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Electronics => Microcontrollers => Topic started by: JacquesBBB on September 04, 2016, 02:12:46 pm

Title: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 04, 2016, 02:12:46 pm
Ti is offering CCS 6
TMDSCCS-ALLN01D-Code Composer Studio IDE - Node Locked Single User (N01D) - Download Only / NO DVDs
(a 445 $ value)
for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad board.

https://store.ti.com/MSP430G2-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-With-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P50861.aspx (https://store.ti.com/MSP430G2-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-With-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P50861.aspx)

From what I understand the further updates are free of charge as well.
http://www.ti.com/tool/CCSSUB (http://www.ti.com/tool/CCSSUB)

It is quite  a tempting offer and I ordered one to have this full functional CCS.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 04, 2016, 03:03:51 pm
How is that different than the CCS I was able to download after previous launch pad purchases?  I've only played with it a bit but it appears to be the full version.

What does "node locked" mean?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: PartialDischarge on September 04, 2016, 03:08:43 pm
Ditched long time ago the MSP family and CCS which suck after I discovered the Cypress PSOC family (more versatile) , and specially the free PSOC creator, a much better working environment. Documentation for the PSOC is amazing btw.

And some of the eval boards share the pinouts to be compatible with arduino extensions
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 04, 2016, 03:15:14 pm
How is that different than the CCS I was able to download after previous launch pad purchases?  I've only played with it a bit but it appears to be the full version.

I believe the difference is in the use of the Ti compiler

Quote
Use CCS for free - By default when you install Code Composer Studio a free license will be enabled that supports working with development boards with an onboard debug interface, XDS1xx class debug probes, MSP430 with 16KB code size limit when using the TI compiler and 32KB code size limit with MSP432 and no limit when using GCC. A 90-day evaluation license is also available.

Quote
What does "node locked" mean?

From what I understand, limited to the use on one single computer.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on September 04, 2016, 04:55:16 pm
How is that different than the CCS I was able to download after previous launch pad purchases?  I've only played with it a bit but it appears to be the full version.

What does "node locked" mean?

The compilers in the free version are code size limited.

Node locked means you can pick I believe two MAC addresses for the license to be valid for.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 04, 2016, 05:46:09 pm
How is that different than the CCS I was able to download after previous launch pad purchases?  I've only played with it a bit but it appears to be the full version.

What does "node locked" mean?

The compilers in the free version are code size limited.[/qoute]

I'm fairly cetain there is no code size limit on the CCS version I have - which uses GCC. That is what their website says.

Until now,  I had not realized there was a seperate TI compiler available which is code size limited. I'm an embedded C newbie - what advantage would there be to using the TI compiler? Speed?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on September 04, 2016, 05:48:33 pm
How is that different than the CCS I was able to download after previous launch pad purchases?  I've only played with it a bit but it appears to be the full version.

What does "node locked" mean?

The compilers in the free version are code size limited.[/qoute]

I'm fairly cetain there is no code size limit on the CCS version I have - which uses GCC. That is what their website says.

If you use the non-default GCC compiler, yes, there's no code size limit. This is good, seeing as it doesn't optimise nearly as well.

The TI MSP430 compiler is substantially better than GCC. And then there's all the compilers you get for other MCUs, such as their C2000 range.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 04, 2016, 06:03:10 pm
Actually I was wrong, I had thought it was using GCC but it appears to be using TI compilers.  It is not code size limited as far as I can tell.

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 05, 2016, 03:59:05 am

If you're a collector of dev-kits, who isn't?. At least I hope i'm not the only one who has trouble resisting a coupon.

Ha, yeah I have several TI dev kits - all had for low prices. I've actually used some of them for online courses - the Tiva C for the UT embedded course (using Keil) and the MSP430 for a UC Berkeley electonics/robotics course (used Energia).

I'm having a hard time resisting this. Not sure I'll ever need a full CCS license but if nothing else it would be nice to have a socketed MSP430 dev board...
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 05, 2016, 04:20:58 am

Are there any links still available to those courses you mentioned?

https://www.edx.org/course/embedded-systems-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-6-03x (https://www.edx.org/course/embedded-systems-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-6-03x)

https://www.edx.org/course/electronic-interfaces-bridging-physical-uc-berkeleyx-ee40lx-0# (https://www.edx.org/course/electronic-interfaces-bridging-physical-uc-berkeleyx-ee40lx-0#)!

Both highly recomended.  The UCB course is rather elementary - but fun.

Quote
Temptation being what it is I buckled like a tin-foil pie plate.

So did I  ;D
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 05, 2016, 04:51:32 am
https://www.edx.org/course/embedded-systems-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-6-03x (https://www.edx.org/course/embedded-systems-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-6-03x)

There is a continuation to this course that will be starting september 15.
It will be based on MSP432, RTOS   and  bluetooth 

Real-Time Bluetooth Networks - Shape the World

In their announce
https://www.edx.org/course/real-time-bluetooth-networks-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-rtbn-12-01x (https://www.edx.org/course/real-time-bluetooth-networks-shape-world-utaustinx-ut-rtbn-12-01x)

they require quite a lot of material from Ti .
http://edx-org-utaustinx.s3.amazonaws.com/UT601x/RTOSkit.html (http://edx-org-utaustinx.s3.amazonaws.com/UT601x/RTOSkit.html)

So if you intend to follow this course,  this could be a good opportunity.

LaunchPad: EK-TM4C123GXL or MSP-EXP432P401R
MK-II I/O booster: BOOSTXL-EDUMKII
CC2650 Bluetooth module: BOOSTXL-CC2650MA or LAUNCHXL-CC2650

I must say that I ordered the BOOSTXL-EDUMKII which is bundled with the MSP-EXP432P401R
https://store.ti.com/msp-bndl-p401redu.aspx (https://store.ti.com/msp-bndl-p401redu.aspx) for 39.99$,
but did not run for the bluetooth module which I find quite expensive.

