[gojimmypi]

Hello.

I’m glad the github project I uploaded was helpful in finding & fixing that problem.

Regarding your  ESP8266 package; I tried adding that OpenOCDPackage.dll reference, however I still get a (different) compile error. See comment:

https://github.com/sysprogs/BSPTools/issues/3

As for the ESP-12… well, I’ve successfully programmed it with the GDB method! I am able to set breakpoints both in init section, as well as web server section that gets triggered when I connect to the web page served up by the ESP-12. The weird thing is that when I stop debugging, the ESP-12 code is no longer running (or at least the WiFi hot spot is not seen), even after power cycle.

I have GPIO0 and GPIO2 tied high and GPIO15 tied low with 470 ohm resistors.

When I power cycle the ESP-12, I see this message from the serial port, just once with no more data:

 ets Jan  8 2013,rst cause:2, boot mode:(3,7)

load 0x3ffe8000, len 940, room 16
tail 12
chksum 0xc3
ho 0 tail 12 room 4
load 0x3ffe83b0, len 936, room 12
tail 12
chksum 0xfc
ho 0 tail 12 room 4
load 0x40100000, len 30536, room 12
tail 12
chksum 0xe9
csum 0xe9
OS SDK ver: 1.5.0-dev(950076a) compiled @ Nov  4 2016 19:29:32
phy ver: 1055, pp ver: 10.7

rf cal sector: 251
tcpip_task_hdl : 3fff0620, prio:10,stack:512
idle_task_hdl : 3fff06c0,prio:0, stack:384
tim_task_hdl : 3fff2c78, prio:2,stack:512
$T05#b9

Now, if the GDB debugging session properly uploaded the code… it should run, even when not debugging, no? I’m not familiar with the inner workings of this type of debugging, so I’m not sure if this is expected behavior.

Thanks again for your assistance.

[gojimmypi]

I have a plain ESP12, with no accessories, and I will test JTAG programming with that – instead of trace cutting on the NodeMCU.  🙂

In the meantime – I was able to reproduce the error mentioned above – but of course not when desired! I tried to record a video a bunch of times, but in the end no error. But now – I have a project with the exception error! Curiously, it was at new project time, and I did not at all expect it. I was simply setting up a new GDB session for the bare ESP12.

Although I cannot tell you what sort of steps I did differently – the project itself seems to have the problem saved with it. So I uploaded the whole project to GitHub, if you’d like to take a peek and see if you see the same problem. Simply open the project,  click “Debug – Program and Start without Debugging”. It does not matter if you have an ESP8266 connected or not. Immediately after attempting the upload the exception occurs.

https://github.com/gojimmypi/E12-GDB2

see also: https://github.com/gojimmypi/E12-GDB2/blob/master/Error.PNG

btw – thanks for the tip on your ESP8266DebugPackage. It looks really interesting, but I was unable to compile it. I opened a GitHub issue (ho! that you seem to have already closed and answered – thank you!). But for reference in this thread for anyone else that may be interested:

https://github.com/sysprogs/BSPTools/issues/3

You can get the OpenOCDPackage.dll by installing OpenOCD via Tools->VisualGDB Package Manager. Then simply add a reference to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VisualGDB\EmbeddedDebugPackages\com.sysprogs.arm.openocd\OpenOCDPackage.dll and you should be able to build the ESPImageTool and the related libraries.

Thanks again for all the help with the ESP8266! 🙂

 

[gojimmypi]

The “Error: JTAG scan chain interrogation failed: all zeroes” error almost 100% indicates a wiring problems (that also includes power and reset issues).

I’d like to add that I’ve recently found that simply power-cycling the ESP8266 and JTAG programmer has resolved my “all zeros” problem as well.

But I agree that adequate power is important, as well as understanding the reset line (e.g note the NodeMCU can control the reset line via serial port RTS/DTR lines)

 

[gojimmypi]

Hi.

 

Sorry I did not make that more clear. Using the command-line esptool.py – I am able to program the NodeMCU without having to hold down the Flash button. However when using VisualGDB, I always need to hold down the flash button. And not just “hold down during power cycle”… but I usually need to even hold it down until VisualGDB starts transferring code.

