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Microcontroller Forth cross compiler

Forth cross compiler for tiny microcontrollers

Lars BrinkhoffLars Brinkhoff
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  • xForth
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FORTH microcontroller avr MSP430 Compiler pic

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This project was created on 08/11/2017 and last updated a month ago.

Description

Forth cross compiler for 8051, AVR, Cortex-M, MSP430, PIC, and STM8 microcontrollers:
http://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/xForth

The compiler is suitable for parts with as little as 1K program memory and 64 bytes RAM. The kernel code occupies 100-500 bytes, and it's recommended to reserve about 24 bytes for the stacks. At this size, only a bare minimum of Forth words are supported. There is no resident interpreter or compiler.

The assemblers, compiler, and kernel are written in Forth and are all very simple. The user is encouraged to make modifications as see fit.

Project Logs
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  • Running on a breaboard

    Lars Brinkhoff • 11/07/2019 at 12:26 • 0 comments

    Forth code running on an ATmega328P device blinking a few LEDs.  A simple ISP programmer is attached for in circuit programming.

  • On hold

    Lars Brinkhoff • 03/22/2018 at 06:56 • 0 comments

    There haven't been much progress lately.  The basics are there, but more features and polish are needed.

    I hvae been busy working with the PDP-10 Incompatible Timesharing System:

    http://github.com/PDP-10/its

  • User Manual

    Lars Brinkhoff • 12/07/2017 at 17:14 • 0 comments

    There's now a very brief user manual: 

    https://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/xForth/blob/master/doc/manual.md

  • Users?!?

    Lars Brinkhoff • 11/30/2017 at 06:16 • 0 comments

    I've had two people inquiring about using the cross compiler within a week.  I guess it's about time I made a proper user interface, and start writing a manual.

  • Tested on hardware

    Lars Brinkhoff • 10/26/2017 at 07:25 • 0 comments

    Almost done testing on hardware.  These devices can display a blinking LED:

    • ATtiny13A / Cheepit Sparrow
    • ATtiny85 / Adafrut Trinket
    • Cortex-M0+ STM32L011 / STM Nucleo-32
    • MSP430F2012, MSP430G2452, MSP430G2553 / TI Launchpad
    • PIC16F1619 / Microchip Curiosity
    • STM8S103F3P6 / Noname breakout board

    I haven't been able to program my SiLabs 8051 using a ToolStick board.  If someone can suggest another 8051 which is easy to use, I'm all ears.

  • Thumb/Cortex-M

    Lars Brinkhoff • 09/25/2017 at 19:36 • 0 comments

    Added support for Cortex-M devices using the Thumb instruction set.

  • Testing on hardware

    Lars Brinkhoff • 09/13/2017 at 17:48 • 2 comments

    The compiler is tested on simulators for all targets, but I'd like to be able to test on real hardware.  This is the status so far:

    • 8051: no hardware.
    • AVR: tested on ATtiny85, soon ATtiny13.
    • MSP430: I have asked Ken Boak for a ChipStick board.
    • PIC: no hardware.
    • STM8: @Thomas has offered to send a board.

    I'd appreciate advice on which hardware to use for testing.  It should be easy to program, and there should be a LED or something to indicate a succesful test.

  • PDP-8

    Lars Brinkhoff • 09/13/2017 at 11:03 • 0 comments

    Done with 8051, almost done with PDP-8.

  • 8051

    Lars Brinkhoff • 09/05/2017 at 20:30 • 0 comments

    Started with 8051.

  • 6502

    Lars Brinkhoff • 09/02/2017 at 19:30 • 0 comments

    Added 6502, more for fun than actual utility.

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Lars Brinkhoff wrote 09/26/2017 at 16:25 • point

Thanks!

I think there was a gap among the Forth implementations; most don't cater to the very low end microcontrollers.

There are now close to 800 Forth repositories at GitHub, so I'd say this language isn't dead by far.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Thomas wrote 11/18/2017 at 08:57 • point

Innovation is the beating heart of a community, and Lars belongs to the most important innovators in the contemporary Forth community!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Lars Brinkhoff wrote 11/19/2017 at 17:22 • point

Thanks for the endorsement!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Mike Szczys wrote 09/26/2017 at 14:54 • point

Cool project! I know that @Elliot Williams is coding almost exclusively in forth on microcontrollers these days. Nice to see active development on the compiler tools for it.

  Are you sure? yes | no

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