It should  not be used before the end of the course.


Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: dizgah on September 06, 2016, 03:38:12 am
Is this version of CCS support developing applications for other families like Concerto or sitara ? or it is locked to this LaunchPad series?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 06, 2016, 06:09:56 am
The code of the item is TMDSCCS-ALLN01D

This is what is written in my order form.

So its should be the full version, with no restrictions. Exactly the one that retails 445$.

You can dowload it already. They will just send some licence file that i have not received yet.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: dizgah on September 06, 2016, 07:26:52 am
Does any one received license file?
Is this license contain any online or mail/ticket based support?
Is this possible to activate a CCS V5 with this license ?
Are they crazy?Who will pay 450 $ for CCS after this?
Is allowed for using in commercial projects ?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ebclr on September 06, 2016, 08:28:01 am
If you have any XDS100 based jtag you don't need to buy


http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2012/02/23/using-tis-code-compresser-studio-ide-for-free/ (http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2012/02/23/using-tis-code-compresser-studio-ide-for-free/)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: thm_w on September 08, 2016, 12:21:58 am
A nice thing that has happened at some point in the past few years is that TI has apparently extended their estore system so that you can order many of their parts in low (or whatever) quantities as well as development kits / tools.
So for the same shipping cost (at least in the US and for modest quantities of items)  you can get some parts too.

I didn't notice that their low quantity parts prices from their estore were particularly good compared to, say,  digikey or Mouser, but they weren't so bad that I didn't throw in many of my "I should get that" items from TI into the order along with the devkit that I was ordering anyway.

I could have spent all day finding / adding parts like opamps and such...

yep, price is lower than digikey and they somehow don't charge tax. Funny thing is it ends up being fulfilled by digikey.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: rsjsouza on September 08, 2016, 02:00:44 am
If you have any XDS100 based jtag you don't need to buy
http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2012/02/23/using-tis-code-compresser-studio-ide-for-free/ (http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2012/02/23/using-tis-code-compresser-studio-ide-for-free/)
As others have said, it also gives you a code size unlimited version of the TI compilers for both MSP430 and MSP432.
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/FAQ_-_CCSv4#Q:_What_advantages_does_a_paid_license_give_me.3F (http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/FAQ_-_CCSv4#Q:_What_advantages_does_a_paid_license_give_me.3F)

I've received my license file and am installing CCS. Seems like it is a full permanent license.


Can you use it on just one machine? I would have liked to use it on a desktop and a laptop. I wasn't sure so I bought two.
Did you receive the Launchpads? Mine have a months wait on them.
Check: http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/FAQ_-_CCSv4#Q:_How_many_computers_can_I_use_a_node_locked_license_with.3F (http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/FAQ_-_CCSv4#Q:_How_many_computers_can_I_use_a_node_locked_license_with.3F)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ebclr on September 08, 2016, 08:18:32 am
That's the fun part

Q: How do I generate a free license for XDS100, simulator or EVM/DSK use?
In CCS go to the help->Licensing options menu and click the button to "Use free limited license". This will open a browser with the following link. https://focus-webapps.ti.com/licreg/productactivation.tsp?toPerform=firstTimeActivation&orderablePartNumber=TMDSCCS-HWN01A&FNOPartNumber=TMDSCCS-HWN01A-v4.0
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ElectricGuy on September 08, 2016, 09:15:34 pm
Just for information; order my board September 5, arrived today September 8. Also received the email today with the license.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 08, 2016, 09:35:16 pm
same for me.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ElektroQuark on September 09, 2016, 05:33:34 am
Received my two boards at about 17:00. The licenses emails arrived an hour later.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: plazma on September 09, 2016, 03:07:31 pm
Ordered on Monday, got the sw licence on Thursday and Fedex tried to deliver today (Friday).
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: splin on September 09, 2016, 07:56:39 pm
How does CCS compare with other development environments and compilers for ARM Cortex such as Embitz/Emblocks with GCC? Does it provide any help in configuring pinmuxes and peripherals like ST's CubeMX? Would there be any benefit from learning yet another IDE?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 11, 2016, 07:05:10 am
If you order today (11th September 2016) and probably tomorrow, TI ships for free.

Regards,

Venkat
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 11, 2016, 08:11:59 am
I did order successfully and got free shipping. You don't need any coupon code either.

Regards,

Venkatesh
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: all_repair on September 11, 2016, 02:02:18 pm
If you order today (11th September 2016) and probably tomorrow, TI ships for free.
I resisted and resisted, until this.  Verified.  Bought.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 11, 2016, 02:15:31 pm
If you order today (11th September 2016) and probably tomorrow, TI ships for free.
I resisted and resisted, until this.  Verified.  Bought.

I was having second thoughts too. But, $10 with free shipping is deal of dreams for someone working on TI products. I bought 2.

Venkat
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: MagicSmoker on September 12, 2016, 12:16:08 pm
All I know about C is how to spell it, but I, too, could not resist this great temptation and just ordered it. Shipping was still free, too.

Thanks to the OP for alerting us to this deal!
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Scrts on September 12, 2016, 02:27:20 pm
Ordered 2 too. Just in case will need software in the future :)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: macboy on September 12, 2016, 03:42:26 pm
Ordered today (9/12), got free shipping to Canada without needing any additional code.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: CJay on September 12, 2016, 07:13:11 pm
Is this limited to certain regions?

Mine comes up as $464 and change at checkout.

I'll not be ordering one unfortunately.

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on September 12, 2016, 07:20:51 pm
Is this limited to certain regions?

