WinCE

Program NOR Flash using Jtag Connector

2012-07-03T12:20:00.001-07:00

To program nor flash of Mini TQ2440 follow simple steps depicted below. connect serial port and j-tag connector to device and run program that came with Device CD named H-Tag.

Now as shown Device is not detected yet. if this is the case then we might need to change setup like in snapshot depicted below.

Now if Device is connected properly and power is rightly supplied it should be recognized as in snap shot given below:

Now Click on Flash Program button which is highlighted in picture given above this will lead you to select nor script file brows option to choose file then you will choose nor files that came with you Device. In my case this file named TQ2440_nor_eon.hfc
How to select file when clicked of Flash button is depicted in pics given below:

Now your Device is ready.

How to Disable Windows CE .NET from Stealing COM1

2011-06-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Disable Debug Messages on COM Port:

In order to disable WinCE Debug Messages on COM Port just modify this file in the BSP From installation Folder Src\Inc\bsp_cfg.h and Set BSP_UARTn to BSP_nouse_UART then you will use com1 as normal one. Now Create Image by Compiling it again using Sysgen. if you are unaware of how to create new WinCE image then go to my post for how to create Image.

Download Image in WinCE Device/ Install Image on SBC or TQ2440

2011-04-11T03:12:00.000-07:00

Pre Reqs:
Connect SBC TQ2440 which you could buy from www.mtsonweb.com. by using Serial port and USB port.
Install USBDownloadDriver provided with the Device and Run DNW.exe to Install Image.

Install:
Now Open HyperTerminal using (Start->All Programs->Accessories->Communications->HyperTerminal)
Give a Name to Connection:

Select Com Port

Select Baud Rate 115200 like

Now Press OK and Main Window Will Appear, Now Power ON Device and press Space Bar immediately Boot loader will be selected as given below.

Now Press 9 for "Format Boot Media for BinFS" then after completion Press B for "Mark Bad Block at Reserved Block", then Press U and Screen will show USB Connected remember to install USB Driver Before this, here are the snaps how it works.

Now Go to DNW.exe and Goto Transmit and Select image file to download.

Now you have Downloaded the Image to WinCE Device for More Queries feel free to ask by Leaving Comments.

How to Upload File in WinCE

2011-03-29T02:01:00.000-07:00

Introduction

This Application is designed for WinCE. It includes Web, Desktop both side applications. Its client WinCE Application Code Function Upload(string Path, String FileName) takes File Path and File Name as Input and Post it to webpage, and on the other hand website application on its page FileUpload.ashx read posted file and Save it to Defined Folder which is Later Available to download.

Here is a code to upload file:

Client Side:

#region Upload
public bool Upload(string FilePath, string FileName)
{
string Url = "HTTP://test.mtsonweb.com/fileupload.ashx"; // Change it to your page name
string BytesConfirmedReceived = "";
int BytesSent = 0;
bool Ret = false;
ASCIIEncoding encoding = new ASCIIEncoding();
try
{

if (File.Exists(FilePath +"\\"+ FileName) == false) { return true; }

//FileInfo oInfo = new FileInfo(FilePath + "\\" + FileName);
//BytesSent = Convert.ToInt32(oInfo.Length.ToString());

Url += "?myfile=" + FileName.Trim();

FileStream fr = new FileStream(FilePath + "\\" + FileName, FileMode.Open);

BinaryReader r = new BinaryReader(fr);
byte[] FileContents = r.ReadBytes((int)fr.Length);
BytesSent = FileContents.Length;

r.Close();
fr.Close();

WebRequest oRequest = WebRequest.Create(Url);

oRequest.Method = "POST";

oRequest.Timeout = 15000;

oRequest.ContentLength = FileContents.Length;

Stream oStream = oRequest.GetRequestStream();

BinaryWriter oWriter = new BinaryWriter(oStream);

oWriter.Write(FileContents);

oWriter.Close();

oStream.Close();

WebResponse oResponse = oRequest.GetResponse();
BytesConfirmedReceived = new StreamReader(oResponse.GetResponseStream(),
Encoding.Default).ReadToEnd();

oResponse.Close();

if (BytesSent.ToString() == BytesConfirmedReceived.Trim())
{
Ret = true;
}

}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
}
return Ret;

}
#endregion

Website Page:

