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)…
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…
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…
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…
Custom UART Integration with Fast Models in C++ Without sgcanvas When designing and verifying ARM-based SoCs, engineers often need to integrate custom peripherals, such as a UART, with ARM Fast Models for simulation purposes. ARM Fast Models provide a high-performance, cycle-accurate simulation environment for ARM IP and SoCs. Typically, the sgcanvas tool is used 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…
AXI Interleave Depth and Reorder Depth: Definitions and Key Differences AXI (Advanced eXtensible Interface) is a critical component of ARM’s AMBA (Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture) protocol suite, widely used in modern SoC designs. Two of the most important concepts in AXI are interleave depth and reorder depth, which are often misunderstood or conflated. These concepts…
I2C Master Data Register (MDR) Not Updating During Data Transmission The issue at hand involves the I2C Master Data Register (MDR) on an ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller, specifically within the TM4C1294XL family, not updating as expected during I2C data transmission. The MDR is a critical register in the I2C communication protocol, responsible for holding the data…
Cortex-A53 Translation Table Setup and MMU Enable Challenges The Cortex-A53 processor, part of the ARMv8-A architecture, relies heavily on the Memory Management Unit (MMU) for virtual memory management. Enabling the MMU requires a precise configuration of translation tables, which map virtual addresses to physical addresses. A common issue arises when developers attempt to enable the…
STMDB Instruction Misbehavior and Incorrect Stack Pointer Adjustment The issue at hand involves the stmdb (Store Multiple Decrement Before) instruction on an ARM Cortex-M4 processor, specifically within the context of a SAM4L microcontroller. The stmdb instruction is intended to store multiple registers onto the stack, decrementing the stack pointer (SP) before each store operation. However,…