Mine comes up as $464 and change at checkout.

I'll not be ordering one unfortunately.

Bug with login. Clear the extra items out of your cart.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 13, 2016, 02:00:51 am
Is this limited to certain regions?

Mine comes up as $464 and change at checkout.

I'll not be ordering one unfortunately.

Bug with login. Clear the extra items out of your cart.

Yes. Shopping cart will add the individual line items at full price if you happen to logout and login after you added the promo bundle. Here is the screen shot how it looks like.

Venkat
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 13, 2016, 03:58:55 am
Received the launchpad today.  Pleasantly surprised to see an extra MSP430 chip included.

Also included is a 32kHz "microcrystal".  Anyone know what the purpose of that is?

With the free shipping deal, I couldn't help myself and ordered a second one.


FWIW - both times I also had the above discussed extra items in my cart bug.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on September 13, 2016, 04:00:04 am
The crystal can optionally be soldered to the board for use.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 13, 2016, 04:17:18 am
Also included is a 32kHz "microcrystal".  Anyone know what the purpose of that is?

The crystal is intended to be part of on chip RTC. If you need it, connect it to P2.6 and P2.7. Pads are on board, on the right side.

Ah, ok, I see that. Thanks.

But why not have it already installed?

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on September 13, 2016, 04:26:33 am
Also included is a 32kHz "microcrystal".  Anyone know what the purpose of that is?

The crystal is intended to be part of on chip RTC. If you need it, connect it to P2.6 and P2.7. Pads are on board, on the right side.

Ah, ok, I see that. Thanks.

But why not have it already installed?

Because it is entirely optional and you may wish to use those pins as GPIO.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: mtdoc on September 13, 2016, 04:35:43 am
Ah, looking through the documentation now, I see the discussion and rational for the ability to install different oscillators for very low power apps, etc. - (Chapter 5 of the MSP430x2xx user's guide (http://www.ti.com/lit/ug/slau144j/slau144j.pdf))

This is not something I've seen on the other TI launchpads I have, for example my F5529 MSP430 launchpad.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: CJay on September 13, 2016, 05:17:34 am
Is this limited to certain regions?

Mine comes up as $464 and change at checkout.

I'll not be ordering one unfortunately.

Bug with login. Clear the extra items out of your cart.

Got it, I logged in after clicking the link so cleared the cart and added it again, $9.99 with free shipping.

One on the way :)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: westfw on September 13, 2016, 08:57:46 am
Quote
As far as I found it frees up a couple of i/o pins if you don't need a crystal.
IIRC, the original launchpad shipped with one of the 14-pin MSP430 chips, so I imagine that leaving those two pins uncommitted was seen as pretty important.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: tszaboo on September 13, 2016, 09:28:21 am
Is the CCS usable with the Tiva and MSP432 or just the 430 if you buy this license?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: alexanderbrevig on September 13, 2016, 09:59:23 am
Thanks for this tip, I also finally got an excuse to get the https://store.ti.com/ANALOGPRGBOOK.aspx shipped :)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 13, 2016, 12:12:49 pm
Today, they are offering with MSP432P401R LaunchPad Development Kit.

https://store.ti.com/MSP432P401R-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-with-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P51093.aspx

Venkat
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: macboy on September 13, 2016, 03:18:10 pm
Is this limited to certain regions?

Mine comes up as $464 and change at checkout.

I'll not be ordering one unfortunately.
It did that to me as well, when I added it to my cart prior to logging in. Try clearing the cart, then logging in, then adding it and checking out.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Scrts on September 13, 2016, 04:19:58 pm
Today, they are offering with MSP432P401R LaunchPad Development Kit.

https://store.ti.com/MSP432P401R-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-with-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P51093.aspx

Venkat

Oh damn, I'd rather had ordered this one. I have two useless MSP430 devkits now.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on September 13, 2016, 04:20:37 pm
Today, they are offering with MSP432P401R LaunchPad Development Kit.

https://store.ti.com/MSP432P401R-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-with-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P51093.aspx

Venkat

Oh damn, I'd rather had ordered this one. I have two useless MSP430 devkits now.

'useless'? |O
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 13, 2016, 04:30:03 pm
Today, they are offering with MSP432P401R LaunchPad Development Kit.

https://store.ti.com/MSP432P401R-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-with-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P51093.aspx

Venkat

Oh damn, I'd rather had ordered this one. I have two useless MSP430 devkits now.

I should have created a new thread. I did create a new thread now.

Venkat
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaevee on September 13, 2016, 05:43:13 pm
Today, they are offering with MSP432P401R LaunchPad Development Kit.

https://store.ti.com/MSP432P401R-LaunchPad-Development-Kit-with-Code-Composer-Studio-Promotion-P51093.aspx

Venkat

Sold out >:(.

You should try again. One of my friends bought it few minutes back.

Venkat
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: neslekkim on September 13, 2016, 08:21:58 pm
Thanks for this tip, I also finally got an excuse to get the https://store.ti.com/ANALOGPRGBOOK.aspx shipped :)

I forgot to order this together with the other stuff, so I ordered it separately now.. the shipment is actually free.. first time I had an selector for shipping cost, International economy = $0, and international priority $25ish, so I guess they send this one through usps or something.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 14, 2016, 08:07:43 am
The situation today is that there are 3 PROMOS for CCS

https://store.ti.com/Search.aspx?k=ccs-promo&pt=-1 (https://store.ti.com/Search.aspx?k=ccs-promo&pt=-1)

bundled with

MSP430G2 (9.99$)
MSP432P401R (12.99$)
MSP430FR5994 (15.99$)

Edit
The  MSP432P401R option is no longer available, although you only see it on checkout. Maybe its just because they have no stock of the MSP432P401R board.


