Define BOARD_CUSTOM not working in SDK12 with GCC

[Chris H.]

I can't seem to add custom pin definitions to my own board in SDK12. I use the BOARD_CUSTOM define and copied my PCA10040 header file to one call custom_board.h and my pin assignments do not change. The only warnings I get are from bad paths to the config folder which is new since moving to SDK12.

[Roger Clark]

If you are using gcc and the makefile, the definition for the board is set inside the makefile and not using a #define in a header

The SDK is slightly misleading, as it applies to all build platforms e.g. Keil and IAR as well as gcc, and each of them will have a different way to add the define.

If you add

#define BOARD_CUSTOM  

To a header that is included by the whole project, this will cause a problem, as the define for the PCA board will still be defined in the makefile.

the

-DXXX

flag for the gcc compiler (preprocessor) is the same as

#define XXX

So, you need to change the lines in the makefile which have

-DBOARD_PCA10040

to

-DBOARD_CUSTOM

This occurs in 2 places, once for the CFLAGS and once for the ASMFLAGS

[Roger Clark]

Chris

I don't use Keil, but I do have the demo installed, and if you look in the project options under C/C++ and also under ASM, you can define Preprocessor Symbols

I think that would be where you'd need to define BOARD_CUSTOM

I don't have IAR, but if you look in blinky_pca10040.ewp in the iar folder you'll see

<option>
  <name>CCDefines</name>          <state>NRF52832</state>          <state>BOARD_PCA10040</state>

etc

and the same in

ADefines

So.. I agree the documentation is confusing, as they use the term #define BOARD_CUSTOM when in fact they just mean that BOARD_CUSTOM must be defined.

I think the only way to do this in practice is via a compiler (preprocessor) directive (or the equivalent project settings or options)