory.

	If you correctly flashed the board, the LED will start blinking.		If you correctly flashed the board, the LED will start blinking.

Fede.tft at 17:05, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T17:05:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:05, 10 May 2026
Line 150:		Line 150:
	== Flashing ==		== Flashing ==

	~~There are two ways~~ to ~~program~~ the ~~stm32f4discovery~~ board. ~~One is to use QSTLink2 directly from~~ the ~~terminal you already have open by typing~~ '~~make program~~' (connect the ~~USB cable first!),~~ the ~~other~~ is ~~through QSTLink2~~'~~s GUI~~. ~~You can find QSTLink2~~ in the ~~start menu~~		The procedure to flash the microcontroller board on Windows depends on the vendor-provided flashing tool. The usually provide a GUI where you can load the ''.bin'' file and then connect to the board and flash it. For Miosix the file is named main.bin if you're not using processes, or image.bin if you are using processes. For this tutorial, look for ''main.bin'' in the '''hello''' directory.

	~~[[File:Qstlink2startmenuwindows~~.~~png]]~~		If you correctly flashed the board, the LED will start blinking.

	~~Once you start it, you have to click on ''Connect'', and it should find your ''stm32f4discovery'' board. After that, click on ''Send'' and select~~ the ~~''main.bin'' file in the Miosix top-level directory.~~		== Accessing the serial port ==

	~~[[File~~:~~Qstlink2flashingwindows.png]]~~		The USB to serial port adapter will appear on Windows appears as a randomly numbered COM port. To figure out the right number, you'll have to open ''Devices'' from the control panel:

	~~Note that~~, ~~regardless of using QSTLink2 form~~ the ~~terminal or~~ the ~~GUI~~, ~~there is~~ a ~~bug that~~ in ~~some circumstances blocks~~ the ~~microcontroller until the next powercycle~~. ~~Therefore, after having programmed the microcontroller~~, ~~it is recomended to unplug and reconnect the USB cable to powercycle the~~ ''~~stm32f4discovery~~'' board~~. At that point~~, you ~~shuold~~ see the ~~red LED blinking~~.		[[File:Windows-list-devices.png]]

			Today, on my computer, Windows decided to assign the STM32 board to COM3.

			Next up, open PuTTY and configure it to open the right COM port. Starting from Miosix v3.00, all boards use by default a baud rate of 115200bit/s, so input 115200 in the ''Speed'' field:

			[[File:Windows-putty-configuration.png]]

			Finally, click ''Open'' and you should see the serial port messages from the microcontroller. Since the board will be already running when you connect, you can press the RESET button on the board to reboot it and see the boot logs:

			[[File:Windows-putty-serial.png]]

	= A note on uninstalling software =		= A note on uninstalling software =

Fede.tft at 16:54, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T16:54:57Z

Show changes

Fede.tft at 15:25, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T15:25:14Z

Show changes

Fede.tft at 15:06, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T15:06:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:06, 10 May 2026
Line 1:		Line 1:
	=~~== Before you begin ==~~=		= Installing the required software =

	~~Before you can install~~ the Miosix Toolchain on Windows, you will need to install [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_%28software%29 git], which is necessary to download the Miosix kernel and keep it up to date, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perl Perl], which is a scripting language used when compiling the kernel, and the STLink drivers if you want to program stm32 boards that have an USB-based STLinkV2 programmer/debugger.		== Install the Miosix Toolchain ==

	* For git, ~~it is recomended~~ to ~~install~~ it ~~from~~ [~~http://www.git-scm.com/download/win git-scm.com~~]. ~~Please '''do not''' uncheck~~ the ~~''Windows Explorer integration'' feature during~~ the installation~~, as~~ you will need it ~~to install the kernel sources.~~		To be able to compile the Miosix kernel and your application, you need a patched version of the GCC compiler called Miosix toolchain, you can find the link to download it [[Miosix Toolchain\|here]]. At the end of the installation you will need to reboot your computer (sorry, it's Windows...)
	* [http://strawberryperl.com Strawberry perl] is the recomended perl version for Miosix on Windows
	* The STLink drivers can be found on the [http://www.st.~~com/web/en/catalog/tools/PF258168# ST website]~~.

	Finally, it is recomended to download a better text editor than Notepad or WordPad, as you will need it to edit the Miosix configuration files. [http://www.notepad-plus-plus.org/ Notepad++] is a good option, but many other options exist. Just '''don't use notepad''', because it does not recognize Unix [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_ending line-endings] and will show you Miosix source files as if they were composed of a single line of text.		== Git ==

	~~Once you have downloaded~~ and ~~installed the aforementioned software~~, you ~~can proceed with~~ the ~~installation of the Miosix Toolchain~~.		To download the Miosix kernel and keep it up to date, you need the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Git_%28software%29 git] version control system.