Thus my “feature suggestion” is to make the VisualGDB app work more like the esptool.py in not having to hold down the flash button to program it.

As this ablity may vary between different “flavors” of ESP8266… perhaps a related feature suggestion is to have a dropdown with pre-selected parameters for some well-known ESP8288 hardware, plus a “Generic” option for everything else?

[gojimmypi]

Hi again.

Ok, 4th reply here. (I would have appended my prior posts, but this forum app does not seem to always allow editing?)

So as to the original topic: JTAG debugging of the NodeMCU. No luck. Despite the success of VisualGDB and the GDB debugging via UART, the JTAG method still eludes me.

It will go through all the motions, even at times apparently stopping at the breakpoint. However I can’t single step afterward, and in fact the code is either not running, or not on the chip – even after complete power cycle. No exception errors are spewing at 74880, but there’s also no WiFi server running as compared to uploading with GDB.

Again, although the JTAG test is successful when first setting up the project, I see errors at upload time:

Info : TAP esp8266.cpu does not have IDCODE
Warn : Warning: Target not halted, breakpoint/watchpoin
t state may be unpredictable.
Info : accepting ‘gdb’ connection on tcp/3333
undefined debug reason 7 – target needs reset
Warn : target not halted
Error: JTAG scan chain interrogation failed: all zeroes
Error: Check JTAG interface, timings, target power, etc
.
Error: Trying to use configured scan chain anyway…
Error: esp8266.cpu: IR capture error; saw 0x00 not 0x01
Warn : Bypassing JTAG setup events due to errors
Warn : xtensa_deassert_reset: ‘reset halt’ is not suppo
rted for Xtensa. Have halted some time after resetting
(not the same thing!)

I am completely open to other ideas.  🙂

[gojimmypi]

Hi Kabron –

I am in a similar situation! Although the topic is JTAG, part of the exercise was to revert to Serial GDB debugging on my Node MCU ESP8266:

https://sysprogs.com/w/forums/topic/jtag-programming-the-nodemcu-esp8266/#post-10466

In short, check the debug settings at *project creation time*… and make sure they match your board’s actually hardware.

I really think there’s a problem when changing the parameters once a project is created.

Also – note VisualGDB creates *two* binary files – whereas the Arduino core creates only one. Thus the memory size is even more important to have correct (and to distinguish whether the units are bits or bytes)

Hope this helps…. 🙂

[gojimmypi]

ok, success! There really does appear to be a problem with changing *existing* project debug parameters (VisualGDB gets really cranky, see prior posts), but when creating a NEW project, writing to the NodeMCU with Mode=dio, size=32m (bits) allows successful single-step GDB debugging!

https://twitter.com/gojimmypi/status/833180664685948928

[gojimmypi]

Just to confirm, the output of the FC command shows first the byte from one file, then the difference in the other file.

00000002: 02 00
00000003: 40 20

Thus there is no “02 00” nor “40 20” (the 02 is in the file written, the 00 is in the other file read)

The first 8 bytes of each file:

File Written: E9 01 02 40 9C F2 10 40   = DIO 32m; I write DIO at 4M = (4M bytes x8=32m bits)
File Read:    E9 01 00 20 9C F2 10 40   = QIO 8m; (does it get changed to QIO 1Mx8=8m?)

 

 

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by gojimmypi.

[gojimmypi]

Hi –

Interesting information, thanks. The DIO / memory, etc… yes, I’ve wondered whether when I make those change, if they are actually used at programming time. fwiw – In VisualMicro I use DIO, 4M (1M SPIFFS), CPU 80MHz, Flash 40MHz.

So I created a new project (HTTPDemo RTOS), rather than changing existing settings – and curiously I see this error at upload time, immediately after the first step “Programming Firmware”. It never even gets to the “Connecting to GDB stub”

VisualGDB version: 5.2.14.1374
—————— System.NullReferenceException ——————
System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266StubDebugExtension.StubStartSequence.BuildSequence(String targetPath, Dictionary2 bspDict, Dictionary2 debugMethodConfig, LiveMemoryLineHandler lineHandler)
at uc.k1(bz a, ICustomStartupSequenceBuilder b)
at uc.l.c(bz a)
at VisualGDB.Common_GUI.WPF.ItemizedProgressWindow.<>c__DisplayClass1_0`1.<RunAction>b__0()

I checked the Norton history, and it has not complained since last weekend (perhaps you recall the vgagent false alarm)

Note that if I follow the tutorial exactly, leaving the defaults (in particular the QIO setting)… I am able to upload, but the GDB never works and we are in the infinite loop of exception errors.

