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)…
ARM Cortex-M4 Integration Challenges in Bidirectional Battery Charger/Discharger Systems The integration of an ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller into a bidirectional battery charger/discharger system presents several challenges, particularly when dealing with high-frequency switching, power factor correction, and real-time control loops. The system described involves a 3-phase 380VAC input, a main transformer operating at 20kHz, and a DC…
HSELx Signal Behavior During Back-to-Back AHB Transfers In an ARM AHB (Advanced High-performance Bus) system, the HSELx signal plays a critical role in determining which slave is being addressed during a transaction. The scenario described involves a single AHB master initiating two consecutive transactions: one to address A (Slave 1) and another to address B…
Flash Patching and Code Literal Remapping Requirements in Cortex-M7 The Cortex-M7 microcontroller, a high-performance embedded processor, is widely used in System-on-Chip (SoC) designs for applications requiring real-time processing and efficient memory management. One critical requirement in such designs is the ability to remap code literals from Code Flash to RAM, a process often referred to…
Corstone SSE-300 FVP Simulator Fails to Start in ARM Development Studio The Corstone SSE-300 Fixed Virtual Platform (FVP) simulator is a critical tool for developers working with ARM Cortex-M55-based systems. However, users often encounter issues when attempting to run the simulator within ARM Development Studio. The primary symptoms include the simulator failing to start, entering…