ARM Cortex-A9 Instruction Set Compatibility Issue with "cpsie i" The error message "selected processor does not support cpsie i’ in ARM mode" indicates a fundamental incompatibility between the ARM Cortex-A9 processor in the Arria 10 SoC and the assembly instruction cpsie i. The cpsie i` instruction is used to enable interrupts by clearing the interrupt…
AMBA AHB Trace Macrocell (HTM) Compatibility with CoreSight SOC-400 The AMBA AHB Trace Macrocell (HTM) is a specialized component designed to trace transactions on the AMBA AHB bus, particularly for non-core masters such as DMA controllers. The HTM captures detailed information about AHB transactions, including address, data, and control signals, which is invaluable for debugging…
APB3 Slave PSLVERR Signal Optionality and Master Requirements The APB3 protocol, as defined in the ARM AMBA specification, is designed for low-power, low-complexity peripherals. One of the key features of APB3 is the introduction of the PSLVERR signal, which allows slaves to indicate error conditions during a transaction. However, the specification explicitly states that APB…
AHB-Lite Protocol Checker Availability and Licensing Constraints The AHB-Lite Protocol Checker, encapsulated within the AhbLitePC.v module, is a critical component for ensuring compliance with the AHB-Lite protocol during simulation. This module is part of the Cortex-M System Design Kit (CMSDK), which is a comprehensive suite of tools and IP blocks provided by ARM for designing…
ARM DesignStart FPGA Access Issues for Students The ARM DesignStart FPGA program is a powerful resource for developers and organizations looking to integrate ARM Cortex-M processors into their FPGA-based designs. However, students often face significant hurdles when attempting to access this program due to its corporate-oriented application process. The primary issue arises from the requirement…
AHB Burst Transfer Interruption Due to Fixed Arbitration In ARM AMBA AHB (Advanced High-performance Bus) systems, burst transfers are a fundamental mechanism for efficient data movement between masters and slaves. A burst transfer allows a master to perform multiple data transactions in a sequence without repeatedly requesting the bus, thereby improving system performance. However, when…
Unaligned 4-Byte Data Transfer Behavior in AXI Protocol In the ARM AMBA AXI protocol, data transfers are typically aligned to the natural boundaries of the data bus width. However, scenarios often arise where data transfers are unaligned, particularly when the starting address does not match the natural alignment boundary of the data size being transferred….
CMO Transactions: Cache Maintenance Operations in ARM CHI Cache Maintenance Operations (CMOs) are a critical aspect of the ARM CHI (Coherent Hub Interface) protocol, designed to manage the state and contents of caches in a coherent system. CMOs are dataless transactions, meaning they do not transfer actual data payloads but instead perform operations that affect…
ARM SoC Cost Variations: From $10M to $100M Development Budgets The cost of developing an ARM-based System-on-Chip (SoC) can vary significantly, ranging from $10 million to over $100 million. This variation is driven by multiple factors, including design complexity, IP integration, verification efforts, and manufacturing considerations. At the lower end of the spectrum, SoCs in…
ARM CPU Subsystem Design for Multi-Product Families Designing an ARM-based CPU subsystem involves integrating ARM CPU cores, AXI/AHB bus interconnects, memory controllers, DMA controllers, and cache systems. One of the primary challenges is determining whether to create a single, highly configurable subsystem that can cater to multiple product families (such as Automotive, Consumer, and IoT)…