Thanks to FlyIt (below)
everything is OK for All  boards
Quote
Thanks for letting us know of this issue. There was a problem with the TI store site which has now been corrected. Please empty your cart and re-order.


Shipping  is still free.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: FlyIt! on September 14, 2016, 05:12:59 pm

Quote
...the MSP432P401R option is no longer available

Update: (cross-posted from the MSP432-specific deal thread)

Good news!  I emailed TI Support, and they replied this morning... 

Quote
Thanks for letting us know of this issue. There was a problem with the TI store site which has now been corrected. Please empty your cart and re-order.

Tried again, and everything worked fine (no "out of stock" message). Order placed!

YMMV

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: dannyf on September 15, 2016, 01:41:08 am
The raspberry pi zero is going for 99 cents apiece now.

Not sure which is a better deal, :)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: edavid on September 15, 2016, 04:33:46 am
Where at?

Or is this one of those "$0.99 each, but $11 in shipping each" deals?

Micro Center in-store only, limit 1:

http://www.microcenter.com/product/463189/Zero_Development_Board_-_Camera_Ready (http://www.microcenter.com/product/463189/Zero_Development_Board_-_Camera_Ready)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: all_repair on September 20, 2016, 02:39:42 am
How is the license file being delivered?  Is it a download link?  I got the download link from TI but thought that was the CCS setup file which I had already downloaded on checkout.  I got the hardware delivered for a few days but yet to receive further email with any attachment for the license file. 
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ElektroQuark on September 20, 2016, 07:08:49 am
The software activation ID code is at your myTI too. Look there.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: rsjsouza on September 20, 2016, 06:56:50 pm
There's the info on the page below as well:
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/GSG:CCSv6_Running_for_the_first_time (http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/GSG:CCSv6_Running_for_the_first_time)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaz911 on September 22, 2016, 06:29:12 am
I had 1 license - but had asked TI to upgrade it to a floating license so I could use it on my 3 dev computers.. But they would not take my money. :)

So now I have 4 extra full licenses for $50 ish incl some launch pads - so I have enough for a while :)

thanks to the OP! :)

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: alexanderbrevig on September 22, 2016, 06:36:06 am
CCS6 installed and it was a smooth ride, for once. Setting up a new environment always strike me as unnecessarily complex and tedious.

It's easy enough to move the license to another computer. I've already tried it :) But maybe buying a few more kits is a good idea!
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaz911 on September 22, 2016, 06:45:57 am
CCS6 installed and it was a smooth ride, for once. Setting up a new environment always strike me as unnecessarily complex and tedious.

It's easy enough to move the license to another computer. I've already tried it :) But maybe buying a few more kits is a good idea!

Yes moving licenses is a PITA :) I have so far done that every time I went away for some time...
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: westfw on September 22, 2016, 10:07:18 am
Quote
The software activation ID code is at your myTI too. Look there.
WHERE there?   I don't really see a place ("messages"?) where it would show up.
Is anyone else seeing a delay in getting their license?  I got the physical board over a week ago, but no email yet (and nothing I can see in myTI.)
The "order status" says "In Work at Fulfillment", rather amusingly:
(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/code-composer-studio-for-9-99$-with-a-msp-exp430g2-msp430-launchpad/?action=dlattach;attach=257644)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: neslekkim on September 22, 2016, 11:43:45 am
WHERE there?   I don't really see a place ("messages"?) where it would show up.

go to ti.com, log in.
On the top-right you have "hello <name>", click that, and you get to "myTI account"
under the left menu, choose "myRegistered  software", then you will see your licenses.

It takes like 2-3 days or something before you get them there I think.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: newbrain on September 22, 2016, 02:13:34 pm
Quote
The software activation ID code is at your myTI too. Look there.
WHERE there?   I don't really see a place ("messages"?) where it would show up.
Is anyone else seeing a delay in getting their license?  I got the physical board over a week ago, but no email yet (and nothing I can see in myTI.)
The "order status" says "In Work at Fulfillment", rather amusingly:
(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/code-composer-studio-for-9-99$-with-a-msp-exp430g2-msp430-launchpad/?action=dlattach;attach=257644)
Not to be disrespectful, but did you pay for the license?  >:D
I wasn't getting mine, (it was "In Work at Fulfillment") so I checked better the order status page, and lo and behold, I had a $0.01 payment pending:
The license was not paid when ordering the MSP432 LP combo (I used Paypal, FYI): only 12.98$ were reserved at the time, the cost of the board rather than the total 12.99$  |O.
Once completed the payment, it took about 8 hours to get a mail with the instructions and then one with the license code.
I had to register the code manually on the site, to bind it to to my MAC and immediately receive the license file to import in CCS.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: TheDirty on September 22, 2016, 02:16:03 pm
Reposting this because a lot of people seem to have missed this suggestion from earlier on, but if you want a floating license, just buy a USB wifi adapter.  You can get them for about $10.  Link the license to that MAC address and just move the wifi adapter to whatever computer you are using.  You don't need to actually use the wifi adapter.

I've done this because I change motherboards every year or so and don't want to deactivate/reactivate all the time.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: neslekkim on September 22, 2016, 02:57:04 pm
I wasn't getting mine, (it was "In Work at Fulfillment") so I checked better the order status page, and lo and behold, I had a $0.01 payment pending:

I have these also, one $0.01 and one $0.02, but I have gotten the licenses, would guess that they have some roundoff problems?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ebclr on September 22, 2016, 03:25:10 pm
What's the deal ?

Who need's that license ?

