ARM Cortex-A75 Neon Engine Performance Compared to Intel SSE The performance discrepancy between ARM Neon and Intel SSE intrinsics for 16-bit array addition operations is a multifaceted issue that requires a deep dive into the architectural differences, instruction set capabilities, and execution environments of both platforms. The observed speed-up of approximately 6x for Intel SSE…
Cortex-A35 Parameter Reconfiguration Challenges in System Builder and Socrates Tool Reconfiguring parameters for the ARM Cortex-A35 processor within a System-on-Chip (SoC) design using tools like System Builder and Socrates can be a complex task, especially when documentation is sparse or unclear. The Cortex-A35 is a highly configurable processor, and its parameters—such as cache sizes, memory…
ARM Cortex-M4 System Reset Failure via NVIC_SystemReset Function The ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller is designed to provide a reliable and efficient platform for embedded systems. One of its critical features is the ability to perform a system reset, which is often required during firmware updates, error recovery, or system reinitialization. However, in some cases, the NVIC_SystemReset…
Understanding Cortex-M33 Tracing: ETM, ETB, and MTB Interactions The Cortex-M33 processor, part of ARM’s Cortex-M series, is designed for embedded systems requiring high performance and security. One of its advanced features is its tracing capabilities, which are critical for debugging and performance analysis. The Embedded Trace Macrocell (ETM), Embedded Trace Buffer (ETB), and Micro Trace…
External Flash Selection and Integration with Cortex-M0 When integrating an ARM Cortex-M0 processor with external flash memory, the first step is selecting a compatible flash device. The Cortex-M0, being a low-power, 32-bit RISC processor, is often used in embedded systems where external flash memory is required for storing firmware or data. Commercial external flash memories,…
SPI Receiver Fails to Enable with SYNCBUSY.CTRLB Stuck High The issue at hand involves the SPI receiver on an ATSAMD21G18A (Cortex-M0) microcontroller failing to enable, with the SYNCBUSY.CTRLB bit persistently set to one. This prevents the receiver from being enabled, as indicated by the CTRLB.RXEN bit not being set correctly. The problem manifests after enabling…
UART Data Corruption with Dummy Characters in Nuvoton MS51FB9AE The issue described involves the reception of corrupted UART data on the Nuvoton MS51FB9AE microcontroller, which is based on the ARM Cortex-M architecture. The user reports that while testing a UART loopback program, dummy characters (e.g., "⸮") appear intermittently in the received data stream. For example,…
ARM VETX.32 Bitwise Rotate Performance Bottleneck on ARM7A The ARM VETX.32 instruction set includes specialized operations for vectorized bitwise manipulations, which are commonly used in embedded systems for tasks such as cryptography, signal processing, and data compression. One such operation is the in-place bitwise rotate, denoted as VETX.32 q1, q1, q1, #3, which rotates the…
Synchronous Data Abort and FIQ Timing in Cortex-R5F Memory Access In the ARM Cortex-R5F processor, a scenario can arise where a memory access operation, such as a read from L2 memory, triggers both a synchronous data abort and a Fast Interrupt Request (FIQ) nearly simultaneously. This situation is particularly observed when the memory subsystem is…
Cortex-M0 Vector Table Fetch Behavior and VTOR Absence The ARM Cortex-M0 processor, unlike its more advanced siblings such as the Cortex-M3, M4, and M7, does not feature a Vector Table Offset Register (VTOR). This architectural decision has significant implications for how the processor handles interrupt vectors. On the Cortex-M0, the vector table is always fetched…