So I think we’re really onto something here with those settings.

I’ll continue with your suggestions from prior message later today…

 

 

 

 

[gojimmypi]

Hi –

That’s really awesome you ordered a NodeMCU and plan to post a tutorial! I believe many people will be looking forward to that! Thank you so much 🙂

Yes, my NodeMCU board is otherwise fully functional when programming via UART via VisualMicro. It works great; no complaints.

Great idea to compare read data to what was expected to be written from VisualGDB.

First though, I went back to known-good code compiled in VisualMicro and loaded it up like this: (from /C/SysGCC/esp8266/esp8266-bsp)

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” write_flash –flash_size=8m 0  myfile.bin

it gave output like this:

Writing at 0x00000000… (0 %) reply
Writing at 0x00000400… (0 %) reply
Writing at 0x00000800… (1 %) reply
…
Writing at 0x0003b000… (98 %) reply
Writing at 0x0003b400… (99 %) reply
Writing at 0x0003b800… (99 %) reply
Writing at 0x0003bc00… (100 %) reply

Written 245760 bytes in 24.08 seconds (81.65 kbit/s)…

I confirmed the code was operating properly (my code writes a variety of information out Serial UART, so all good there). Note that only one file is written, at 0x0. Not two.

So I attempted to read it back like this:

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” read_flash 0 245760

The files could not be compared, as the source file written was only 244,848 bytes (912 bytes different)

So then I tried that size:

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” read_flash 0 244848

And the files, even though the same size, did not compare… although only 2 differences:

00000002: 02 00
00000003: 40 20

Would that be expected? (again, this is known-good code, confirmed to be working properly)

I’m also curious as to why 2 bin files need to be loaded at two different addresses when using VisualGDB? Why the code split?

Just a heads up also, that I then tried erasing my NodeMCU like this:

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” erase_flash

That made the GDB stub quite unhappy when then trying to upload:

VisualGDB version: 5.2.14.1374
—————— System.Exception ——————
System.Exception: Unexpected reply from ESP8266
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266BootloaderClient.RunCommand(Command op, Byte[] data, Int32 chk)
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266BootloaderClient.Sync()
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266StubDebugExtension.StubStartSequence.BuildSequence(String targetPath, Dictionary2 bspDict, Dictionary2 debugMethodConfig, LiveMemoryLineHandler lineHandler)
at uc.k1(bz a, ICustomStartupSequenceBuilder b)
at uc.l.c(bz a)
at ls1.v.p1`1.f(bz a)
at VisualGDB.Add_In.Tool_Windows.WPF.DockedProgressPresenter.c(Action`1 operation, String caption, he1 exceptionHandler, String[] stages)

However after I put back my original code:

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” write_flash –flash_size=8m 0 mycode.bin

I was then able to do the GDB upload on top of the non-blank chip. But it got stuck on “The following GDB command is taking too long to complete:  -exec-continue”

Pressing cancel yields this message:

C:\SysGCC\esp8266\bin\xtensa-lx106-elf-gdb.exe –interpreter mi C:\workspace\NGDB2\VisualGDB\Debug\NGDB2
Warning: could not set a breakpoint on main. ‘Step into new instance’ will not work.
Bogus trace status reply from target: timeout
Loaded image in 42220 ms
Cannot resolve the address of _estack. Skipping stack pointer validity check.
Invalid cast.
The program is not being run.
Cannot access memory at address 0x60000900
Cannot access memory at address 0x60000900
Invalid thread id: 1
No registers.
Invalid thread id: 1

Ignoring that message, back to the original question…. yes I can successfully read exactly the bytes written at 0x0 and 0x20000

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” read_flash 0x20000 245523 /c/workspace/NGDB2/VisualGDB/Debug/read-2.bin

python esptool.py –baud 115200 –port “COM19” read_flash 0 32448 /c/workspace/NGDB2/VisualGDB/Debug/read-0.bin

