Where I write an Arduino program to test pins on a specific board in order to confirm a Forth HAL for the same board.

Pin Testing#

When writing software which will control a circuit, it is best to confirm the behavior of circuit using known or familar test software before attempting to write with a new language. For example, I am developing a HAL/Primitive/User layer for the ESP32 using ESPForth. As the board, the Adafruit HUZZAH32 has an Arduino framework already developed for it, it is a good idea to test the board using the Arduino C++ code before testing it with the ESPForth words.

I discuss designating ESPForth as ArduinoForth, which is Forth words calling the Arduino framework.ESPForth is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to learn Forth, however it is based on the Arduino framework. This entry continues to explore how to use ESPForth calling Arduino routines on the Adafruit ESP32 HUZZAH32.

Change of plans (again)#

This entry is pretty much deprecated for two reasons:

1. There is a bug (or I don’t understand it) in CH Ting’s version of ESPForth in the word “constant”. Through several attempts over multiple months, I haven’t been able to have it consistently store a value. I looked at the C++ code and wasn’t able to determine the issue. Ultimately, this prevents one from writing a readable Hardware Abstraction Level (HAL), as much of an HAL are constant definitions.
2. While attempting to solve #1, I ran across a new version of ESPForth, ESPForth 7.0.

Change of plans#

For several days, I attempted to use the HUZZAH32 in its native mode, meaning I look at the registers such as GPIO_OUT_W1TS_REG and set specific pins to achieve what I need. I ran into significant issues, with some pins working well, while others had inconsistent results. It was this inconsistency that caused me to rethink how I approached this specific version of Forth, ESPForth.

Here are links to Arduino information, primarily for the Uno and the AVR ATmega328P.

The content on this site is intended to inspire, teach or to simply help with specific topics or concepts using the Arduino Uno. This links on this page are additional resources for a more formal learning as to Arduino framework and the Atmega328P.

Must have software for Arduino programming#

Arduino IDE

Its always helpful to have the Arduino IDE, as one can quickly test a board or run a C++ routine to determine if they are doing the right thing in Forth (yes, this is cheating)

Introduction#

While the Arduino tool set, (both the Arduino IDE and Arduino software framework) are outstanding for quickly developing a working prototype, they do so with a combination of a graphical-user-interface (GUI), the C++ language and Arduino-only classes. This in itself, isn’t a problem, one can be quite efficient and productive using this approach.

This approach is an issue if you are at a university or job which expects a standards-based C language proficiency. It is also an issue, if your class or job, requires understanding how to use command-line-interface (CLI)-based tools. The C language, and not C++, is the basis of a significant number of embedded systems development.