What you can do with that license that you can't without ?

https://dev.ti.com/
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: neslekkim on September 22, 2016, 03:41:13 pm
codesize?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: newbrain on September 22, 2016, 03:46:39 pm
I have these also, one $0.01 and one $0.02, but I have gotten the licenses, would guess that they have some roundoff problems?
Oh, I wouldn't know. This money stuff is too complicated. Gimme a datasheet or some code any time... :-//
But for me that was the thing holding the license in the pipe...
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ebclr on September 22, 2016, 03:55:39 pm
Do the cloud tool have any limitation ?

https://dev.ti.com/faq

I compiled big files there

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 22, 2016, 05:44:49 pm
Reposting this because a lot of people seem to have missed this suggestion from earlier on, but if you want a floating license, just buy a USB wifi adapter.  You can get them for about $10.  Link the license to that MAC address and just move the wifi adapter to whatever computer you are using.  You don't need to actually use the wifi adapter.

I've done this because I change motherboards every year or so and don't want to deactivate/reactivate all the time.

Can you confirm that it works on CCS ?

I thought about that but reading carefully the faq,  they say that  the MAC address is the HOSTID mac adress,
but I do not understand if any  MAC address is considered as an HOSTID, or only  one of them

from
http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/FAQ_-_CCSv4#Q:_What_does_this_error_message_mean.3F_.22The_HOST_ID_in_your_license_does_not_match_the_HOST_ID_of_this_computer.22 (http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/FAQ_-_CCSv4#Q:_What_does_this_error_message_mean.3F_.22The_HOST_ID_in_your_license_does_not_match_the_HOST_ID_of_this_computer.22)
Quote
Q: What does this error message mean? "The HOST ID in your license does not match the HOST ID of this computer"
CCS is comparing the host ID of your computer with the one that is in your license file and they are not matching. The cause of this could be that the license was created for a different computer, or you made a mistake when typing in the HOST ID when creating your license or if you have multiple network cards in your computer CCS may be looking at the wrong one. It is possible to re-host your license, please verify the HOST ID of your computer and if you have multiple network cards try entering in 2 HOST IDs when re-hosting your license.


Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: westfw on September 22, 2016, 07:41:46 pm
Ah.  I HAD found the appropriate page, but since it was blank I wasn't sure that was the place.  (and it SOUNDED more like "things you have registered" rather than "things you have bought.)

Quote
I wasn't getting mine, (it was "In Work at Fulfillment") so I checked better the order status page, and lo and behold, I had a $0.01 payment pending
That could be it.  Paypal says I paid $9.98, the order shows charges of $9.99...
(How in the world do you make a $0.01 payment to an order that isn't actively ASKING you to make a payment?  I'd guess that TI tried to bill separately, as things were actually shipped, but paypal burped with a "$0.01??  Is that some kind of joke?" response...)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: newbrain on September 22, 2016, 09:00:31 pm
Ah.  I HAD found the appropriate page, but since it was blank I wasn't sure that was the place.  (and it SOUNDED more like "things you have registered" rather than "things you have bought.)

Quote
I wasn't getting mine, (it was "In Work at Fulfillment") so I checked better the order status page, and lo and behold, I had a $0.01 payment pending
That could be it.  Paypal says I paid $9.98, the order shows charges of $9.99...
(How in the world do you make a $0.01 payment to an order that isn't actively ASKING you to make a payment?  I'd guess that TI tried to bill separately, as things were actually shipped, but paypal burped with a "$0.01??  Is that some kind of joke?" response...)
Yes, same for me with the registration page, it was empty until I went through the whole procedure and entered the code received by mail.
And yes, probably they billed separately.
I attach a capture of the order page (personal details removed). Just above the Reorder button, I had another one with something like "Complete Payment" (not so sure).
Paypal did not object to the amount for me, but note that the money has not yet been withdrawn; I'm curious to see the credit report (in SEK) when they do.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: edavid on September 23, 2016, 03:18:44 am
Reposting this because a lot of people seem to have missed this suggestion from earlier on, but if you want a floating license, just buy a USB wifi adapter.  You can get them for about $10.  Link the license to that MAC address and just move the wifi adapter to whatever computer you are using.  You don't need to actually use the wifi adapter.

I've done this because I change motherboards every year or so and don't want to deactivate/reactivate all the time.

Can't you use a virtual machine's MAC address?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on September 24, 2016, 05:55:55 pm
The situation today is that there are 3 PROMOS for CCS

https://store.ti.com/Search.aspx?k=ccs-promo&pt=-1 (https://store.ti.com/Search.aspx?k=ccs-promo&pt=-1)

bundled with

MSP430G2 (9.99$)
MSP432P401R (12.99$)
MSP430FR5994 (15.99$)

Today the 3 promotions  are still valid, but the shipping is no longer free (6.99$)
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: MagicSmoker on September 26, 2016, 06:47:16 pm
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: kaz911 on September 27, 2016, 06:11:42 am
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:


any new tool takes some getting used too - I would suggest to follow one of their online tutorial videos to get started - they have plenty of video tutorials with training books etc. It helps if you know Eclipse but I did not when I started. Eclipse is the "IDE" that CCS is integrated into and Eclipse is used for many different IDE's and tools.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: all_repair on October 07, 2016, 09:32:12 am
TI is a BIG joke for this promotion.  So much time wasting, so many  Sherlock Holmes needed, and I finally executed a 0.01 USD Visa payment from my non-USA card few days ago.  But the 0.01 dollar payment is now stuck.  They have created a divide by zero problem for themselves.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: westfw on October 07, 2016, 10:13:54 am
Yep.  Still don't have my license :-(  Had the $0.01 "payment due" which I submitted a new paypal transaction for.   But it didn't go through, is still "pending", and I don't seem to have an option for making a payment by some other mechanism.   My support case has gone unanswered :-(
Sigh.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: PartialDischarge on October 07, 2016, 11:15:33 am
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:

