Platformio-core: The debugging of the Arduino Framework fails with FTDI Chip and ESP WROVER KIT

[Navis-Raven]

What kind of issue is this?

• [ ] Feature Request.
  Start by telling us what problem you’re trying to solve. Often a solution
  already exists! Don’t send pull requests to implement new features without first getting our
  support. Sometimes we leave features out on purpose to keep the project small.

• [X] PlatformIO Core.
  If you’ve found a bug, please provide an information below.

You can erase any parts of this template not applicable to your Issue.

---

Configuration

Operating system: Windows 7 (the bug has been seen also on Win 8.1)

PlatformIO Version (platformio --version): PlatformIO, version 3.6.1a5 (upgraded to dev version)

Description of problem

The debugging of the Arduino Framework fails with FTDI Chip and ESP WROVER KIT

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open arduino blinky example with esp wrover kit (see platformio.ini)
2. Configure FTDI Chip as debugger as described in the forum: https://community.platformio.org/t/esp32-pio-unified-debugger/4541/78
   (Normally the debugger sould work with ESP-IDF)
3. Put a breakpoint in line 15 pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
4. start debug session
5. Put a breakpoint in line 21 digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);
6. Push F5

Actual Results

Instead of stopping a the breakpoint line 21, it stopps in the ASM code below

If you push start again it never stops, an the led does not blink

Expected Results

It should stops at the line 21

If problems with PlatformIO Build System:

The content of platformio.ini:

[env:esp wrover kit]
platform = espressif32
framework = arduino
board = esp-wrover-kit
monitor_speed = 115200
build_flags =
    ; https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/latest/get-started/get-started-wrover-kit.html#rgb-led
    -D LED_BUILTIN=2
debug_tool = ftdi

Source file to reproduce issue:

/*
 * Blink
 * Turns on an LED on for one second,
 * then off for one second, repeatedly.
 */

#include <Arduino.h>

// Set LED_BUILTIN if it is not defined by Arduino framework
// #define LED_BUILTIN 2

void setup()
{
  // initialize LED digital pin as an output.
  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);
  // wait for a second
  delay(500);
  // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);
   // wait for a second
  delay(1000);
}

Additional info

More info about this bug in the forum: https://community.platformio.org/t/esp32-pio-unified-debugger/4541/57

[ivankravets]

Could you try the latest openOCD for ESP32? See https://github.com/espressif/openocd-esp32/releases
Please replace it in $HOMEDIR/.platformio/packages/tool-openocd-esp32 and keep package.json file unchanged.

If it does not work, just remove this package at all. PlatformIO Core will install the latest from our registry.

[Navis-Raven]

I'll try this as soon as my PC is repaired (I have some PC problems)

[Navis-Raven]

@ivankravets

Test 1:

Please replace it in $HOMEDIR/.platformio/packages/tool-openocd-esp32 and keep package.json file unchanged.

Result: nothing changed

Test 2:

just remove this package at all.

I removed open-ocd packages.

Results: nothing changed same problem

[ivankravets]

Please open PlatformIO IDE Terminal and type

pio update
pio upgrade --dev

Does it work now?

[Navis-Raven]

@ivankravets no

[ivankravets]

Could you try to "Clean" project and build again? Or change something in platformio.ini, PlatformIO will automatically rebuild project. This issue should be fixed recently.

[Navis-Raven]

no its still here

[JanDebiec]

I’m trying to build and debug Arduino app with ESP32. Es development board I’m using Esp32-Wrover-Kit
My development system:
Lenovo T460 with Ubuntu 18.04

1. system (read from VSCode)
   Version: 1.29.1
   Commit: bc24f98b5f70467bc689abf41cc5550ca637088e
   Date: 2018-11-15T19:07:43.495Z
   Electron: 2.0.12
   Chrome: 61.0.3163.100
   Node.js: 8.9.3
   V8: 6.1.534.41
   Architecture: x64

