diff --git a/include/etl/unaligned_type.h b/include/etl/unaligned_type.h
index 54b72205..0db9543a 100644
--- a/include/etl/unaligned_type.h
+++ b/include/etl/unaligned_type.h
@@ -58,10 +58,10 @@ namespace etl
 
       static ETL_CONSTANT size_t Size = Size_;
 
-      typedef char*                                 pointer;
-      typedef const char*                           const_pointer;
-      typedef char*                                 iterator;
-      typedef const char*                           const_iterator;
+      typedef unsigned char*                        pointer;
+      typedef const unsigned char*                  const_pointer;
+      typedef unsigned char*                        iterator;
+      typedef const unsigned char*                  const_iterator;
       typedef etl::reverse_iterator<iterator>       reverse_iterator;
       typedef etl::reverse_iterator<const_iterator> const_reverse_iterator;
 
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ namespace etl
       //*************************************************************************
       /// Index operator.
       //*************************************************************************
-      char& operator[](int i)
+      unsigned char& operator[](int i)
       {
         return storage[i];
       }
@@ -204,14 +204,14 @@ namespace etl
       //*************************************************************************
       /// Const index operator.
       //*************************************************************************
-      ETL_CONSTEXPR const char& operator[](int i) const
+      ETL_CONSTEXPR const unsigned char& operator[](int i) const
       {
         return storage[i];
       }
 
     protected:
 
-      char storage[Size];
+      unsigned char storage[Size];
     };
   }
 
@@ -362,19 +362,19 @@ namespace etl
     struct unaligned_copy<U, 1U>
     {
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, char* store)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, unsigned char* store)
       {
         store[0] = static_cast<char>(value);
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* store, T& value)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* store, T& value)
       {
         value = static_cast<T>(store[0]);
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* src, int /*endian_src*/, char* dst)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* src, int /*endian_src*/, unsigned char* dst)
       {
         dst[0] = src[0];
       }
@@ -387,37 +387,37 @@ namespace etl
     struct unaligned_copy<U, 2U>
     {
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, char* store)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, unsigned char* store)
       {
         if (Endian == etl::endianness::value())
         {
-          store[0] = static_cast<char>(value);
-          store[1] = static_cast<char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value);
+          store[1] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
         }
         else
         {
-          store[1] = static_cast<char>(value);
-          store[0] = static_cast<char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[1] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value);
+          store[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
         }
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* store, T& value)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* store, T& value)
       {
         if (Endian == etl::endianness::value())
         {
-          value  = static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[0]));
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[1])) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value  = static_cast<T>(store[0]);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[1]) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
         }
         else
         {
-          value  = static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[1]));
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[0])) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value  = static_cast<T>(store[1]);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[0]) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
         }
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* src, int endian_src, char* dst)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* src, int endian_src, unsigned char* dst)
       {
         if (Endian == endian_src)
         {
@@ -438,21 +438,21 @@ namespace etl
     template <typename U>
     struct unaligned_copy<U, 4U>
     {
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, char* store)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, unsigned char* store)
       {
         if (Endian == etl::endianness::value())
         {
-          store[0] = static_cast<char>(value);
-          store[1] = static_cast<char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[2] = static_cast<char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[3] = static_cast<char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value);
+          store[1] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[2] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[3] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
         }
         else
         {
-          store[3] = static_cast<char>(value);
-          store[2] = static_cast<char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[1] = static_cast<char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[0] = static_cast<char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[3] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value);
+          store[2] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[1] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
         }
       }
 
@@ -461,22 +461,22 @@ namespace etl
       {
         if (Endian == etl::endianness::value())
         {
-          value  = static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[0]));
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[1])) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[2])) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[3])) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value  = static_cast<T>(store[0]);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[1]) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[2]) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[3]) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
         }
         else
         {
-          value  = static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[3]));
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[2])) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[1])) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[0])) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value  = static_cast<T>(store[3]);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[2]) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[1]) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[0]) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
         }
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* src, int endian_src, char* dst)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* src, int endian_src, unsigned char* dst)
       {
         if (Endian == endian_src)
         {
@@ -501,61 +501,61 @@ namespace etl
     template <typename U>
     struct unaligned_copy<U, 8U>
     {
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, char* store)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(T value, unsigned char* store)
       {
         if (Endian == etl::endianness::value())
         {
-          store[0] = static_cast<char>(value);
-          store[1] = static_cast<char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[2] = static_cast<char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[3] = static_cast<char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[4] = static_cast<char>(value >> (4U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[5] = static_cast<char>(value >> (5U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[6] = static_cast<char>(value >> (6U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[7] = static_cast<char>(value >> (7U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value);
+          store[1] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[2] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[3] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[4] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (4U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[5] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (5U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[6] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (6U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[7] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (7U * CHAR_BIT));
         }
         else
         {
-          store[7] = static_cast<char>(value);
-          store[6] = static_cast<char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[5] = static_cast<char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[4] = static_cast<char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[3] = static_cast<char>(value >> (4U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[2] = static_cast<char>(value >> (5U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[1] = static_cast<char>(value >> (6U * CHAR_BIT));
-          store[0] = static_cast<char>(value >> (7U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[7] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value);
+          store[6] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (1U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[5] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (2U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[4] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (3U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[3] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (4U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[2] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (5U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[1] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (6U * CHAR_BIT));
+          store[0] = static_cast<unsigned char>(value >> (7U * CHAR_BIT));
         }
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* store, T& value)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* store, T& value)
       {
         if (Endian == etl::endianness::value())
         {
-          value  = static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[0]));
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[1])) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[2])) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[3])) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[4])) << (4U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[5])) << (5U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[6])) << (6U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[7])) << (7U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value  = static_cast<T>(store[0]);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[1]) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[2]) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[3]) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[4]) << (4U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[5]) << (5U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[6]) << (6U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[7]) << (7U * CHAR_BIT);
         }
         else
         {
-          value  = static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[7]));
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[6])) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[5])) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[4])) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[3])) << (4U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[2])) << (5U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[1])) << (6U * CHAR_BIT);
-          value |= static_cast<T>(static_cast<unsigned char>(store[0])) << (7U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value  = static_cast<T>(store[7]);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[6]) << (1U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[5]) << (2U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[4]) << (3U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[3]) << (4U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[2]) << (5U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[1]) << (6U * CHAR_BIT);
+          value |= static_cast<T>(store[0]) << (7U * CHAR_BIT);
         }
       }
 
       //*******************************
-      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const char* src, int endian_src, char* dst)
+      static ETL_CONSTEXPR14 void copy(const unsigned char* src, int endian_src, unsigned char* dst)
       {
         if (Endian == endian_src)
         {