…those files compare exactly to the originals

C:\workspace\NGDB2\VisualGDB\Debug>fc NGDB2-0x00000.bin read-0.bin
Comparing files NGDB2-0x00000.bin and READ-0.BIN
FC: no differences encountered
C:\workspace\NGDB2\VisualGDB\Debug>fc NGDB2-0x20000.bin read-2.bin
Comparing files NGDB2-0x20000.bin and READ-2.BIN
FC: no differences encountered

However as previously described, the code is *not* executing properly, rather the ESP8266 is spewing this repeated message out the UART at 74880 baud:

 ets Jan  8 2013,rst cause:2, boot mode:(3,7)

load 0x3ffe8000, len 940, room 16
tail 12
chksum 0xc3
ho 0 tail 12 room 4
load 0x3ffe83b0, len 936, room 12
tail 12
chksum 0xfc
ho 0 tail 12 room 4
load 0x40100000, len 30536, room 12
tail 12
chksum 0xe9
csum 0xe9
OS SDK ver: 1.5.0-dev(950076a) compiled @ Nov  4 2016 19:29:32
rf_cal[0] !=0x05,is 0xFF

But this tells us a LOT! 🙂 The compile code *is* making it onto the chip, but there’s apparently something wrong then with the compiled code not executing properly. (cause:2 = exception)

It is curious that my known-good code, confirmed to be working, has those two bytes changed when read back, and the VisualGDB read back exactly the same. Also curious that 2 separate files are needed – perhaps something wrong at 0x20000? I also don’t see the output from uploading the VisualGDB files, wondering if they too, have a 912 byte difference as when I manually uploaded my known working code?

In the end, I’m wondering if there’s some problem with the compiler, and not GDB & not JTAG?

[gojimmypi]

Also feel free to attach the full gdb log so that we could check for common errors.

here ya go… the whole gdb log:

 

