Architectures and Processors

ARM Cortex-A76/77/78 NEON Performance Evaluation Challenges When working with advanced ARM Cortex-A series processors such as the A76, A77, and A78, evaluating the performance and energy efficiency of compiler techniques involving NEON instructions can be particularly challenging. NEON, ARM’s advanced SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) technology, is crucial for accelerating multimedia and signal processing applications….

Cortex-M4 Interrupt Timing Issue Due to Peripheral Write Buffer Latency The Cortex-M4 microcontroller, specifically the STM32F417 variant, exhibits an unexpected behavior where a timer interrupt occurs immediately after being disabled via a memory-mapped peripheral register. This issue manifests when the interrupt disable operation is followed by a few instructions, and the interrupt service routine (ISR)…

ARM Cortex-M33 TrustZone Partitioning and Non-Secure Peripheral Initialization The ARM Cortex-M33 processor, with its TrustZone security extension, provides a robust mechanism for partitioning code and resources into secure and non-secure worlds. This partitioning is essential for applications requiring high security, such as IoT devices handling sensitive data. However, the separation of secure and non-secure worlds…

ARM Cortex-A53 Execution Halt in EL3h Mode at EL3:0x0000000000000200 The issue described involves a Cortex-A53 processor halting execution in EL3h mode at the address EL3:0x0000000000000200. The debugger reports an undefined instruction (DCI 0xe7ff0010) at this location, indicating that the processor encountered an invalid or unsupported opcode. This behavior suggests a critical failure in the system’s…

SysTick Interrupt Handler Implementation and Common Pitfalls in STM32F103 The SysTick timer is a fundamental component of ARM Cortex-M processors, including the STM32F103 microcontroller. It provides a simple and efficient way to generate periodic interrupts, which are often used for task scheduling, timekeeping, and other time-sensitive operations. However, implementing and debugging SysTick interrupt handlers can…

ARM Cortex-M4 with DSP for Image/Video Processing and Bluetooth Integration The core issue revolves around selecting an appropriate ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller (MCU) that meets the requirements for a device capable of receiving images and videos via Bluetooth, storing them in external flash memory, and displaying them on an LCD screen. The device must operate independently…

AXI4 VIP Master Control Signal Timing and Configuration Challenges The core issue revolves around the inability to manipulate the timing and configuration of control signals such as AWVALID, AWREADY, ARVALID, and ARREADY in an AXI4 Verification IP (VIP) setup within Vivado 2020.1. The design under scrutiny involves an AXI VIP Master connected to an AXI…

Cortex-R5 Cache Coherency and Memory Synchronization Issues During Peripheral Configuration In embedded systems leveraging the ARM Cortex-R5 processor, ensuring proper cache coherency and memory synchronization is critical when configuring peripherals and triggering events. The Cortex-R5, being a high-performance real-time processor, is often used in safety-critical applications where deterministic behavior is paramount. However, subtle issues can…

ARM Cortex-M0+ 32-bit Multiplication Performance and Register Handling The ARM Cortex-M0+ is a highly efficient, low-power processor designed for embedded applications. One of its limitations, however, is the lack of a native 32-bit x 32-bit to 64-bit multiplication instruction. This necessitates the use of multiple 16-bit multiplications and careful handling of intermediate results to achieve…

ARM Cortex-M4 Interrupt Handling Failure During Debug Single-Stepping When debugging an ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller, a critical issue arises where interrupts, including PendSV, are not being processed as expected during single-stepping. The Cortex-M4 core exhibits a state where PRIMASK is cleared (indicating global interrupt enable), ICSR shows both an ISR and PendSV as pending, and DHCSR…