No you have not. And wait when you START wasting time with CCS, and when you eventually get a prototype just for programming it.
If you want to start producing more and wasting time less, check the PSoc family from Cypress, great documentation, great compiler, great dev boards, analog modules inside the chip, graphical configuration of PWM, timers, buses... I love it and now all my MSP boards are on the dumpster

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: macboy on October 07, 2016, 02:36:13 pm
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:

No you have not. And wait when you START wasting time with CCS, and when you eventually get a prototype just for programming it.
If you want to start producing more and wasting time less, check the PSoc family from Cypress, great documentation, great compiler, great dev boards, analog modules inside the chip, graphical configuration of PWM, timers, buses... I love it and now all my MSP boards are on the dumpster
I bought two MSP boards during the promotion. I had never been intrigued by these before, but the full CCS license roped me in. I had a lot of trouble just getting the RGB LED blinky example to work - the GUI wouldn't open within CCS as instructed in the tutorial, i needed to open it separately. It shouldn't have been so hard. All this was after downloading and installing well over 1 GB worth of IDE. I was not impressed.

I had a Mouser order recently (my first I think, I'm normally a Digi-key guy), and I added PSoC 4 and PSoC 5 sticks to the order to get it up over the free shipping threshold. I've wanted to get these for a while and I'm looking forward to playing with them.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: PartialDischarge on October 07, 2016, 03:33:11 pm
Quote
I bought two MSP boards during the promotion. I had never been intrigued by these before, but the full CCS license roped me in. I had a lot of trouble just getting the RGB LED blinky example to work - the GUI wouldn't open within CCS as instructed in the tutorial, i needed to open it separately. It shouldn't have been so hard. All this was after downloading and installing well over 1 GB worth of IDE. I was not impressed.
same old problems I had

Quote
I had a Mouser order recently (my first I think, I'm normally a Digi-key guy), and I added PSoC 4 and PSoC 5 sticks to the order to get it up over the free shipping threshold. I've wanted to get these for a while and I'm looking forward to playing with them.
Adding and configuring modules graphically in Psoc Creator is simply genius, and saves literally hours of work, most of the code is generated by it, not you. First time I received a Psoc 5, no previous experience, I got a pwm motor+lcd up and running in less than an hour, and this was a program I made not a sample code from someone
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: FlyingHacker on October 07, 2016, 03:49:51 pm
Those of you curious about the MAC address hardware node locking...

You have the option of adding two different MAC addresses for one license. So you could use it on a laptop and a desktop.

It didn't seem to be critical of which MAC address you used. So I am pretty sure a USB Ethernet dongle will work fine. Many of those (SIIG) have a driver that even lets you change you MAC address with ease, should you need to do that for some reason...
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: metrologist on October 07, 2016, 03:55:07 pm
I don't know what you guys are talking about with the $0.01 payment. I just put the kit in my cart, then added a 2nd to give to someone else since shipping was going to be ~$7, and paid in full. I received two sets of emails with the instructions for getting the software and lic file.

I'm a noob with this, and light duty programming in general, so I'll have to see how it goes. The temp sensor example already gave me a bit of puzzlement, but that was just the PC app. Can't wait for some extra time to appear... :scared:
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on October 07, 2016, 09:16:22 pm
Can't you use a virtual machine's MAC address?

I think some of us can build an USB ethernet adapter without actual port. It serve the sole purpose as a license dongle.
Writing a null driver is also an option, but that might be illegal since it is a piece of software that circumvents software licensing. No one limits the use of hardware to do so.
As long as you do not make its MAC address user programmable, I see no legal issues.

But you still have a hardware dongle, and if it breaks you need another.  May as well use an actual ethernet dongle for all the effort involved.  All of them have user-programmable MAC so it's easy to replace as needed.  Not sure why a custom built one would have to be fixed address since all real ones are user programmable.

Happy to see this thread, I just bought the kit and now am fully licensed.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on October 07, 2016, 09:22:04 pm
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:

No you have not. And wait when you START wasting time with CCS, and when you eventually get a prototype just for programming it.
If you want to start producing more and wasting time less, check the PSoc family from Cypress, great documentation, great compiler, great dev boards, analog modules inside the chip, graphical configuration of PWM, timers, buses... I love it and now all my MSP boards are on the dumpster

You seem to have an agenda.

I'd wager that MagicSmoker is a first time user of an IDE, period.  I originally installed CCS ages ago, and at that time it sucked hard if you used the default method which downloads a little stub installer that itself retrieves the real (presumably most current) set of installers from the net.  It worked a lot better if you just downloaded the full installer and installled it locally.  Once installed it has pretty much all the same buttons and interface as any other IDE and I didn't need to even read a quick-start guide.

For a first time user of any environment of this kind, yeah it's going to be rough going.  That is going to be the case with any IDE.

Thanks for the PSoC reference, I looked into them based on your post and plan to get some boards to play with.  MSP430 is still extremely valuable, I have two projects going using G series SOIC and TSSOP packages and I don't see anything remotely close to that small from Cypress.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: PartialDischarge on October 07, 2016, 09:30:23 pm
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:

No you have not. And wait when you START wasting time with CCS, and when you eventually get a prototype just for programming it.
If you want to start producing more and wasting time less, check the PSoc family from Cypress, great documentation, great compiler, great dev boards, analog modules inside the chip, graphical configuration of PWM, timers, buses... I love it and now all my MSP boards are on the dumpster

You seem to have an agenda.


Nope, no agenda. I could give you more details on this but, pointless.
Just a happy customer who lost time in the past, and would like others to become aware of a better solution. And I've been a Texas Instruments fan since I graduated in EE, did projects with C54s and C62s DSPs in that time. I agree that I may look like a Cypress rep though.