Your VisualGDB trial expires in 15 days!
C:\SysGCC\esp8266\bin\xtensa-lx106-elf-gdb.exe –interpreter mi C:\workspace\OMC\VisualGDB\Debug\OMC
-gdb-version
=thread-group-added,id=”i1″
~”GNU gdb (GDB) 7.11\n”
~”Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.\n”
~”License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html&gt;\nThis is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.\nThere is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type \”show copying\”\nand \”show warranty\” for details.\n”
~”This GDB was configured as \”–host=i686-pc-mingw32 –target=xtensa-lx106-elf\”.\nType \”show configuration\” for configuration details.”
~”\nFor bug reporting instructions, please see:\n”
~”<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/&gt;.\n”
~”Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:\n<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/&gt;.\n”
~”For help, type \”help\”.\n”
~”Type \”apropos word\” to search for commands related to \”word\”…\n”
~”Reading symbols from C:\\workspace\\OMC\\VisualGDB\\Debug\\OMC…”
~”done.\n”
~”GNU gdb (GDB) 7.11\n”
~”Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.\n”
~”License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html&gt;\nThis is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.\nThere is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type \”show copying\”\nand \”show warranty\” for details.\n”
~”This GDB was configured as \”–host=i686-pc-mingw32 –target=xtensa-lx106-elf\”.\nType \”show configuration\” for configuration details.”
~”\nFor bug reporting instructions, please see:\n”
~”<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/&gt;.\n”
~”Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:\n<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/&gt;.\n”
~”For help, type \”help\”.\n”
~”Type \”apropos word\” to search for commands related to \”word\”.\n”
^done
-list-features
^done,features=[“frozen-varobjs”,”pending-breakpoints”,”thread-info”,”data-read-memory-bytes”,”breakpoint-notifications”,”ada-task-info”,”language-option”,”info-gdb-mi-command”,”undefined-command-error-code”,”exec-run-start-option”]
-gdb-set disassembly-flavor intel
^error,msg=”No symbol \”disassembly\” in current context.”
-gdb-set print demangle off
^done
-break-insert -f main
&”Function \”main\” not defined.\n”
^done,bkpt={number=”1″,type=”breakpoint”,disp=”keep”,enabled=”y”,addr=”<PENDING>”,pending=”main”,times=”0″,original-location=”main”}
Warning: could not set a breakpoint on main. ‘Step into new instance’ will not work.
-break-delete 1
^done
target remote :3333
&”target remote :3333\n”
~”Remote debugging using :3333\n”
=thread-group-started,id=”i1″,pid=”42000″
=thread-created,id=”1″,group-id=”i1″
~”0x400044b4 in ?? ()\n”
*stopped,frame={addr=”0x400044b4″,func=”??”,args=[]},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
^done
info shared
&”info shared\n”
~”No shared libraries loaded at this time.\n”
^done
mon reset halt
&”mon reset halt\n”
@”JTAG scan chain interrogation failed: all zeroes\n”
@”Check JTAG interface, timings, target power, etc.\n”
@”Trying to use configured scan chain anyway…\n”
@”esp8266.cpu: IR capture error; saw 0x00 not 0x01\n”
@”Bypassing JTAG setup events due to errors\n”
@”xtensa_deassert_reset: ‘reset halt’ is not supported for Xtensa. Have halted some time after resetting (not the same thing!)\n”
@”target state: halted\n”
@”halted: PC: 0x40003b53\n”
@”debug cause: 0x20\n”
^done
-exec-next-instruction
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
*stopped,reason=”end-stepping-range”,frame={addr=”0x40003b55″,func=”??”,args=[]},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
set $com_sysprogs_esp8266_wdcfg=0
&”set $com_sysprogs_esp8266_wdcfg=0\n”
^done
set $vecbase=0x40000000
&”set $vecbase=0x40000000\n”
^done
set *(0x3fffc200)=0
&”set *(0x3fffc200)=0\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fffc200″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $ccompare=0
&”set $ccompare=0\n”
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
print *((int *)0x60000900)
&”print *((int *)0x60000900)\n”
~”$1 = 0″
~”\n”
^done
set *((int *)0x60000900)=0
&”set *((int *)0x60000900)=0\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x60000900″,len=”0x4″
^done
restore C:/SysGCC/esp8266/esp8266-bsp/sysprogs/flashprog/ESP8266FlashProg.bin binary 0x40100000 0 0x1a4
&”restore C:/SysGCC/esp8266/esp8266-bsp/sysprogs/flashprog/ESP8266FlashProg.bin binary 0x40100000 0 0x1a4\n”
~”Restoring binary file C:/SysGCC/esp8266/esp8266-bsp/sysprogs/flashprog/ESP8266FlashProg.bin into memory (0x40100000 to 0x401001a4)\n”
^done
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=0
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=0\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=4096
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=4096\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=4096
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=4096\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
&”warning: \nUnrecognised function prologue. Stack trace cannot be resolved. This message will not be repeated in this session.\n”
&”\n”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=1
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=1\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=0
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=0\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=28864
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=28864\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x00000.bin binary 0x3ffe8008 0x0 0x70c0
&”restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x00000.bin binary 0x3ffe8008 0x0 0x70c0\n”
~”Restoring binary file C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x00000.bin into memory (0x3ffe8008 to 0x3ffef0c8)\n”
^done
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=0
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=0\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=28864
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=28864\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=1
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=1\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=65536
