Error: constant value required while compiling with avr-as in linux

Question

Im trying to compile the following simple assembly program but there is a problem with the compiler that i cannot find its reason and fix it.

So here is the code :

  1 #define __SFR_OFFSET 0 
  2 #include <avr/io.h> 
  3 
  4 
  5 rjmp Init 
  6 
  7 .global Init 
  8 
  9 Init:   sbi _SFR_IO_ADDR(PORTB),5 
 10         rjmp In

and when im going to compile it with
avr-as -c -mmcu=atmega168a -o ledON.o ledON.s

i am getting this error:

ledON.s: Assembler messages:  
ledON.s:9: Error: constant value required
ledON.s:9: Error: `,' required  
ledON.s:9: Error: constant value required
ledON.s:9: Error: garbage at end of line

I also change a little bit the code as you can see above but there is still an error

  1 ;#define _SFR_OFFSET 0 
  2 #include <avr/io.h> 
  3 
  4 rjmp Init
  5 
  6 .global Init
  7 
  8 Init:   sbi PORTB,0x05
  9         rjmp Init

ledON.s: Assembler messages:

ledON.s:8: Error: constant value required

Any ideas?

Answer 1

I figured out how to assemble without error messages.

The error messages you see are caused by the fact that avr-as does not invoke the C-preprocessor and therefore the #include lines are read as regular comments.

Create a file ledON.S and notice the CAPITAL S in the filename. The capital S indicates that the C-preprocessor must be invoked first. Create the file with the following content:

#include <avr/io.h> 

init:   sbi     _SFR_IO_ADDR(DDRB),0x05         ; Configure port B pin 5 as output
        ret

.global main

main:
        call init

loop:
        sbi     _SFR_IO_ADDR(PORTB),0x05        ; Toggle output pin HIGH
        cbi     _SFR_IO_ADDR(PORTB),0x05        ; Toggle output pin LOW
        rjmp loop

The main part is required in the source code, this is where usually the main program is located. If you remove it, no real code is executed ever and thus the compiler will complain about that. Code in a routine called init should be explicitly called from main. Although the pin toggles, in practice this will be too fast to see with the bare eye. If you check with an oscilloscope you'll see a square wave (I estimate at 25% duty cycle).

Then assemble the source code with:

avr-gcc -mmcu=atmega168a ledON.S -o ledON.o

Again avr-gcc is required to invoke the C-preprocessor.

To check the result of the assembled program run the following command:

avr-objdump -C -d ./ledON.o

And the resulting disassembly listing looks like this:

./ledON.o:     file format elf32-avr


Disassembly of section .text:

00000000 <__vectors>:
   0:   0c 94 34 00     jmp     0x68    ; 0x68 <__ctors_end>
   4:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
   8:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
   c:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  10:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  14:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  18:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  1c:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  20:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  24:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  28:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  2c:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  30:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  34:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  38:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  3c:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  40:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  44:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  48:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  4c:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  50:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  54:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  58:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  5c:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  60:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>
  64:   0c 94 3e 00     jmp     0x7c    ; 0x7c <__bad_interrupt>

00000068 <__ctors_end>:
  68:   11 24           eor     r1, r1
  6a:   1f be           out     0x3f, r1        ; 63
  6c:   cf ef           ldi     r28, 0xFF       ; 255
  6e:   d4 e0           ldi     r29, 0x04       ; 4
  70:   de bf           out     0x3e, r29       ; 62
  72:   cd bf           out     0x3d, r28       ; 61
  74:   0e 94 42 00     call    0x84    ; 0x84 <main>
  78:   0c 94 47 00     jmp     0x8e    ; 0x8e <_exit>

0000007c <__bad_interrupt>:
  7c:   0c 94 00 00     jmp     0       ; 0x0 <__vectors>

00000080 <init>:
  80:   25 9a           sbi     0x04, 5 ; 4
  82:   08 95           ret

00000084 <main>:
  84:   0e 94 40 00     call    0x80    ; 0x80 <init>

00000088 <loop>:
  88:   2d 9a           sbi     0x05, 5 ; 5
  8a:   2d 98           cbi     0x05, 5 ; 5
  8c:   fd cf           rjmp    .-6             ; 0x88 <loop>

0000008e <_exit>:
  8e:   f8 94           cli

00000090 <__stop_program>:
  90:   ff cf           rjmp    .-2             ; 0x90 <__stop_program>

INTERMEZZO

You'll notice the assembler will automatically initialize the stack pointer and status register in __ctors_end. Also it will automatically add a rjmp at the end of the code. Default behaviour of a program assembled by gcc-avr when it ends is:

• turn off interrupts (_exit, cli)
• infinite empty loop that does nothing (__stop_program, rjmp .-2)