My binload utility

I love the Technological Arts M68MOD912C32 board.  This little module plugs into a 32-pin DIP socket and contains a complete 68hc9s12c32 MCU system, including RS-232 level shifting.  It comes with Motorola's Serial Monitor already burned into the top 2K of flash, so you have a ready-made monitor always present.  Check the Technological Arts website for full details.

But I had problems downloading code into the module.  The Serial Monitor uses binary, not ASCII, for communicating with the host PC, so I couldn't use my normal tool, Hyperterm.  TA offers a free download utility, but it requires .NET to run, and my Win98 system wasn't going to cut it.

For a while, I was using a demo copy of John Hartmann's NoIce debugger, coupled with a Kevin Ross BDM module, to move code into my 'c32.  This is a nice combination, butNoIce has WAY more power than I need.

Besides, my ultimate goal was to help TA create a Stamp-killer.  TA is nearly there, as the 'c32 module they sell only costs $25 in singles!  The rest of the package is a totally free (not just cheap) toolset.  I do all of my development with the 68hc12 gcc compiler suite, available here on my website.  But I still needed a free tool for moving code into my 'c32 module from a Win32 host.  So I wrote binload.

binload is a Win32 application that provides a DOS-style window and command prompt.  It interfaces to the target over a COM port at 115K baud and is compatible with the Motorola Serial Monitor.  Using binload commands, you can reset the target, erase flash memory, load one or more S19 files into memory, read/write bytes or words on the target, and more.

Additionally, binload is designed to work solely from the DOS command line.  Command-line options are provided to do most of the binload functions directly.  You can even quit binload using a command-line option.  This means you can set up a batch file that, with one double-click, will connect to your target, erase its flash, download a file, and exit.

Note:  binload is targeted specifically for the 'c32 variant!  It makes assumptions during the flash load operation that correct for problems in the Serial Monitor when downloading to a 'c32, and those corrections will probably screw up downloads to other modules.  Read the User's Manual for details.


binload.zip  (38k)      My Win32 binload utility

binload.pdf  (171K)   User's manual, in PDF format

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