2. PIO
   platformio --version
   PlatformIO, version 3.6.2

3. Debugging LED blink app
   Experience: the same as depicted in github issue by Navis-Raven

4. changing line 271 in main.py to
   env.Append(UPLOADERFLAGS=[image[0], “%s” % image[1]])
   as sugessted by Botofancalin in
   https://community.platformio.org/t/esp32-pio-unified-debugger/4541/78

After start Debug session in PlatformIO, results in :
SyntaxError> Non-ASCII character ‘\xe2’ in file.../builder/main.py on line 271, but no encoding declared

To compare, the debugging of ESP32 in Eclipse with freeRTOS app, as described in in esp-idf documentation is working OK.
Jan

[ivankravets]

@JanDebiec have you tried upstream version? https://docs.platformio.org/en/latest/platforms/espressif32.html#upstream

[JanDebiec]

today I've updated vscode and PIO, PIO version 3.6.3
the experience the same as before. I attach the screenshot

With the same hardware configuration, Wrover-Kit and Eclipse, the debugging of ESP32 project based on ESP-IDF is working OK.

I'll try as you suggested the upstream version
In the next days, I'll try another hardware with PIO: debugger Olimex with ESP32 dev-kitc

[ivankravets]

Could you try to use in platformio.ini

[env:myenv]
platform = [email protected]

See https://github.com/platformio/platform-espressif32/releases

Does it work? I see that we enabled PSRAM for this board recently https://github.com/platformio/platform-espressif32/blob/develop/boards/esp-wrover-kit.json#L4

[JanDebiec]

with upstream version, debugging is not better
two screenshots, first from start-Debugging, second after F9, third: second time F9

third after secon F9

[ivankravets]

and with platform = [email protected]?

[JanDebiec]

Hi Ivan,
with platform = [email protected]
the similar experience, can not be debugged, but another infos in debug-console
Attached three screenshots:
one after StartDebugging, stopped @ app_main,
second at line 89,
again F9 and second time at line 89
As said before, i'll try to check another debugger and esp32 board.
I'll let you know about results

[ivankravets]

Please mail me directly to [email protected].

[ristomatti]

@ivankravets Has there been any progress on this? Last autumn I bought an Olimex ARM-USB-OCD-H debugger to use for ESP32 debugging with PlatformIO. I got it working then but now when I finally have the time and motivation to dig more into it I can't get it to work anymore. I even had the wires still connected as I had hard time figuring them out back then.

Similarly the @Navis-Raven reported, the debugger stops at the default breakpoint. If I press F10, I get to the next line just fine but if I press continue, expecting it to stop at my breakpoint inside the void setup() function, it'll jump somewhere in vTaskDelete.dbgasm from where I cannot continue anymore.

If I restart the debugging several times, randomly (less than 1/10) it might stop at my breakpoint and I can step the code there a bit. But eventually only "pause" and "stop" buttons will be available.

I've tried it with:

platform = espressif32

and with

platform = https://github.com/platformio/platform-espressif32.git#feature/stage

The board is "mhetesp32minikit".

[ristomatti]

Typically when the debugging gets stuck, this is what's in the log:

Breakpoint 
2, setup () at src/olimex-debug.cpp:6
6     Serial.begin(230400);
Program received signal 
SIGTRAP, Trace/breakpoint trap.
[Switching to Thread 1073463652]
idle_hook_cb () at /Users/ficeto/Desktop/ESP32/ESP32/esp-idf-public/components/esp32/task_wdt.c:79
79  /Users/ficeto/Desktop/ESP32/ESP32/esp-idf-public/components/esp32/task_wdt.c: No such file or directory.

So it seems like it attempted to stop at the breakpoint I had set but then jumped to the disassembled code and spit out that error.

[ristomatti]

@ivankravets Nevermind, I got it working! I basically just brute forced through different settings/options without having much clue what I am going. The trick for me was to disable RTOS support in ~/.platformio/packages/tool-openocd-esp32/share/openocd/scripts/board/esp32-wroom.cfg:

# To disable RTOS support, uncomment the following line
set ESP32_RTOS none

[ivankravets]

Could you try the next?

