Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) — Maple v0.0.12 Documentation

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# Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Contents

- How can I use `atoi()`?
- Why don’t `malloc()`/`new` work?
- How do I replace `PROGMEM`/put data into Flash?
- How do I write to a pin at high speed?

## How can I use `atoi()`?

The CodeSourcery GCC compiler used to compile your programs is configured to link against the newlib C library, and allows the use of any of its headers.

## Why don’t `malloc()`/`new` work?

Due to our newlib configuration, dynamic memory allocation is currently not available.

## How do I replace `PROGMEM`/put data into Flash?

See this note.

## How do I write to a pin at high speed?

Sometimes, digitalWrite() just isn’t fast enough. If that’s your situation, you should first try using fast GPIO writes using the low-level gpio.h interface. This FAQ entry explains how.

You’ll need to look up the GPIO port and bit which correspond to the pin you want to write to. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry. We’ll go through an example here.

Let’s say you want to write to pin 4 on the Maple. In order to find out the port and bit number, take look at the Maple’s master pin map next to “D4”. You’ll see that in the “GPIO” column, there’s “PB5”. That’s short for “Port B, bit 5”. So the GPIO port is “B”, and the bit is “5”. (If you’re not on the Maple, you can find your board’s pin map from here).

That’s all you need to know. Now you can use the function `gpio_write_bit()` to quickly write to the pin. The way you call it is by writing `gpio_write_bit(GPIO<port>, <bit>, HIGH/LOW)`, where `<port>` is the GPIO port, `<bit>` is the bit, and `HIGH` or `LOW` is the level you want to write to the pin. Here’s an example program which writes pin 4 (GPIOB, bit 5) `HIGH` and then `LOW` several times in a row each time it loop()s:

    /*
       Fast pin writing example, for Maple.

       This example works for pin 4 (PB5 on Maple).  If you want to
       use another pin (or are on another board), just change PIN,
       PIN_PORT, and PIN_BIT as described above.
    */

    #define PIN 4
    #define PIN_PORT GPIOB
    #define PIN_BIT 5

    void setup() {
        pinMode(PIN, OUTPUT);
    }

    void loop() {
        gpio_write_bit(PIN_PORT, PIN_BIT, HIGH);
        gpio_write_bit(PIN_PORT, PIN_BIT, LOW);
        gpio_write_bit(PIN_PORT, PIN_BIT, HIGH);
        gpio_write_bit(PIN_PORT, PIN_BIT, LOW);
    }

Now, if you’ve already tried this and you still can’t get enough speed, there are some threads on the forum which might help you squeeze a little extra out of your board. First, a general summary of other things to try, with measurements of the speed you’ll get. Next, a thread featuring a detailed discussion on pin capability, with a focus on writes.

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