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=65536\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=193956
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=193956\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin binary 0x3ffe8008 0x0 0x10000
&”restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin binary 0x3ffe8008 0x0 0x10000\n”
~”Restoring binary file C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin into memory (0x3ffe8008 to 0x3fff8008)\n”
^done
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=65536
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=65536\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=65536
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=65536\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin binary 0x3ffd8008 0x10000 0x20000
&”restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin binary 0x3ffd8008 0x10000 0x20000\n”
~”Restoring binary file C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin into memory (0x3ffe8008 to 0x3fff8008)\n”
^done
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=131072
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=131072\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=65536
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=65536\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin binary 0x3ffc8008 0x20000 0x2f5a4
&”restore C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin binary 0x3ffc8008 0x20000 0x2f5a4\n”
~”Restoring binary file C:/workspace/OMC/VisualGDB/Debug/OMC-0x10000.bin into memory (0x3ffe8008 to 0x3fff75ac)\n”
^done
flushregs
&”flushregs\n”
~”Register cache flushed.\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40100074
&”set $epc2=0x40100074\n”
^done
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8008)=2\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8008″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=196608
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff800c)=196608\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff800c”,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=62884
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8010)=62884\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8010″,len=”0x4″
^done
set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295
&”set *((unsigned *)0x3fff8014)=4294967295\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fff8014″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
~”\nProgram”
~” received signal SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.\n”
~”0x4010013c in TimerFunction (arg=<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>) at LEDBlink.cpp:35\n”
~”35\t\t\tgpio_output_set(0, BIT1, BIT1, 0);\n”
*stopped,reason=”signal-received”,signal-name=”SIGTRAP”,signal-meaning=”Trace/breakpoint trap”,frame={addr=”0x4010013c”,func=”TimerFunction”,args=[{name=”arg”,value=”<error reading variable: Cannot determine frame base. Please call the current function from a function compiled with frame pointer to allow viewing local variables.>”}],file=”LEDBlink.cpp”,fullname=”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\OMC\\LEDBlink.cpp”,line=”35″},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-data-evaluate-expression “\*\(\(unsigned\ \*\)0x3fff8014\)”
^done,value=”0″
set $ps=0x20
&”set $ps=0x20\n”
^done
set $epc2=0x40000080
&”set $epc2=0x40000080\n”
^done
set $sp=0x3fffc000
&”set $sp=0x3fffc000\n”
^done
set $vecbase=0x40000000
&”set $vecbase=0x40000000\n”
^done
set *(0x3fffc200)=0
&”set *(0x3fffc200)=0\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x3fffc200″,len=”0x4″
^done
set $intclear=-1
&”set $intclear=-1\n”
^done
set $intenable=0
&”set $intenable=0\n”
^done
set $eps2=0x20
&”set $eps2=0x20\n”
^done
set $icountlevel=0
&”set $icountlevel=0\n”
^done
Loaded image in 12416 ms
-break-insert -h -f *0x40100004
^done,bkpt={number=”2″,type=”hw breakpoint”,disp=”keep”,enabled=”y”,addr=”0x40100004″,at=”<call_user_start>”,thread-groups=[“i1″],times=”0″,original-location=”*0x40100004″}
mon xtensa_no_interrupts_during_steps on
&”mon xtensa_no_interrupts_during_steps on\n”
@”Interrupt suppression during single-stepping is now enabled\n”
^done
mon esp8266_autofeed_watchdog on
&”mon esp8266_autofeed_watchdog on\n”
@”Watchdog feeding during stops is now enabled\n”
^done
info target
&”info target\n”
~”Symbols from \”C:\\workspace\\OMC\\VisualGDB\\Debug\\OMC\”.\n”
~”Remote serial target in gdb-specific protocol:\n”
~”Debugging a target over a serial line.\n”
~”\tWhile running this, GDB does not access memory from…\n”
~”Local exec file:\n”
~”\t`C:\\workspace\\OMC\\VisualGDB\\Debug\\OMC’, file type elf32-xtensa-le.\n”
~”\tEntry point: 0x40100004\n”
~”\t0x3ffe8000 – 0x3ffe8370 is .data\n”
~”\t0x3ffe8370 – 0x3ffe84a8 is .rodata\n”
~”\t0x3ffe84a8 – 0x3ffee760 is .bss\n”
~”\t0x40210000 – 0x4023f5a4 is .irom0.text\n”
~”\t0x40100000 – 0x40106bec is .text\n”
^done
-data-evaluate-expression “&_estack”
^error,msg=”No symbol \”_estack\” in current context.”
-data-evaluate-expression “&__StackLimit”
^error,msg=”No symbol \”__StackLimit\” in current context.”
Cannot resolve the address of _estack. Skipping stack pointer validity check.
set *((int *)0x60000900)=$com_sysprogs_esp8266_wdcfg
&”set *((int *)0x60000900)=$com_sysprogs_esp8266_wdcfg\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x60000900″,len=”0x4″
&”warning: \nUnrecognised function prologue. Stack trace cannot be resolved. This message will not be repeated in this session.\n”
&”\n”
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”
=breakpoint-modified,bkpt={number=”2″,type=”hw breakpoint”,disp=”keep”,enabled=”y”,addr=”0x40100004″,at=”<call_user_start>”,thread-groups=[“i1″],times=”1″,original-location=”*0x40100004″}
~”\n”
~”Breakpoint 2, 0x40100004 in call_user_start ()\n”
*stopped,reason=”breakpoint-hit”,disp=”keep”,bkptno=”2″,frame={addr=”0x40100004″,func=”call_user_start”,args=[]},thread-id=”1″,stopped-threads=”all”
-break-delete 2
^done
set *((int *)0x60000900)=$com_sysprogs_esp8266_wdcfg
&”set *((int *)0x60000900)=$com_sysprogs_esp8266_wdcfg\n”
=memory-changed,thread-group=”i1″,addr=”0x60000900″,len=”0x4″
^done
-exec-continue
^running
*running,thread-id=”all”