	~~=== Install~~ the ~~Miosix Toolchain ===~~		It is recommended to install it from [http://www.git-scm.com/download/win git-scm.com]. Please '''do not''' uncheck the ''Windows Explorer integration'' feature during the installation, as you will need it to install the kernel sources.

	~~Download the [[Miosix Toolchain]] and run it. At the end you will need to reboot your computer (sorry, it's Windows...)~~		== Perl ==

	~~=== Get~~ the Miosix ~~kernel sources ===~~		The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perl Perl] programming language is used by the Miosix build system. Unlike on GNU/Linux computers where Perl is pre-installed, for Windows you'll need to install it separately.

	Go to the ~~directory where~~ you want to ~~dowload~~ the Miosix kernel, for ~~example~~ the ~~Documents~~ directory, and right-click on it. Select ''Git bash'' to open a git shell. There you can type the commands to download the kernel.		[http://strawberryperl.com Strawberry perl] is the recomended Perl version for Miosix on Windows.

			== Flashing tool ==

			With the installed Miosix toolchain you'll be able to compile the kernel, but you'll also need a way to transfer it to your microcontroller. This operation is usually called 'flashing' the microcontroller. Miosix can work with any flashing utility that accepts as input raw binary files, and on Windows you'll usually want to install the flashing tool provided by your chip vendor.

			For STM32 chips, you can use the STLink utility available [http://www.st.com/web/en/catalog/tools/PF258168# here].

			== Text editor or IDE ==

			It is recommended to download a better text editor than Notepad, as you will need it to edit the Miosix configuration files. [http://www.notepad-plus-plus.org/ Notepad++] is a good option, but many other options exist. Just '''don't use Notepad''', because it does not recognize Unix [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_ending line-endings] and will show you Miosix source files as if they were composed of a single line of text.

			As an alternative to Notepad++, you may want to use an [[IDEs\|IDE]].

			== Serial port viewer ==

			Miosix redirects ''stdin''/''stdout'' to a serial port by default on most boards, so to see the boot log and the output of ''printf()'' in your application you need a program to interact with the serial port. [https://putty.org/index.html PuTTY] is an option, although old fashioned. TODO: There are likely better options for Windows too.

			= Downloading and configuring the Miosix kernel =

			This section is a stripped down guide with the bare minimum to get you started, we also have a full guide about [[Miosix and git workflow]]. Following the tutorial in this page, your project directory will '''not''' be under version control (git). The [[Miosix and git workflow]] page shows how to create a git repository for your project and add the Miosix kernel as a git submodule.

			Before downloading the kernel, however, you first have to create '''a directory for your project''' (in this case, the hello world), and then clone the kernel '''as a subdirectory'''.

			Using the Windows explorer, create a '''hello'' directory, double click on it. Then right-click on the empty directory. Select ''Git bash'' to open a git shell. There you can type the commands to download the kernel.

	[[File:Gitbashwindows.png]]		[[File:Gitbashwindows.png]]

Fede.tft at 07:33, 10 May 2026

2026-05-10T07:33:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:33, 10 May 2026
Line 132:		Line 132:

	Note that, regardless of using QSTLink2 form the DOS prompt or the GUI, there is a bug that in some circumstances blocks the microcontroller until the next powercycle. Therefore, after having programmed the microcontroller, it is recomended to unplug and reconnect the USB cable to powercycle the ''stm32f4discovery'' board. At that point, you shuold see the red LED blinking.		Note that, regardless of using QSTLink2 form the DOS prompt or the GUI, there is a bug that in some circumstances blocks the microcontroller until the next powercycle. Therefore, after having programmed the microcontroller, it is recomended to unplug and reconnect the USB cable to powercycle the ''stm32f4discovery'' board. At that point, you shuold see the red LED blinking.

	~~Lastly, if you have a brand new board and QSTlink doesn't work you may take a look at [[ST-LINK utility update\|this page]].~~

	=== What's next? ===		=== What's next? ===

Silseva at 08:48, 16 December 2016

2016-12-16T08:48:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:48, 16 December 2016
Line 132:		Line 132:

	Note that, regardless of using QSTLink2 form the DOS prompt or the GUI, there is a bug that in some circumstances blocks the microcontroller until the next powercycle. Therefore, after having programmed the microcontroller, it is recomended to unplug and reconnect the USB cable to powercycle the ''stm32f4discovery'' board. At that point, you shuold see the red LED blinking.		Note that, regardless of using QSTLink2 form the DOS prompt or the GUI, there is a bug that in some circumstances blocks the microcontroller until the next powercycle. Therefore, after having programmed the microcontroller, it is recomended to unplug and reconnect the USB cable to powercycle the ''stm32f4discovery'' board. At that point, you shuold see the red LED blinking.

			Lastly, if you have a brand new board and QSTlink doesn't work you may take a look at [[ST-LINK utility update\|this page]].

	=== What's next? ===		=== What's next? ===