<%@ WebHandler Language="C#" Class="FileUpload" %>
using System;
using System.Xml;
using System.Data;
using System.Web;
using System.IO;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Drawing;

public class FileUpload : IHttpHandler
{
public void ProcessRequest(HttpContext oContext)
{

int BytesSent = 0;
//string LocalPath = @"C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\";

string MyFile = "";

MyFile);

try
{

MyFile = oContext.Request["myfile"].ToString().Trim();
MyFile = HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath("~/Demo/Files/" +

ASCIIEncoding encoding = new ASCIIEncoding();

BytesSent = oContext.Request.TotalBytes;

Class1 obj = Class1.GetInstance();

obj.FileName = MyFile;
obj.FileLength = BytesSent;

byte[] InComingBinaryArray =
oContext.Request.BinaryRead(oContext.Request.TotalBytes);
obj.Data = InComingBinaryArray;

if (File.Exists(MyFile) == true)
{
File.Delete(MyFile);
}

FileStream fs = new FileStream(MyFile, FileMode.CreateNew);
BinaryWriter w = new BinaryWriter(fs);
w.Write(InComingBinaryArray);
w.Close();
fs.Close();

FileInfo oInfo = new FileInfo(MyFile);
long a = (long)BytesSent;

oContext.Response.Write(oInfo.Length.ToString());

}
catch (Exception err) { oContext.Response.Write(err.Message); }

}

public bool IsReusable { get { return true; } }

}

Configure Runtime Version

2011-03-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

You can force an application built with an older version of the .NET Compact Framework version to run on a device installed with a newer version of the .NET Compact Framework, such as version 2.0 or 3.5. The feature is identical to the mechanism for forcing applications in the full .NET Framework to run on the newer version. The .NET Compact Framework provides two settings:

<supportedRuntime>
Specifies the runtime version of the .NET Compact Framework for the application to use.
<compatibilityversion>

Specifies the compatibility mode for a specified version. Note that you should only use this setting for diagnostic purposes.

You can also programmatically use Environment to determine the version.

To determine the currently installed version

On the Pocket PC, use File Explorer to navigate to the \Windows directory and tap the cgacutil file.
A message box appears with the version of the .NET Compact Framework installed on the device.

To set an application to run on version 3.5

Determine the version number of the .NET Compact Framework running on the device. The version number used in this configuration does not include the last period and trailing zeros in the number. For example, "Version 3.5.7121.0" as returned from cgacutil should be "v3.5.7121" in the configuration.
Create a text file with a file name that has ".exe.config" appended to the name of the application, for example, "appname.exe.config".
Add the XML node as shown here to the file with the correct version number for version 3.5:

<configuration>
<startup>
<supportedRuntime version="v3.5.7121"/>
</startup>
</configuration>

Save the file to the folder that contains the application.
Run the application.

To set an application to run on version 3.5 with compatibility for version 2

Create a text file with a file name that has ".exe.config" appended to the name of the application, for example, "appname.exe.config".
Add the XML node as shown here to the file with the correct version number for version 3.5:

<configuration>
<runtime>
<compatibilityversion major="2" minor="0"/>
</runtime> <startup>
<supportedRuntime version="v3.5.7000"/>
</startup>
</configuration>

Save the file to the folder that contains the application.
Run the application.

.NET Compact Framework (Windows Embedded Compact 7)

2011-03-24T04:55:00.001-07:00

The Microsoft .NET Compact Framework is a hardware-independent program execution environment for applications that are designed for resource-constrained computing devices.

Windows Embedded Compact 7 includes the .NET Compact Framework 3.5, Windows Embedded CE 6.0 includes the .NET Compact Framework version 3.5 and version 2.0, SP1; and Windows CE 5.0 includes the .NET Compact Framework 1.0, SP2.

The majority of applications that are based on earlier versions of the .NET Compact Framework are usually compatible with .NET Compact Framework 3.5.

The .NET Compact Framework 3.5 includes support for Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). WCF provides an application model and class library that you can use to build service-oriented applications that interoperate with both client and service applications that run on remote devices or servers. For more information, see Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Development and the .NET Compact Framework on MSDN.

