diff --git a/make/defs-cpp.mk b/make/defs-cpp.mk
index 5ea3075a..0f9e3435 100644
--- a/make/defs-cpp.mk
+++ b/make/defs-cpp.mk
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ endif
 
 TAGGED_TMPL_MAKEFILES        = $(wildcard $(addsuffix .mk,$(foreach t,$(TAGGED_TMPL_DIRS),$(addprefix $(t)/,$(TAGGED_TMPL_TAGS)))))
 
+# TODO: maybe push this whome MCU-specific stuff somewhere else
 ifneq ($(findstring st-nucleo-f103rb,$(TAGGED_TMPL_TAGS)),)
   TAGGED_TMPL_TAGS          += cortex-m3
   MCU_BOARD_MODEL           ?= ST-NUCLEO-F103RB
@@ -72,6 +73,8 @@ else ifneq ($(findstring st-disco-f769i,$(TAGGED_TMPL_TAGS)),)
   # modm:disco-f769ni (SIC), not disco-f769i. mbed does the same, despite the
   # fact that a board of this name doesn't exist.
   MODM_BSPS                 += modm:disco-f769ni
+else
+  MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_NAME      ?= openocd-$(MCU_BOARD_LC).cfg
 endif
 
 ifneq ($(findstring cortex-m,$(TAGGED_TMPL_TAGS)),)
@@ -280,8 +283,8 @@ ifeq ($(TARGET_TRIPLET),arm-none-eabi)
     PROJECT_LDFLAGS         += -nostartfiles
 
     # garbage collect unused input sections
-    PROJECT_LDFLAGS        += -Xlinker --gc-sections
-    PROJECT_LDFLAGS        += -Xlinker --print-gc-sections
+    PROJECT_LDFLAGS         += -Xlinker --gc-sections
+    #PROJECT_LDFLAGS        += -Xlinker --print-gc-sections
 
     # create map file
     PROJECT_LDFLAGS         += -Wl,-Map,"$(EXE_MAP)"
diff --git a/make/mcu-defs.mk b/make/mcu-defs.mk
index 609938e1..32b63495 100644
--- a/make/mcu-defs.mk
+++ b/make/mcu-defs.mk
@@ -27,12 +27,11 @@ ifneq ($(TARGET_PRODUCT),)
   MCU_BOARD                 ?= $(TARGET_PRODUCT)
   MCU_BOARD_LC              ?= $(TARGET_PRODUCT)
 else
-  MCU_BOARD_MODEL_LC        ?= $(shell echo $(MCU_BOARD_MODEL) | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]')
+  MCU_BOARD_MODEL_LC        ?= $(shell $(ECHO) $(MCU_BOARD_MODEL) | $(TR) '[A-Z]' '[a-z]')
   MCU_BOARD                 ?= $(MCU_BOARD_MODEL)
-  MCU_BOARD_LC              ?= $(shell echo $(MCU_BOARD) | tr '[A-Z]' '[a-z]')
+  MCU_BOARD_LC              ?= $(shell $(ECHO) $(MCU_BOARD) | $(TR) '[A-Z]' '[a-z]')
 endif
 
-MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_NAME        ?= openocd-$(MCU_BOARD_LC).cfg
 MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_DEFAULT_SEARCH_PATH ?= $(TOPDIR)/make
 MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_SEARCH_PATH ?= $(MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_DEFAULT_SEARCH_PATH)
 MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_FILE        ?= $(info looking for $(MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_NAME) in $(MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_SEARCH_PATH)) $(call find_file,$(MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_NAME),$(MCU_OPENOCD_CFG_SEARCH_PATH))