Parallax SX Embedded Controller Development Languages

Compilers

• Asm

  • SASM v1.48 - SX Cross Assembler from Ubicom.
    • See: Converting from SXKey to SASM
       
  • Parallax SX-Key is a "wonder of magic" (about $100)
    • Use Al Williams Microchip-style mnemonics (cached 20000731) for PIC coding in the SXKey.
    • My macros (a work in progress for the SXKey)
    • v2.0 can also use SASM v1.48 as the compiler
    • http://www.parallax.com/sx/sxb.asp SX/B free code generator makes SX assembly from simple BASIC commands. If you can't read cfm files, the help file is available here
       
  • Microchip MPLAB. Since the SX chips are PIC clones, you can use Microchip compiler!
    • Use sxdefs.inc from Richard Ottosen for Scenix coding in MPLAB then program the Hex file to the SX using just about any SX Programmer
    • Richard Ottosen's LstFix can postprocess listing files from MPASM to remove unnecessary lines and make them easier to read.
       
  • http://tech-tools.com/cvasm16.htm is the decendent of Parallax SPASM which was sold to Tech-Tools. Download from ftp://ftp.tech-tools.com/cvasm16.zip
     
  • Chuck Glenn's Scenix Toolkit  includes an assembler (cached 20010605) and simulator (cached 20010605) for Windows
     
  • http://www.semis.demon.co.uk/Sx/SXmain.htm New home of the fluf2asm assembler. "...allows both SCENIX and Microchip commands to be assembled. Also added are the new SX18/28 and SX48/52 include files and Ben's tune 'demo' program, see demo.txt. I have tried porting several large PIC programs using this assembler and apart from some initial port settings very little work is required."
  • The sourceforge project "gputils" apparently has support for all the SX chips.
     

• C

  (Most of the C compilers that support the SX chips also support the Microchip PIC chips -- consider merging this "C" section with /techref/microchip/language/cs.htm

  • http://www.bknd.com/cc1b/index.shtml CC1B is a beta C compiler for the SX chips from bknd. Although limited, it does quite well.
    http://www.rwsenser.com/ C4SX integrates CC1B and the Parallax SX-Key IDE. Also search the Parallax forums^{^} for "C4SX".
     
  • http://www.htsoft.com excellent PIC C (commercial) or PIC C LITE (free) compiler can now be used to develop programs for the SX!

    This leverages the fact that the SX 18/28 chips are basically clones of PIC 16c5x chips from Microchip.

    Start with the PIC C LITE compiler
    http://www.htsoft.com/products/compilers/PICClite.php which produces very nice PIC 16C5x code.

    Add the AS2SX post-processor to re-optimize the code for the SX chips. This software can be downloaded separately from https://geocities.restorativland.org/SiliconValley/Station/7733/ AS2SX automaticaly allocates all globals and locals variables and "uses many advanced methods and know-how for bank/page instructions optimization."

    You can compile files with HiTech C to AS_source, than assemble and optimize it with AS2SX: C_SOURCE -> PIC_C -> AS_SOURCE -> AS2SX -> Nice_CODE_for_SX.
     
    If you register, you can also download full SX-DEV software version from http://www.svtehs.com, where both HiTech PICL C and AS2SX included.
    With this system you can not only compile, but also program SX and debug your application on the C source level. You can write C source code, compile it, program to the target board and debug your application in real-time - all within the same IDE.
     

  • http://www.bytecraft.com/sxccaps.html ByteCraft SXC C Compiler for all SX chips with IDE, macro assembler, and linker. SXC now supports the SX48 and SX52 parts, including the expanded register file. Demonstration version is fully functional but will only generate listing files with assembly and is restricted to generating 512 bytes of object code. Select public domain / educational projects may be given a free compiler. See: http://www.bytecraft.com/sponsorship.html for details. And Parallax used to sell an educational version for $295. See: http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=45206 Parallax says the product was discontinued, but it still appears to be available from ByteCraft. This was used to build the CMUCam SX based vision system!
  • http://www.picant.com/c2c/c.html Pavel Baranov's C2C C-compiler runs on Win-95, DOS and Linux and compiles for PIC and SX (free)
  • http://www.ccsinfo.com CCS is attempting to develop a C compiler for the SX. Early betas have not been promising. Search the Parallax forums^{^} for SXC to find more information.
     

• Pascal

  • http://www.picant.com/p2c/p.html Pavel Baranov's P2C Pascal compiler (free)
     
  • JAL a Pascal like compiler produces .hex and MPASM .asm files (free) Now open source under GPL!
     

• Basic

  New SX/B: Program the SX in Basic!   a free basic compiler gets you to 50MIPS in a high level language.

  • http://www.parallax.com/sx/sxb.asp Program in BASIC and Run 50 Million Instructions per Second! - Parallax's new SX/B is a free BASIC language compiler for the Ubicom™ SX18/20/28 microcontroller (no support for SX48/52). The compiler speeds the programming of the SX18/28 microcontrollers by providing a simple, yet robust high-level language familiar to Parallax customers. The compiler is a tool for education, hobby or engineering and is designed to help the transition from high-level programming (i.e., BASIC Stamp®) to low-level programming (SX assembly language). New v1.5 includes support for 2 byte words, case structures, watches and easier interrupt routine setup.
     
  • http://www.sxwiz.com A Basic Compiler for the Ubicom SX28 . The compiler works with the Sxkey and a beta trial version may be downloaded from the site.
     
  • Also: The Basic Stamp: An SX based pcode interpreter
     

• XPL0

  a Pascal style syntax compiler with a byte code interpreter that will run on many processors
   

• Java

See also:

• http://epicis.sxlist.com EPICIS Development System for the PIC and SX
• http://www.lastditcheffort.org/home/adam/projects/psxasm/psxasm.html An in-development assembler using Parallax mnemonics written in python. Still pretty unstable.
• http://gpasm.sourceforge.net gpasm (the GPL PIC assembler) also can generate code for the sx processor (although the mnemonics are limited to PIC mnemonics - gpasm doesn't support the Parallax mnemonics). There is even a Windows version!

Questions:

• jlummel@trapcity.com asks: " SX-DEV doesn't seem to be available anymore, as the link from the svtehs.com website results in 404 Page Not Found error. Any idea what's up?
  "
• tommaso.mirante@marconiselenia.com asks: " have i the possibility to find a VP mixer program able to create a templat of vp .
  is there a VP dtmf decoder?" James Newton replies: See the code library.