[gojimmypi]

Thanks once again for your prompt reply.

I am unable to use the GDB stub. I’m sure the COM port is working, as not only was I able to previously see the error messages from VisualGDB when trying to JTAG program, but I am also able to go back to VisualMicro and do a “Build-Upload” with that COM port with no problems.

I reviewed the steps (twice) and confirmed I followed the tutorial. At F5-debug time, I see this error:

VisualGDB version: 5.2.14.1374
—————— System.Exception ——————
System.Exception: Cannot read reply body
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266BootloaderClient.RunCommand(Command op, Byte[] data, Int32 chk)
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266BootloaderClient.Sync()
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266StubDebugExtension.StubStartSequence.BuildSequence(String targetPath, Dictionary2 bspDict, Dictionary2 debugMethodConfig, LiveMemoryLineHandler lineHandler)
at uc.k1(bz a, ICustomStartupSequenceBuilder b)
at uc.l.c(bz a)
at ls1.v.p1`1.f(bz a)
at VisualGDB.Add_In.Tool_Windows.WPF.DockedProgressPresenter.c(Action`1 operation, String caption, he1 exceptionHandler, String[] stages)

Perhaps you’ll recall that not one, but twice I had problems with Norton thinking that various components were bad – so I disabled Norton, ran a repair from VisualGDB-5.2r8-trial.msi and had different results! It still did not work, saying that GDB was taking too long to respond, so after some time I pressed cancel:

Your VisualGDB trial expires in 15 days!
C:\SysGCC\esp8266\bin\xtensa-lx106-elf-gdb.exe –interpreter mi c:\workspace\VGDB\VisualGDB\Debug\VGDB
-gdb-version
=thread-group-added,id=”i1″
GNU gdb (GDB) 7.11
Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html&gt;
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type “show copying”
and “show warranty” for details.
This GDB was configured as “–host=i686-pc-mingw32 –target=xtensa-lx106-elf”.
Type “show configuration” for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/&gt;.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/&gt;.
For help, type “help”.
Type “apropos word” to search for commands related to “word”…
Reading symbols from c:\workspace\VGDB\VisualGDB\Debug\VGDB…
done.
GNU gdb (GDB) 7.11
Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html&gt;
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. Type “show copying”
and “show warranty” for details.
This GDB was configured as “–host=i686-pc-mingw32 –target=xtensa-lx106-elf”.
Type “show configuration” for configuration details.
For bug reporting instructions, please see:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/&gt;.
Find the GDB manual and other documentation resources online at:
<http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/&gt;.
For help, type “help”.
Type “apropos word” to search for commands related to “word”.
OK
-list-features
^done,features=[“frozen-varobjs”,”pending-breakpoints”,”thread-info”,”data-read-memory-bytes”,”breakpoint-notifications”,”ada-task-info”,”language-option”,”info-gdb-mi-command”,”undefined-command-error-code”,”exec-run-start-option”]
-gdb-set disassembly-flavor intel
No symbol “disassembly” in current context.
-gdb-set print demangle off
OK
-break-insert -f main
&”Function \”main\” not defined.\n”
^done,bkpt={number=”1″,type=”breakpoint”,disp=”keep”,enabled=”y”,addr=”<PENDING>”,pending=”main”,times=”0″,original-location=”main”}
Warning: could not set a breakpoint on main. ‘Step into new instance’ will not work.
-break-delete 1
OK
set serial baud 74880
&”set serial baud 74880\n”
=cmd-param-changed,param=”serial baud”,value=”74880″
OK
target remote \\.\COM12
&”target remote \\\\.\\COM12\n”
Remote debugging using \\.\COM12
Ignoring packet error, continuing…
&”warning: unrecognized item \”timeout\” in \”qSupported\” response\n”
Ignoring packet error, continuing…
Loaded image in 30583 ms
&”Quit (expect signal SIGINT when the program is resumed)\n”
Quit (expect signal SIGINT when the program is resumed)
System.Exception: GDB has exited prematurely
at VisualGDB.GDBDebugEngine.c(or a, q1 b)