To force an application that was built with an earlier version of the .NET Compact Framework to run on a device that has .NET Compact Framework 3.5, see: Configure Runtime Version

Board Support Package (BSP) (Windows Embedded Compact 7)

2011-03-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

A board support package (BSP) is a set of software components that allows the OS to run on a specific hardware platform. The BSP consists of the following components:

The kernel independent transport layer (KITL), which is the communication link between your development computer and the Windows Embedded Compact powered device.
The OEM adaptation layer (OAL), which is the interface between the kernel and the hardware.
The boot loader, which initializes the hardware, loads the OS run-time image into memory, and jumps to the OS startup routine.
Device drivers
Configuration files, which control how the OS run-time image is built

Creating a BSP is one of the first steps in developing a Windows Embedded Compact powered device.

Microsoft Platform Builder for Windows Embedded Compact 7 provides board support packages (BSPs) for software development boards or hardware platforms that are readily available for purchase.

These BSPs cover the full range of supported microprocessors in Windows Embedded Compact 7 and enable you to quickly evaluate various OS features on your hardware platform and reduce your time to market.

Third-party BSPs are also available for different versions of Windows Embedded Compact.

Sample code for each of the supported BSPs is available at:

%_WINCEROOT%\Platform\<Hardware Platform Name>.

Source code for the OEM adaptation layer (OAL) common library is available at %_WINCEROOT%\Platform\Common.

OAL programming elements specific to CPU architecture are available at %_WINCEROOT%\Platform\Common\Src\<CPU Architecture>.

Programming elements that are not hardware-specific are available at %_WINCEROOT%\Platform\Common\Src\Common.

Windows Embedded Compact 7

2011-03-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

Windows Embedded Compact 7 (formerly known as Windows Embedded CE 7.0) is the seventh major release of Windows Embedded CE Operating System. Windows Embedded Compact 7 is a real-time OS, separate from the Windows NT line, and is designed to target enterprise specific tools such as industrial controllers and consumer electronics devices such as digital cameras, GPS systems and also automotive infotainment systems. Windows Embedded Compact is designed to run on multiple CPU architectures and supports x86, SH (automotive only) and ARM. During development, a Microsoft employee working in this division claimed that Microsoft was working hard on this release and that it shares the underlying kernel with Windows Phone 7. Microsoft officially confirmed this and said that Windows Phone 7 is currently based on Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3 with some features borrowed from Windows Embedded CE 7.0, thus making it a hybrid solution. Windows Embedded CE 7.0 has been released, 1st March 2011.

New Features

Windows Embedded Compact 7 will contain these features.

Dual Core CPU Support (SMP, x86, SH4 (automotive only), ARMv7)
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Cellcore
DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)
DRM technology
Media Transfer Protocol
IE7 Uses IE7 rendering engine, shared with Windows Phone 7. Includes Flash 10.1 support in browser
NDIS 6.1 support
Silverlight for Windows Embedded, allowing designers to develop application and user interfaces in Silverlight using Expression Blend v3. Application developers can then incorporate the designer's project files into their C++ project - as well as any changes that are delivered after initial setup.
New touch and gesture Input support

Drawbacks

The CTP version of the Platform Builder IDE for Windows Embedded Compact 7 is designed as plug-in for and require Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1.

New Features in R3

2011-03-24T03:22:00.001-07:00

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3 was finalized in September 2009 for OEMs and serves as the base platform for the Zune HD and Windows Phone 7. CE 6.0 R3 includes the following new features and capabilities: Silverlight for Windows Embedded, The power of Silverlight brought to Windows Embedded CE to create rich applications and user interfaces

Internet Explorer Embedded: Internet Explorer with multi-touch panning and zooming capabilities and a customizable interface to optimize the browsing experience on devices

Flash Lite: Browser plug in to render rich media websites (not available in Windows Phone 7)

Touch and Gesture: Plug-in engine to enable natural input capabilities such as four-point multi-touch, advance gestures and complex 3D animations.

Connection Manager: Infrastructure technology to manage multiple network interfaces on the device

Microsoft Office and PDF Viewers: Applications to render Microsoft Office Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Adobe PDF content on the device.

WinCE 6.0

2011-03-24T03:18:00.001-07:00

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 (codenamed "Yamazaki") is the 6^th major release of Windows Embedded Operating System targeted to enterprise specific tools such as industrial controllers and consumer electronics devices like digital cameras. CE 6.0 features a completely redesigned kernel, which supports 32,768 processes, up from 32 process support of the previous versions. Each process receives 2GB of virtual address space, up from 32MB.

