ARM Cortex-R5 ETM Port and CTI Integration for Trace Functionality The ARM Cortex-R5 processor is a high-performance, real-time embedded processor designed for applications requiring deterministic behavior and high reliability. One of its key features is the Embedded Trace Macrocell (ETM) port, which facilitates real-time instruction and data tracing for debugging and performance analysis. However, the…
ARM Cortex-R52 Exclusive Access Logic and Data Abort Triggers The ARM Cortex-R52 processor, designed for real-time and safety-critical applications, implements a sophisticated memory access mechanism that includes support for exclusive load/store operations. These operations are crucial for implementing atomic operations in multi-core or multi-threaded environments. However, the Cortex-R52 can raise an "Unsupported Exclusive Data Abort"…
Cortex-R5 ACP Interface and DMA-Induced Data Coherency Corruption The Cortex-R5 processor features an Accelerator Coherency Port (ACP) interface, which is designed to maintain data coherency between the Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2) memory systems, especially in scenarios involving Direct Memory Access (DMA) operations. The ACP interface consists of two primary components: the ACP…
ARM Cortex-M Cache Coherency Problems During Kernel Startup with FAULTMASK Enabled When initializing an ARM Cortex-M-based system, particularly during the kernel startup phase, developers often enable the FAULTMASK register to ensure that no interrupts disrupt the critical initialization process. This is a common practice in real-time operating systems (RTOS) to guarantee a deterministic startup sequence….
ARM Cortex-M Hardfault Due to Static Library Integration When integrating a static library into an STM32 project, a HardFault can occur due to various reasons related to memory alignment, stack overflow, or incorrect linker script configurations. The HardFault is a type of exception that occurs when the ARM Cortex-M processor detects a fault condition, such…
ARM Cortex-M3 Hard Fault Triggered by Instruction Access Violation (IACCVIOL) The core issue revolves around a Hard Fault error occurring on the STM32F205VET6 microcontroller, specifically triggered by the IACCVIOL (Instruction Access Violation) bit being set in the Configurable Fault Status Register (CFSR). This error manifests after integrating a static library into the application firmware. The…
ARM Cortex-M7 DWT Counter Overflow and Instruction Counting Inaccuracy The ARM Cortex-M7 processor provides a set of Debug Watchpoint and Trace (DWT) counters that are commonly used for profiling and performance analysis. These counters include DWT_CYCCNT (cycle count), DWT_CPICNT (CPI count), DWT_EXCCNT (exception overhead count), DWT_SLEEPCNT (sleep count), DWT_LSUCNT (load/store unit count), and DWT_FOLDCNT (folded…
DebugMonitor Exception Suppression During Interrupt Disable The issue at hand involves the DebugMonitor exception, which is triggered by a Data Watchpoint and Trace (DWT) unit’s watchpoint function on an ARM Cortex-M33 processor. The watchpoint is configured to monitor a specific memory address, and when this address is written to, a DebugMonitor exception is expected to…
DSB Completion Before Write Reaches Endpoint in Device-nGnRE Memory The behavior of the Data Synchronization Barrier (DSB) instruction in ARM architectures, particularly when dealing with Device-nGnRE memory types, is a nuanced topic that requires a deep understanding of memory attributes, write acknowledgements, and the ARM memory model. Device-nGnRE memory, which stands for Device-non-Gathering, non-Reordering, and…
Corstone SSE-300 FVP Simulator Fails to Initialize on Cortex-M55 The Corstone SSE-300 Fixed Virtual Platform (FVP) simulator is a critical tool for developers working with ARM Cortex-M55 processors, enabling software development and testing without requiring physical hardware. However, users often encounter issues when attempting to initialize and run the simulator, particularly when configuring the Cortex-M55’s…