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on October 07, 2016, 10:22:37 pm
Well, I finally got CCS installed, updated and licensed. It looks quite bewildering, even in "simple" mode. I'm mainly interested in playing with the new UCD series digital power supply controllers but it looks like by the time I figure out how to actually use CCS I could have designed and laid out a few boards.

Any other 1st time users equally perplexed, or have I reached my level of incompetence?  :scared:

No you have not. And wait when you START wasting time with CCS, and when you eventually get a prototype just for programming it.
If you want to start producing more and wasting time less, check the PSoc family from Cypress, great documentation, great compiler, great dev boards, analog modules inside the chip, graphical configuration of PWM, timers, buses... I love it and now all my MSP boards are on the dumpster

You seem to have an agenda.


Nope, no agenda. I could give you more details on this but, pointless.
Just a happy customer who lost time in the past, and would like others to become aware of a better solution. And I've been a Texas Instruments fan since I graduated in EE, did projects with C54s and C62s DSPs in that time. I agree that I may look like a Cypress rep though.

Sorry, I didn't mean ulterior motive or anything negative.

I think many times vendors do get stuck with what they have for various reasons.  As someone who is not even at the level of novice, I recognize this in e.g. scopes.  Legacy customers, laziness, inertia, etc.  TI seems big enough and ancient enough that they may very well be in this boat with a lot of products.

But I looked at Cypress and the website was just too hard to navigate.  Couldn't even find a family to family comparison chart.  Still, with what I did find, it seemed they were heavily oriented to 32bit and devices with large number of I/O.  Seemed to be consistent with "SoC" vs TI "MCU".  Does Cypress have anything that is more on the order of only 4-8 I/O pins?
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: faulty on October 25, 2016, 05:39:57 am

Today the 3 promotions  are still valid, but the shipping is no longer free (6.99$)

I got this from TI and just used the code today.

Quote
As a thank you for visiting the TI store, please enjoy free shipping on your next order. The TI store is the place to shop for TI devices, development tools and software for all your design needs. Use coupon code “FALLFREESHIP” at checkout.
Limit one coupon code per customer. Coupon expires December 31, 2016.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: bson on October 29, 2016, 01:23:43 am
I just ordered a couple of these as well.  It seems the CCS license is $.01 and the dev board the remainder of the total.

It's always possible to run it on a VM, where you can set the MAC address to whatever you want.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on October 31, 2016, 10:41:09 am
It's always possible to run it on a VM, where you can set the MAC address to whatever you want.

You don't need a VM to set the MAC to whatever.  You can change your real hardware's MAC address also.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on October 31, 2016, 10:47:38 am
After buying this I learned of the Mac version of CCS.  Which doesn't require licensing.

I'm having some problems debugging my target (board doesn't always respond and then I have to reset) but I haven't checked to see if CCS on Windows has the same problem or not.  Still, running CCS on Mac makes life generally easier for me and allows me to "get over" the issues with Eclipse -- which is worse (buggier) on Mac than elsewhere, but no dealbreakers for me.  So, I "wasted" my $9.99 but am happy about it.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: edavid on October 31, 2016, 04:35:54 pm
It's always possible to run it on a VM, where you can set the MAC address to whatever you want.

You don't need a VM to set the MAC to whatever.  You can change your real hardware's MAC address also.

The point of using a VM is to be able to run the compiler on a different computer without the hassle of swapping MAC addresses or contacting TI.  You can just move the VM with the compiler installed wherever you want and run it.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on November 01, 2016, 08:10:49 am
It's always possible to run it on a VM, where you can set the MAC address to whatever you want.

You don't need a VM to set the MAC to whatever.  You can change your real hardware's MAC address also.

The point of using a VM is to be able to run the compiler on a different computer without the hassle of swapping MAC addresses or contacting TI.  You can just move the VM with the compiler installed wherever you want and run it.

Sure, that's a decent feature of a VM for a home user.  For an enterprise/commercial/professional usage you need to keep a backup of your VM and in that case, recovery or migration of the bare metal is just as easy as for a VM.

But that wasn't the stated reason.  The stated reason was to set the MAC address to a value of your choice and this is trivially easy on bare metal as well as a VM.  For that specific reason there's zero advantage to a VM.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on November 01, 2016, 08:26:48 am
After buying this I learned of the Mac version of CCS.  Which doesn't require licensing.

That doesn't sound right. What made you think the Mac version doesn't require licencing?

The fact that I am running the latest Mac version and it doesn't have any licensing?  There is no place to add a license (the menu option is simply absent) and no indication of licensed status to the user (the status area at the bottom of the window frame is blank).  Are you using CCS on a Mac?  Where do you enter the licensing info?

Also, the TI instructions for generating the license (obtaining your MAC address) do not have any Mac OS instructions.  I think it's safe to generalize and state that most Mac OS users have no clue how to get the system MAC address, GUI or CLI, so it would be important to tell them how to obtain it.

Quote
The licencing is to enable unrestricted code size. That applies to all platforms as far as I am aware. Yes you can use the gcc open source compiler to get around that but then you don't get the "benefits" of the TI compiler on some controllers.

Again, are you using CCS on Mac OS?  I don't mean that as a challenge, I only ask it because you say, "as far as you are aware".  I'm just wondering if you are making an assumption or if you have first hand knowledge.

Quote
Why do you say Eclipse is buggier on Mac? Are we taking about the same version of Eclipse, or is there some other software that is downlevel causing a problem?