Windows Embedded CE 6.0 was released on November 1, 2006, and includes partial source code. The OS currently serves as the basis for the Zune HD. Windows Mobile 6.5 is based on Windows CE 5.2. Windows Phone 7, the latest major release of the Windows Phone operating system, is powered by Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R3; although Windows Phone 7 is also utilizing Windows Embedded Compact 7 features.

New features

Some System components (such as file system, GWES (Graphics, Windowing, and Events Server), device driver manager) have been moved to the kernel space. The system components which now run in kernel have been converted from EXEs to DLLs, which get loaded into kernel space.

New Virtual memory model: The lower 2GB is the process VM space and is private per process. The upper 2GB is the kernel VM space.

New device driver model: that supports both User mode and Kernel mode drivers.

Limit Exceeded: The 32 process limit has been raised to 32,768 processes.

Virtual Memory: The 32 megabyte virtual memory limit has been raised to the total virtual memory (Up to 2GB of private VM is available per process).

Platform Builder IDE: The Platform Builder IDE is integrated into Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 as plug-in (thus forcing the client to obtain Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 as well), allowing a single development environment for both platform and application development.

UDF 2.5: Read-only support for UDF 2.5 files system.

exFAT: Support for Microsoft's exFAT file system.

Wifi: 802.11i (WPA2) and 802.11e (QoS) wireless standards, and multiple radio support.

Architectures: CE 6.0 works with x86, ARM, SH4 and MIPS based processor architectures.

Cell core components: New Cell core components to enable devices to easily make data connections and initiate voice calls through cellular networks.

Windows CE vs. Windows XP Embedded

2011-03-24T03:06:00.000-07:00

According to Microsoft, Windows CE is a preferable choice to Windows XP Embedded in situations where demanding wireless and multimedia requirements need to be met. The following are the primary considerations for “choosing the right version”:

CPU architecture: Windows CE supports an extensive array of architectures, including x86, whereas Windows XP Embedded only supports the x86 architecture.

Real-time applications: Windows CE is a real-time operating system, while Windows XP Embedded is not by default.

Existing Win32 applications: Windows CE cannot use Win32 binaries, libraries, and drivers without modification.

Memory footprint: The minimum footprint of Windows CE is 350 kilobytes. The minimum footprint of Windows XP Embedded is 8 megabytes, making it over 23 times larger.

Also consider that Windows CE licensing starts at $3 or €1.25 per device for the Core SKU, while XP Embedded is $90 or €59 per unit shipped.

WinCE 5.0

2011-03-24T03:02:00.001-07:00

Windows CE 5.0 (codenamed "Macallan") is a Next to Windows CE 4.2, the 3rd release in the Windows CE .NET family. It was first released on July 09, 2004. Like its predecessors Windows CE 5.0 is marketed towards the embedded device market and independent device vendors. Windows CE 5.0 is billed as a low-cost, compact, fast-to-market, real-time operating system available for x86, ARM, MIPS, and SuperH microprocessor-based systems.

Windows CE 5.0 builds on previous Windows CE releases in its adoption of shared source. Since 2001, Microsoft has been steadily expanding the available Windows CE source tree with embedded system developers. Windows CE 5.0 is the most open Microsoft Operating System to date, though not all of the system is available under shared source agreements. Developers have the freedom to modify down to the kernel level, without the need to share their changes with Microsoft or competitors.

On the x86 platforms, Windows CE 5.0 competes against Microsoft's other embedded Operating Systems, Windows XP Embedded and its predecessor Windows NT Embedded. Platform Builder IDE for Windows CE 5.0 is the last builder tool, available as standalone product.

Development Environment

2011-03-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and earlier support projects for Windows CE / Windows Mobile, producing executable programs and platform images either as an emulator or attached by cable to an actual mobile device. A mobile device is not necessary to develop a CE program. The .NET Compact Framework supports a subset of the .NET Framework with projects in C#, and VB.NET, but not Managed C++. Microsoft removed this feature from Visual Studio 2010. A standalone IDE for Windows Phone 7 (the Windows Phone Developer Tools) is available instead.