1. Please collapse Registers view before debugging session
2. Start debugging, select main:... thread in the CALLSTACK view and do 1 step
3. Set breakpoint at void loopTask(void *pvParameters) in main.cpp
4. Do "Continue", you should stop at loopTask
5. Now you can debug Arduino setup/loop code.

Did it help?

[ristomatti]

Sure, I can try tomorrow. I'll report back then.

[ristomatti]

@ivankravets Sorry, it does not help. Just to make sure I did it correctly:

1. I started debug, then it halts at

extern "C" void app_main()

1. I added a breakpoint on the line loopTaskWDTEnabled = false; and pressed "Continue"
2. Execution halts on the line, i then press contnue
3. View stays on main.cpp, only _Pause_, _Restart_ and _Stop_ buttons are active. Debug console shows:

Breakpoint 
5, app_main () at /home/ristomatti/.platformio/packages/framework-arduinoespressif32/cores/esp32/main.cpp:31
31      loopTaskWDTEnabled = false;
Warn : xtensa_add_breakpoint: max HW slot reached, slot=2
Info : Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x4009171A (active)    APP_CPU: PC=0x400E996E 
Warn : xtensa_add_breakpoint: max HW slot reached, slot=2
Info : Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x4009171A (active)    APP_CPU: PC=0x400E996E 
Info : Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x400E996E             APP_CPU: PC=0x400D0C59 (active)
Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x400E996E             APP_CPU: PC=0x400D0C59 (active)
[New Thread 1073447000]
[Switching to Thread 1073447000]
Info : Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x400E996E             APP_CPU: PC=0x4009171A (active)
Info : Target halted. PRO_CPU: PC=0x400E996E             APP_CPU: PC=0x4009171A (active)
Breakpoint 
2, setup () at src/olimex-debug.cpp:7
7     pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);

But like I mentioned on my earlier post, if I remove the comment on esp-wroom.cfg to disable RTOS support, then it works. To me it looks like the debugger is trying to go through some binary only code from the ESP32 core, and then fails for some reason or another.

I'm not interested in the RTOS internals while debugging Arduino code (for now at least), so this is a good enough workaround for me. Even though the issue is about ESP-WROVER KIT, maybe this could work for @Navis-Raven also as the symptoms are so similar?

[ristomatti]

I forgot to mention that when I have RTOS support disabled, the only thing I need to do is set some breakpoints to my Arduino code and press _Continue_ after the default breakpoint. Then everything works as expected. I did not need to do anything on the call stack or the registers views, I can even have them closed.

Aside: while repeatedly trying this yesterday I got really frustrated with having to open the debug console manually after a quick restart. It turns out there's a setting that will make it automatically open on each session start and not only on the first session start (which is the default setting):

[ivankravets]

1. I added a breakpoint on the line loopTaskWDTEnabled = false; and pressed "Continue"

No, please set breakpoint at void loopTask(void *pvParameters). You should stop at setup();, line 20 in main.cpp

[ristomatti]

Uh, sorry I read your original reply too quickly it seems. And you're absolutely correct - it does work. Awesome! It's obvious how busy you are, so I don't mind if you don't reply to this but I would love to understand:

1. Why does it it work when the first breakpoint is set there instead of just inside void setup() where it goes on the next line? It worked also by setting it the breakpoint directly on line 20 at setup(); BTW.
2. Would it cause some issues later on if I were to just disable the RTOS support (other than not being able to debug RTOS internals)?

This should probably be mentioned here if it's a necessary step:
https://docs.platformio.org/en/latest/tutorials/espressif32/arduino_debugging_unit_testing.html#debugging-the-firmware ?

Regardless if you can take the time to answer - thank you for all the impressive work you've put into PlatformIO! It gives the chance to people like me to do things which we might never have time to dig into otherwise. Being able to step through code makes a huge dfiference!

[ivankravets]

See updated docs https://docs.platformio.org/en/latest/tutorials/espressif32/arduino_debugging_unit_testing.html#debugging-the-firmware

Thanks!

[Navis-Raven]

@ivankravets thanks, at last there is a solution.
but why it takes all these steps to debug ?
Is it because of an imperfection of open-ocd ? or a bug ?