I tried yet again, but got this message (confirming Norton auto-protect still disabled):

VisualGDB version: 5.2.14.1374
—————— System.Exception ——————
System.Exception: Mismatching reply from ESP8266
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266BootloaderClient.RunCommand(Command op, Byte[] data, Int32 chk)
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266BootloaderClient.Sync()
at ESP8266DebugPackage.ESP8266StubDebugExtension.StubStartSequence.BuildSequence(String targetPath, Dictionary2 bspDict, Dictionary2 debugMethodConfig, LiveMemoryLineHandler lineHandler)
at uc.k1(bz a, ICustomStartupSequenceBuilder b)
at uc.l.c(bz a)
at ls1.v.p1`1.f(bz a)
at VisualGDB.Add_In.Tool_Windows.WPF.DockedProgressPresenter.c(Action`1 operation, String caption, he1 exceptionHandler, String[] stages)

I tried both with power cycle while holding down flash button (I don’t kneed to do this with VisualMicro).. and simply a power cycle: same results.

fwiw – I have a single breakpoint on line 128 at “wifi_set_opmode”

I re-confirmed Com12 is the correct port. (it is a CH340-based USB-TTL adapter, that specifically has a jumper for selecting 3.3v)

 

[gojimmypi]

Hi – I had a similar issue, perhaps this thread may be helpful:

https://sysprogs.com/w/forums/topic/where-to-find-esp8266-xtensa-lx-106-elf-for-gdb-stub/

fwiw – I ended up buying Olimex hardware (both the JTAG programmer & ESP8266 EVB) from Mouser Electronics. I had more success, but things still did not work out quite as one might expect.

See also my thread on the Olimex forum that may be of interest:

https://www.olimex.com/forum/index.php?topic=5676.0

I plan to revisit the Segger this weekend & will post my results. One thing that may have been reckless on my part: I used a nice parallel cable with the Olimex, and an octopus of loose wires with the Segger:

https://twitter.com/gojimmypi/status/830173265993674752

Lame, as my background is in electronics and I should know that the alternating parallels of ground wire can significantly reduce the noise and interference on the signal lines.

 

[gojimmypi]

hm. interesting. thanks for your detailed response. 🙂

Do you think if I have an app that is not using interrupts, that I’d get more reliability if I explicitly disabled them?

But I suppose there are many more hidden, unstoppable system interrupts, eh? Although it is my understanding that system background stuff only runs during yield & delay functions… so I’m not sure I’d really call them “interrupts”.

[gojimmypi]

Hello & thanks for your reply. I’m not entirely convinced that all of the blame is on the ESP8266 (although ya, it is hard to argue with issues like “undocumented”, eh?)

I created a video on my ESP8266 debugging experience (based on the Olimex per your suggestion. I’ve not yet had a chance to target the NodeMCU) Here you’ll see what I consider “unexpected” operations when single stepping.

https://youtu.be/9Hid7ixEigM

You’ll see in the video, VisualGDB seems to do best when “running to breakpoint”, and not so much when single-stepping. This leads me to wonder if when single-stepping, VisualGDB could (in theory) programmatically place similar, pseudo-breakpoints?

If nothing else, perhaps you should tell users about that. So many times when I’d see the “Frame not in module” error – I thought: “game over, not working”.

And ya – I know there are more robust target platforms out there, however <$3 for a complete IoT device is pretty compelling. 🙂

<edit>fwiw: Here’s a detailed experience I wrote on the Olimex forum, when I thought it might by a problem with my new JTAG hardware: https://www.olimex.com/forum/index.php?topic=5676.msg23470#msg23470 </edit>

• This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by gojimmypi. Reason: added link to more detailed description of issues left on Olimex forum :)

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