flashload: BF-527 / AT49SV322DT connection problems

[bns]

Hi,

I try to flash a hardware with an BF-527 and parallel flash AT49SV322DT. The flash has CFI regarding to datasheet. Nevertheless, I'm not able to start the flashing or even flash info reading. Error message is:

Code: Select all

> flashload --info
Number of devices in JTAG chain: 1
JTAG wait cycles: 1
Could not init emulation - check board connection.


The BF-527 is powered with 3,3 Volts, while flash runs at 1,8 Volt -- could this be a problem?

best regards,
Frank

[strubi]

Hello Frank,

I'm a bit puzzled about the 1.8V, did you make sure the I/Os can deal with 3.3 V? As far as I remember, the minimum HIGH level voltage must be 2.0 V. However, it seems it doesn't even get that far, as it doesn't succeed to get into emulation mode, this can be due to a hardware problem. I assume you're testing prototypes - can you try a board with the flash not populated? Also, gdbproxy is a bit more verbose about JTAG errors, you could try to fire that up and see if you can connect with the debugger - feel free to post output logs here.

Greetings,

- Martin

[bns]

Hi Martin,

sorry for the late answer -- I have been busy somewhere else..

The devices are not prototypes but a first series of a device designed by an external partner, so I cannot tell you very much about the hardware (I took the 1.8 Volts out of the schematics).
The external partner has an in circuit emulator / JTAG adapter from Analog Devices, and is able to flash the board -- a colleague of mine tested it with the AD JTAG adapter too and succeeded.
We would like to use the ICEBear for flashing the boards during the production process, and so I'm trying the bring it to life...

The following output is done by gdbproxy when I do the following steps:
1. connecting the ICEBear to the board
2. starting gdbproxy
3. powering the board
4. starting bfin-elf-insight
5. trying to load an elf file to the Blackfin via insight

Code: Select all

Remote proxy for GDB, v0.8.4, Copyright (C) 1999 Quality Quorum Inc.
MSP430 adaption Copyright (C) 2002 Chris Liechti and Steve Underwood
Blackfin adaption Copyright (C) 2005 Martin Strubel <hackfin@section5.ch>

GDBproxy comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details
use `--warranty' option. This is Open Source software. You are
welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions. Use the
'--copying' option for details.

error:     Could not detect target, check connection and power
error:     Could not detect target, check connection and power
notice:    Detected 1 device(s)
notice:    Setting clock wait cycle to 0
notice:    gdbproxy: waiting on TCP port 2000
notice:    gdbproxy: connected
error:     Unsupported device or bad signal integrity.
error:     Check board connections, power and JTAG chain length!
error:     gdbproxy: unable to connect to target bfin. Will restart.
notice:    Setting clock wait cycle to 0
notice:    gdbproxy: waiting on TCP port 2000


So the gdbproxy complains about unsupported device or bead signal quality -- is the BF527 supported? And can I bring gdbproxy in a verbouse mode where it tells a little bit more about what it is doing?

Connecting to a board without flash isn't that easy, because boards are all manufactured and shall be sold...

best regards,
Frank

[strubi]

Hello Frank,

Ok, seems like you got an older gdbproxy version installed, probably your bfloader version is slightly outdated, too. The 1.8V got me on the wrong track
So I'd suggest to do an update to v1.3 for Linux, you may also try the most recent 1.4 beta for Windows:

viewforum.php?f=2

You can also install the ICEbear light software over your existing installation to try the GUI variant of the bfloader, which is useful for manual bulk programming.

Let me know if you have troubles. For speedier response, you can also contact me via mail.

Best regards,

- Martin

[bns]

O.K.,

reason I didn't upgrade so far is that my linux machine is running Gentoo -- not Debian or Ubuntu. Therefore, I cannot install via apt-get and used the .tgz package for my install -- but there is no 1.3 .tgz package available?

I will try the 1.4 beta for windows, because the guys in our service and production department are using Windows boxes anyway...

best regards,
Frank

[bns]

I have managed to detect and erase the flash with the 2.0 flashload.exe, but programming fails:

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U:\Partyline\Acrobat\CC-8 Audioboard_Firmware>c:\programme\icebear\bin\flashload.exe --info
Number of devices in JTAG chain: 1
JTAG wait cycles: 0
Detected Device: BF-52[2,3,5,7] rev:2
Manufacturer        : Atmel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
        Driver title: Generic CFI flash driver
         Description: Atmel/AMD compatible (Top Boot)
   Manufacturer Code: 0x1f
         Device Code: 0x1d1
   Number of sectors: 0x47
   Number of regions: 0x2
           Bus width: 0x10
         Buffer size: 0x4000
          Flash size: 0x400000
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Verify is on (default).

U:\Partyline\Acrobat\CC-8 Audioboard_Firmware>c:\programme\icebear\bin\flashload.exe --erasesectors=0,1
Number of devices in JTAG chain: 1
JTAG wait cycles: 0
Detected Device: BF-52[2,3,5,7] rev:2
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Verify is on (default).
Working...  [100%]
Done.

U:\Partyline\Acrobat\CC-8 Audioboard_Firmware>c:\programme\icebear\bin\flashload.exe --program=test.bin
Number of devices in JTAG chain: 1
JTAG wait cycles: 0
Detected Device: BF-52[2,3,5,7] rev:2
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Verify is on (default).
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing Flash image from file 'test.bin'
Writing 16384 bytes to flash at offset $00000000
Error: Verify failed


I checked if erase succeeded: When dumping from flash, the flash contains all '0xFF' bytes, so erase seems to be o.k. and the programming fails.

Any idea? I have a .dxe file which contains the flash driver for the Analog Devices tools, but this is IMO not compatible with ICEBear/flashload? And as the AT49SV322DT flash is CFI capable, shouldn't it be possible to program it with the 'CFI driver'?

[strubi]

Hello Frank,

the VDSP DXEs are indeed incompatible - unfortunately.
I haven't got any hardware with Atmel parallel flashes, I'm afraid. I think I have a report from a working Atmel CFI flash, but that is of an older type. It is likely, that the AMD commands are not 100% understood by that flash type.
Let's deal with the further gory details via mail.

Greetings,

- Martin