Create a folder called “ndless” on your system drive and right-click it. Choose “SVN Checkout…” and enter https://www.unsads.com/scm/svn/nsptools/Ndless/trunk in “URL of repository”. You should end up like this:

Image 1: SVN Checkout

Now just click “OK”. You will be asked for username and password; Use guest for both.

After downloading the source code, you need to add the path where you installed ndless (e.g. C:\ndless\bin) to your PATH variable. Do it like you did before in 2.1.1 and 2.3.1.

3.2 Make!

Open StartàProgram Files/All ProgramsàMinGWàMSYSàmsys (rxvt). Type cd /C/ndless and press enter. Now type make. It may take a while to finish.

If your output looks like this:

Image 2: MSYS

You have done everything correctly.

4 Emulating the Nspire

Now that you have built ndless, you should download and set up nspire_emu.

4.1 Things you need

4.2 Setup

4.2.1 Create a raw image file

At first open the downloaded OS file with 7-Zip (Right-clickà7-ZipàOpen). These files should be included in the image:

Image 3: OS files

Now extract the selected file (boot2.img) to the imgdump folder, open a console (StartàRun…àcmd) and type:

cd <imgdump_path>

imgdump.exe boot2.img

Replace <imgdump_path> with the path where your imgdump is located. This will produce a file called boot2.img.raw. Copy it to your nspire_emu folder.

4.2.2 Install the OS

To create a flash image with preinstalled OS, type into the console:

cd <nspire_emu_path>

nspire_emu.exe /N /F=flash.bin /PO=<OS_Image_File_name>

Replace <nspire_emu_path> with the path where nspire_emu is located and <OS_Image_File_name.tno> with the name of your downloaded OS 2.1 Image file name.

Make sure to add /C to the console command if you are using a CAS OS.

Now you are ready to boot your emulated Nspire and install the OS. To make starting the emulator a lot easier, you should create a batch (*.bat) file in your emulator’s directory that contains:

nspire_emu.exe /B=boot2.img.raw /F=flash.bin

Now you can just double-click this file and the emulator will boot your nSpire. When you start it for the first time, you have to press “I” when you are asked to. After the OS is installed (and you have chosen your language and font size) you need to save your flash to make sure you do not have to install the OS again every time the Nspire boots. To do so, go to FileàSave Flash.

4.2.3 Preventing crashes

Every time the calculator tries to go in standby (normally after three minutes of inactivity), the emulator will freeze. To prevent those crashes, you can set the standby time to 30 minutes. Go to Settings & StatusàHandheld Setup… and change the Power Standby time. After doing this, save the flash again.

Image 4: Setting the standby time

4.3 Overview

Now you should have two windows. The first, the RS232 console, shows all the stuff the calc sends trough the RS232 interface[1]; The second is the calculator itself, including keypad and screen.

Image 5: RS232 Console

Image 6: Calculator screen

4.4 Installing ndless

To install ndless, you need to send it to your emulated calculator first. Open LinkàConnect to “plug the USB cable in”. Your RS232 console should output usblink connected. Now you can send the ndless files by choosing LinkàSend Document…; the required files are named ndless_installer_os-2.1.0.tns and ndless_resources.tns. They are located in <ndless_path>/calcbin. Replace <ndless_path> with the path of your compiled ndless. After both files are sent, save the flash again. Now go to My Documents, select ndless_installer_os-2.1.0 (should be located in Examples) and press Enter. After a successful installation a message will appear:

Image 7: ndless installation

If random pixel lines show up and the calculator freezes, the installation failed and you need to try again. If the calculator does not restart itself, you need to reset the CPU (EmulationàReset CPU). The Nspire will restart then.

5 Your first program

Now that you know how to send files to the emulator, we will code our first C program. Create a new folder for this project.

5.1 The Makefile

Every program you might code will need this file. Some important settings are located in it. An example Makefile can be found in ndless’s samples/hello directory. Copy it in your folder.

A Makefile is not necessarily needed, but it will make compiling programs a lot easier.

GCC = nspire-gcc

LD = nspire-ld

GCCFLAGS = -Os -nostdlib -Wall -W -marm

LDFLAGS = -nostdlib

OBJCOPY := "$(shell which arm-elf-objcopy 2>/dev/null)"

ifeq (${OBJCOPY},"")

OBJCOPY := arm-none-eabi-objcopy

endif

EXE = hello.tns

OBJS = hello.o

DISTDIR = ../../calcbin/samples

vpath %.tns $(DISTDIR)

all: $(EXE)

%.o: %.c

$(GCC) $(GCCFLAGS) -c $<

$(EXE): $(OBJS)

$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $^ -o $(@:.tns=.elf)

mkdir -p $(DISTDIR)

$(OBJCOPY) -O binary $(@:.tns=.elf) $(DISTDIR)/$@

clean:

rm -f *.o *.elf

rm -f $(DISTDIR)/$(EXE)

You do not have to know what all these lines do, but some of them are important:

EXE = hello.tns

OBJS = hello.o

DISTDIR = ../../calcbin/samples

So the these three lines say that the executable file will be called hello.tns and consists of hello.o. It will be located in the folder ../../calcbin/samples. Because we want to have the executable in our directory, change the DISTDIR to . .

5.2 The source code

Create a new file called hello.c. Write these lines:

#include <os.h>

int main(void)

{

puts("hello world!");

return 0;

}

5.2.1 Explanation

This is a VERY basic program, so I think I do not have to say much.

#include <os.h>
Includes the file os.h. It is required by every ndless program.

int main(void)
Declares the main-function of our program. You should now that.

puts("hello world!");
Sends hello world! Through the RS232-Interface.

return 0;
Returns zero. Ends the program.

5.3 Compilation

Open up msys (rxvt), navigate to your folder (using cd) and type make.
On a successful compilation your output will look like this:

nspire-gcc -Os -nostdlib -Wall -W -marm -c hello.c

nspire-ld -nostdlib hello.o -o hello.elf

mkdir -p .

arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary hello.elf ./hello.tns

5.4 Hello World!

Start the emulator, install ndless and send the file hello.tns. Now just click on it in the My Documents screen. A message will appear in the RS232 console:

Image 8: Hello World!

[1] I will explain the RS232 interface later in this tutorial.