CodeGear Delphi Prism

CodeGear Delphi Prism, which runs in Visual Studio, also supports the .NET Compact Framework and thus can be used to develop mobile applications. It employs the Oxygene compiler created by RemObjects, which targets .NET, the .NET Compact Framework, and Mono. Its command-line compiler is available free of charge.

Free Pascal and Lazarus

Free Pascal introduced the Windows CE port in version 2.2.0, targeting ARM and x86 architectures. Later the Windows CE header files were translated for use with Lazarus, a rapid application development (RAD) software package based on Free Pascal. Windows CE applications are designed and coded in the Lazarus integrated development environment (IDE) and compiled with an appropriate cross compiler.

Basic4ppc

Basic4ppc which is a programming language similar to Visual Basic, targets the .NET Compact Framework and supports Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices.

GLBasic

GLBasic is a very easy to learn and use BASIC dialect that compiles for many platforms, including Windows CE and Windows Mobile. It can be extended by writing inline C/C++ code.

LabVIEW

LabVIEW Is a graphical programming language, supporting many platforms, also windows CE.

Platform Builder

This programming tool is used for building the platform (BSP + Kernel), device drivers (shared source or custom made) and also the application. This is a one step environment to get the system up and running. One can also use Platform Builder to export an SDK (software development kit) for the target microprocessor (SuperH, x86, MIPS, ARM etc.) to be used with another associated tool set.

Embedded Visual C++ (eVC)

The Embedded Visual C++ tool is for development of embedded application for Windows CE based devices. This tool can be used standalone using the SDK exported from Platform Builder or using the Platform Builder using the Platform Manager Connectivity setup.

AutoHotkey

A port of the open source macro-creation and automation software utility AutoHotkey is available for Windows CE, which allows the construction of macros and simple GUI applications developed by systems analyst Jonathan Maxian Timkang.

Introduction to WinCE

2011-03-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

Introduction
Windows CE is an operating system developed by Microsoft for embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinct operating system and is a Real time, kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows. It is not to be confused with Windows XP Embedded which is NT-based. Microsoft licenses Windows CE to OEMs and device makers. The OEMs and device makers can modify and create their own user interfaces and experiences, while Windows CE provides the technical foundation to do so. The current version of Windows Embedded Compact supports Intel x86 and compatibles, MIPS, and ARM processors.

Features
Windows CE is optimized for devices that have nominal storage, Windows CE kernel may run in under a megabyte of memory. Devices are often configured without disk storage, and may be configured as a “closed” system that does not allow for end-user extension. Windows CE conforms to the definition of a real-time operating system, with deterministic interrupt latency. From version 3 and onward, the system supports 256 priority levels and uses priority inheritance for dealing with priority inversion. The fundamental unit of execution is the thread. This helps to simplify the interface and improve execution time.

Microsoft has stated that the ‘CE’ is not an intentional initialism, but many people believe CE stands for ‘Consumer Electronics’ or ‘Compact Edition’. Microsoft says the letters instead imply a number of Windows CE design precepts, including “Compact, Connectable, Compatible, Companion, and Efficient.” The first version, known during development under the code name “Pegasus”, featured a Windows-like GUI and a number of Microsoft's popular applications, all trimmed down for smaller storage, memory, and speed of the palmtops of the day. Since then, Windows CE has evolved into a component-based, embedded, real-time operating system. It is no longer targeted solely at hand-held computers. Many platforms have been based on the core Windows CE operating system, including Microsoft's AutoPC, Pocket PC 2000, Pocket PC 2002, Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 2003 SE, Windows Mobile 5.0, Windows Mobile 6, Smartphone 2002, Smartphone 2003, Portable Media Center and many industrial devices and embedded systems.
A distinctive feature of Windows CE compared to other Microsoft operating systems is that large parts of it are offered in source code form. So you could imagine what you can do with it. First, source code was offered to several vendors, so they could adjust it to their hardware. Then products like Platform Builder (an integrated environment for Windows CE OS image creation and integration, or customized operating system designs based on CE) offered several components in source code form to the general public. However, a number of core components that do not need adaptation to specific hardware environments (other than the CPU family) are still distributed in binary only form.

Soon am going to share my projects and experience on WinCE here on this blog
For more informative articles and my Projects developed visit my other blogs.