Hi,

it seems that a 'serializing' message of mine did not make it due to
routing problems ;-)

Here it is again:

1. To be able to use the serialization method, make sure that you select
INHX16 code generation in the assembler (list directive). Do not use COD
format. Use a batch file to run the programmer and the object file through
it. I have never used MPLAB so I don't know but I STRONGLY prefer make for
this sort of job (GNU or some other Unix make ported to DOS shell).

2. The exact format of the INHX16 file is described at www.wotsit.org and
the number of Words need not be doubled in NN (you saw an INHX8M file
probably which is an abominable format imho - it is confusing, ugly, and
unjustifiable).  Remember to compute the checksum on bytes, not words. For
checksum purposes each DDDD is taken as DD + DD ... The sum including SS
modulo 0x100 must be zero.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 21:57:02 +0300 (IDT)
From: "Peter L. Peres" <plp@plp.plp.home.org>
To: pic microcontroller discussion list <piclist@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Serializing


>how it is done

I can't give you the source, but here is a rational english outline of
what is done:

filenames: last_generated_file log_file
numbers: last_code new_code
strings: line

start
open last_generated_file // O_RDONLY
if not error on open then
  read line from last_generated_file
  last_code = parse line
  if error parsing
    scream and die
  fi
  close last_generated_file
else
  last_code = FIRST_CODE // hard coded value in program
fi
new_code = hash_somehow last_code // simplest is to increment
open last_generated_file for write // O_CREAT | O_TRUNC | O_WRONLY
if error opening then
  scream and die
write new_code into last_generated_file on one line
close last_generated_file
open log_file for append or create // O_CREAT | O_APPEND | O_WRONLY
if error opening then
  scream and die
fi
write new_code into log_file on one line
close log_file
write new_code as a single line hex (INHX16) record on stdout using proper
encoding followed by a NEWLINE (in C), at address taken from arg1.
end

This is used in a DOS batch file like:

date >temp_file
copy log_file temp_file log_file
:here
  prompt.bat // ask user to insert chip and punch key or ^C to exit
  serialh 0x80 >temp_file // this is the program above, compiled
  copy temp_file hex_file.hex hex_out.hex
  pgmdrv <many args here> hex_out.hex // program the file
goto here // forever

Obviously there are no // comments in DOS batch files. It's been a while
since I wrote something in DOS shell language so please check the syntax
carefully. Some error check phases were omitted in the rational english
description above.

I remind that a INHX16 file record has the line (record structure):

:NNAAAACCDDDD...SS

where NN is the number of data (DDDD) WORDS (16 bits) in the line, AAAA
the absolute address where the 1st word is placed, DDDD four hex digits
expressing a 16-bit word, NN of them, and SS a checksum computed using the
sum of all the bytes (not WORDS) in the record, including NN,AAAA,CC and
all DDDD, like this:

SS = (0x100 - (sum(as above) % 0x100)) % 0x100

where % is the modulo operator. Just in case. There should be a 0x13 at
the end of the line. In C one prints '\n' and the compiler and OS
library stubs manufacture the proper output for the OS used. In VB I don't
know.

Peter