I'm referring to the base Eclipse features, not the toolchain.  I'm using CCS 6.2.0.00050 which is on top of Eclipse "platform" 4.5.1 and CDT 8.8.0.  I use Eclipse professionally on Linux so I'm very familiar with its feature set and quirks.  CCS on Mac is just hobby stuff for me.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: jancumps on November 01, 2016, 01:14:08 pm
CCS supports MAC and fixed node licensing. The floating license aren't supported.
The license that's discussed in the title of this thread works on MAC.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: rsjsouza on November 01, 2016, 03:18:31 pm

Why do you say Eclipse is buggier on Mac? Are we taking about the same version of Eclipse, or is there some other software that is downlevel causing a problem?

I'm referring to the base Eclipse features, not the toolchain.  I'm using CCS 6.2.0.00050 which is on top of Eclipse "platform" 4.5.1 and CDT 8.8.0.  I use Eclipse professionally on Linux so I'm very familiar with its feature set and quirks.  CCS on Mac is just hobby stuff for me.
Interesting note; I have been using CCS for Mac OSX for a few months and, despite not being well versed in this OS, I can tell I haven't hit any major issues with it. I also use CCS for Linux for years and haven't noticed a tremendous difference in performance and bugs (despite the Mac OSX version uses a lot more memory), but perhaps I am not hitting the correct buttons... :)

edit: I actually take that back; I was comparing the 32-bit version for Linux (CCSv6.1.3) with the 64-bit version of Mac OSX (CCSv6.2.0). When I started the 64-bit version for Linux (CCSv6.2.0) I saw it uses around 100MB less RAM when compared to the Mac OSX version (hovering around 850MB).
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on November 01, 2016, 06:05:32 pm
CCS supports MAC and fixed node licensing. The floating license aren't supported.
The license that's discussed in the title of this thread works on MAC.

We're now talking about Mac OS not MAC (address) vs floating licenses.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: julianhigginson on November 01, 2016, 10:27:24 pm
I got this from TI and just used the code today.

Quote
As a thank you for visiting the TI store, please enjoy free shipping on your next order. The TI store is the place to shop for TI devices, development tools and software for all your design needs. Use coupon code “FALLFREESHIP” at checkout.
Limit one coupon code per customer. Coupon expires December 31, 2016.

thanks so much for sharing this! I had been considering a C2000 launchpad for a control project I'm starting. now I have the launchpad coming and a full CCS license with one of the 430 launchpads, and a couple of other goodies with free shipping.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: jancumps on November 02, 2016, 05:03:35 am
CCS supports MAC and fixed node licensing. The floating license aren't supported.
The license that's discussed in the title of this thread works on MAC.

We're now talking about Mac OS not MAC (address) vs floating licenses.
so was I
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: ez24 on November 02, 2016, 05:30:19 am
What are the major differences between the three promo boards:

MSP-EXP430FR5994   $15.99

MSP-EXP430G2   $9.99

MSP-EXP432P401R   $12.99

If I get one or two, I want to use them with their Booster Packs and I am checking if they will work with them (not easy) and I hope to use the secret word FALLFREESHIP

https://store.ti.com/Search.aspx?k=ccs-promo&pt=-1

Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on November 02, 2016, 05:34:29 am
What are the major differences between the three promo boards:

MSP-EXP430FR5994   $15.99

MSP-EXP430G2   $9.99

MSP-EXP432P401R   $12.99

They are for somewhat different chips.

The MSP-EXP430G2 is for the MSP430G2/F2 range, which are relatively simple, low end chips. It has a terrible UART on it. Great place to start out with the range, though.

The MSP-EXP430FR5994 is for the FR5 series, which is a substantially more complex chip with many more features, and is also FRAM equipped. Quite a change from the G2.

The MSP-EXP432P401R is for the MSP432, which is an ARM based chip with MSP430 peripherals. A bit of an odd beast and newest and least available chip.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: coppice on November 02, 2016, 05:38:14 am
The MSP-EXP430G2 is for the MSP430G2/F2 range, which are relatively simple, low end chips. It has a terrible UART on it. Great place to start out with the range, though.
What don't you like about the UART on that device? Most people find it a very flexible peripheral.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: JacquesBBB on November 02, 2016, 09:04:45 am
After buying this I learned of the Mac version of CCS.  Which doesn't require licensing.

That doesn't sound right. What made you think the Mac version doesn't require licencing?

I use Mac OsX, and was also a little bit confused by  the  license management on Mac OsX. So I asked the Ti support

https://e2e.ti.com/support/development_tools/code_composer_studio/f/81/t/544715 (https://e2e.ti.com/support/development_tools/code_composer_studio/f/81/t/544715)

The bottom  line is that although nothing seems to happen, and the license management is different from the other OS,
licensing actually does exist.

Quote from: Ti_support
The license system will attempt to use the first MAC address and if that fails it will try the second one. The MacOS version of CCS gives no indication of success, only failure. It is using a different system from the Windows version. These will be aligned in a release at the end of the year.

In summary if you are not getting an error then everything is working fine.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: electrolust on November 02, 2016, 09:30:33 am
ok, well how do you load the license?  There is only one set of instructions across all platforms on how to load it, and the method described is not possible on Mac OS since the menu option does not exist.

edit: nevermind I followed your link and it is described there.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: Monkeh on November 02, 2016, 12:04:32 pm
The MSP-EXP430G2 is for the MSP430G2/F2 range, which are relatively simple, low end chips. It has a terrible UART on it. Great place to start out with the range, though.
What don't you like about the UART on that device? Most people find it a very flexible peripheral.

The dev board, not the target chip. Sorry, should've been more clear.
Title: Re: Code Composer Studio for 9.99$ with a MSP-EXP430G2-MSP430 LaunchPad
Post by: bson on November 06, 2016, 12:37:05 am
Still works - enables the full license for $9.99.  Excellent!

I use CCS with my own boards (using Tag-Connect plugs and an MSP-FET) but I suppose it can't hurt to have a few spare launchpad boards in the bin.