nBlocksStudio1.0 Installation

nBlocksStudio1.0 is using mbed-cli infrastructure including GCC compiler, for the microprocessor code compilation.
The Graphical interface is written in Python and is accessing the n-Blocks.net server when it starts, to get the definition of the Nodes

Both mbed-cli and nBlocksStudio are based on Python.

• Download 32 bit windows installer for Python 2.7 (dont use 64bit Python installer, issues with pip)
• Configure installer for adding Python path to system path and complete Python 2.7 installation
• Restart Windows (otherwise pip fails)
• Test Python and pip from command line:

  Python --version 
  pip --version 

Both should work from any directory
If pip version is later than 9.0.3 mbed-cli might not work ¹⁾, so change to 9.0.3:

 pip install -U pip==9.0.3 

References: ^{2) 3) 4)}

• Install Git:
  • Download Git ⁵⁾
  • Run the .exe (for windows) to install it
• Install Mercurial:
  • Download Mercurial ⁶⁾
  • Run the .exe (for windows) to install it
• Install GCC:
  • Download GCC ⁷⁾
  • Run installer
  • Add Path to environment variable and complete installation
• Verify Installations:

  arm-none-eabi-gcc --version
  git --version
  hg --version
  python --version
  pip --version

• Install mbed cli from command prompt:

   pip install mbed-cli 

• Verify mbed installation:

   mbed --version 

• 07-March-2020, install Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler for Python 2.7: ⁸⁾

References: ⁹⁾

 To make sure you are using the desired library delete the mbed library from your project in the online compiler and then 
  import either the mbed-dev (if you would like to use mbed OS 2) or the mbed-os (if you prefer mbed OS 5). 

• From online compiler right click on the project and publish (or FORK) in to something like this: frequency_counter
  • If the project is copy from somebody else's project, probably have to fork to your own mbed space
• With administrative rights(???):

   mbed import https://developer.mbed.org/users/chalikias/code/frequency_counter/ 

• for a list of supported targets:

   mbed compile -S 

• Finnaly:

   mbed compile -m LPC1768 -t GCC_ARM 

References: ¹⁰⁾

• new OS5 project:

   mbed new project1 

• new OS2 project:

   mbed new project2 --mbedlib 

• new OS5 project at current directory:

   mbed new . 

I had issues with the import method described above. This Alternative method works.Tested for Target LPC11U35_401 [20 May 2020]

• From mbed online compiler right-click on a Program in the Program Workspace: Export Program using

   Export

  Toolchain

  ZIP archive (with repositories)

• Extract the ZIP file to a Temporary folder.
• Create a new folder as new mbed OS2 project. This folder will be the project working folder:

   mbed new project_name --mbedlib 

• From Inside the Temporary folder copy all files and folders.
• Paste the copied files and folders, to project_name folder created from mbed new project_name –mbedlib
  • Just overwrite existing files when Windows asks
• From Command line Compile:

  mbed compile -t GCC_ARM -m LPC11U35_401

• go to mbed-os directory inside the project forlder

   cd mbed-os 

• Check the active release:

   mbed releases 

• update to the desired release, for example: mbed-os-5.7.7

   update mbed-os-5.7.7 

• Check again for the active release:

   mbed releases 

• Install all needed Python modules:

  pip install panda3d
  pip install pywin32
  pip install pyuserinput

• Download the studio from bitbucket, using command line:

   hg clone https://nimbus_it@bitbucket.org/nblocksstudio/prj_nblocksstudio

• Or update an existing nBlocksStudio directory using command line, but from inside the directory

   hg update 

• Copy mbed_code outside the version controlled directory, so it will not be affected by future updates of the studio
• Go to the new mbed_code folder with command line
• Create new mbed OS2 project inside the new folder: (preferable for now, OS5 is not tested well yet with nStudio)

   ...\mbed_code> mbed new . --mbedlib 

• Or a new mbed OS5 project inside the new folder:

   ...\mbed_code> mbed new .   

• Add any missing libraries:

   ...\mbed_code> mbed deploy 

• Login to your nBlocksStudio ¹¹⁾ account and add nodes to your account

• Start nBlocksStudio, from Studio folder with command line:

....\Studio\Launch.cmd

• On 07.02.2019 I had to edit nworkbench.py, to change[t]kinter to [T]kinter
  
• On 05.03.2020 this does not seem to be needed any more…
  

 from tkinter import TclError

to

from Tkinter import TclError 

• …and to install missing python modules:
  

 pip install enum 

 pip install pywinusb

• …one more March 2020:
  

 pip install requests

When exporting, save into the file main.cpp inside folder mbed_code, and build with:

C:....\mbed_code> mbed compile -t GCC_ARM -m LPC1768

Above creates a [.bin] file. (at …\mbed_code\BUILD\LPC1768\GCC_ARM)
To automate the build process and use a different target n-Block/processor, call one of the [tested] batch files

• LPC1768.cmd (n-Bed)
• LPC11u35.cmd (n-DAP)
• L432KC.cmd (n-LP)
• L152RE.cmd (n-L15, n-CPU48)

This example diagram (a 4 bit binary counter) creates the main.cpp below:

/* ================================================================ *
 *       Automatically generated by n-Blocks Studio Designer        *
 *                                                                  *
 *                         www.n-blocks.net                         *
 * ================================================================ */
#include "nblocks.h"
 
 
// -*-*- List of node objects -*-*-
nBlock_Ticker                 nb_nBlockNode0_Ticker;
nBlock_FlipFlop               nb_nBlockNode13_FlipFlop;
nBlock_FlipFlop               nb_nBlockNode3_FlipFlop;
nBlock_GPO                    nb_nBlockNode12_GPO;
nBlock_FlipFlop               nb_nBlockNode14_FlipFlop;
nBlock_FlipFlop               nb_nBlockNode15_FlipFlop;
 
// -*-*- List of connection objects -*-*-
nBlockConnection         n_conn0(&nb_nBlockNode0_Ticker, 0, &nb_nBlockNode3_FlipFlop, 0);
nBlockConnection         n_conn1(&nb_nBlockNode3_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode12_GPO, 0);
nBlockConnection         n_conn2(&nb_nBlockNode3_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode13_FlipFlop, 0);
nBlockConnection         n_conn3(&nb_nBlockNode13_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode12_GPO, 1);
nBlockConnection         n_conn4(&nb_nBlockNode13_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode14_FlipFlop, 0);
nBlockConnection         n_conn5(&nb_nBlockNode14_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode12_GPO, 2);
nBlockConnection         n_conn6(&nb_nBlockNode14_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode15_FlipFlop, 0);
nBlockConnection         n_conn7(&nb_nBlockNode15_FlipFlop, 0, &nb_nBlockNode12_GPO, 3);
 
 
// -*-*- Main function -*-*-
int main(void) {
    SetupWorkbench();
    while(1) {
        // Your custom code here!
    }
}