AM4376: Custom board boot using UART0 and NOR flash

Santosh Bongane

Part Number: AM4376
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: SYSBIOS

We have UART0 interface only on custom board? our work environment is CCS in windows, so for this board which SDK should we Use?

Refering to TI standard board, Custom board is similar to AM437x IDK board

How to find u-boot spl.bin in SDK folder ?

Do we need to generate spl.bin file? if, yes how and what to build for generation of spl.bin

Our aim is porting custom board using windows based CCS environment so how to proceed on UART 0 interface only

So How to write spl.bin on NOR flash?

pls. reply each

I have referred so many links and documents but not clear too

PRU support AM437x starert kit ?

over 7 years ago

0 Biser Gatchev-XID over 7 years ago

TI__Guru**** 393215 points

What software are you using on the AM437x? Linux or RTOS?

0 Santosh Bongane over 7 years ago in reply to Biser Gatchev-XID

Expert 2120 points

RTOS

0 Biser Gatchev-XID over 7 years ago in reply to Santosh Bongane

TI__Guru**** 393215 points

Thanks. The RTOS team have been notified. They will respond here.

To partly answer your questions: RTOS does not work with U-boot and SPL. It has its own bootloader. The RTOS SDK can be downloaded here: software-dl.ti.com/.../index_FDS.html On the download page you will find links to documentation under the "AM437x RTOS SDK Documentation" section.

0 Santosh Bongane over 7 years ago in reply to Biser Gatchev-XID

Expert 2120 points

Thanks Biser
i really appreciate your reply

For Hardware board designer , its very hard to understand

could you please elobrate more on the RTOS related board bringup like Booting,

IN our custom board, we could not access or write NOR flash,

pls guide thru some documents

0 Biser Gatchev-XID over 7 years ago in reply to Santosh Bongane

TI__Guru**** 393215 points

I already posted that the RTOS team have been notified. They will respond here.

0 lding over 7 years ago in reply to Biser Gatchev-XID

TI__Guru* 95265 points

Hi,

There are two flavors of software: processor SDK RTOS (bare metal or SYSBIOS) and processor SDK Linux (using Linux) www.ti.com/.../processor-sdk-am437x. From the download link, you can find out the release notes, getting started guide and software developer guide.

For the RTOS SW:
- For UART, we have UART driver processors.wiki.ti.com/.../Processor_SDK_RTOS_UART
- For NOR, is it connected to QSPI in your board? we have QSPI writer: processors.wiki.ti.com/.../Processor_SDK_RTOS_QSPI-McSPI
- For PRU: the driver is processors.wiki.ti.com/.../Processor_SDK_RTOS_PRUSS

We don't have u-boot in RTOS. If your usage is to boot the AM437x with u-boot and runs Linux on ARM, I will ask our Linux team help for additional questions.

Regards, Eric

0 Rahul Prabhu over 7 years ago in reply to lding

TI__Guru** 114410 points

Santosh,

From bootloader perspective, on AM437x we provide a secondary bootloader code and flashing utilities and diagnostics that you can use for the board bring up. The bootloader and flash tools are part of PRocessor SDK RTOS

The bootloader and flash tools documentation is provided here::
processors.wiki.ti.com/.../AM437x

Since your board is similar to the AM437x IDK, you can look at the QSPI and MMCSD examples as only those 2 examples are supported by the SDK. Flashing setup is also supported using SD card so please let us know if you have this interface on your custom board.

for board bring up, we provide simple functional tests for the AM437x IDK board that are documented here:
processors.wiki.ti.com/.../Processor_SDK_RTOS_DIAG

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Rahul

0 Santosh Bongane over 7 years ago in reply to lding

Expert 2120 points

Hi Eric,

On custom board (RTOS based) we don't have QSPI interface, we have parallel NOR interface. We have UART0 for AM437x access

We are trying to write SPL / bootloader in NOR flash but could not access the NOR, pls correct whether SPL is necessary to write in NOR flash in RTOS case

We want to access or write NOR flash using UART for that which is the tool and How to write NOR flash pls guide.

RTOS has its own bootloader so how to access bootloader file during NOR flash write using UART

0 Santosh Bongane over 7 years ago in reply to Rahul Prabhu

Expert 2120 points

Thanks Rahul,
Unfortunetly we dont have SD card , QSPI interface on custom board
we have only UART0 and JTAG.
Pls guide how to load the bootloader on NOR flash using UART0
pls share step wise document link by which we can access NOR flash and boot the custom board

0 Santosh Bongane over 7 years ago in reply to Santosh Bongane

Expert 2120 points

Hi Rahul,

I am still not understood, How SPL flash in to QSPI or any other external memory

As per the boot process stage

First stage of boot process is, after power on reset ROM BL find out the SPL stored in external flas

SPL in external memory, but How come SPL available in external memory (Parallel NOR flash, QSPI)

We have not load / write SPL in external memory

Is it like after power on PC inerface (UART, JTAG) writes SPL in to external memory (QSPI, Parallel NOR) and then ROM BL read SPL and copied in to processor SPL

please reply to my both post?

0 Santosh Bongane over 7 years ago in reply to Santosh Bongane

Expert 2120 points

Hi
waiting for your reply

0 Rahul Prabhu over 7 years ago

TI__Guru** 114410 points

Santosh,

Sorry for the delayed response. Uboot and SPL need to programmed only if your use case is to run Linux OS on the target for your application deevelopment. For RTOS and bare-metal usecase we provide the SBL component in the Processor SDK RTOS for AM437x which you can use to boot your application.

Please note the SBL is needed only when you have completed development and want to boot the application from a boot media and not over an emulator. For debugging, you can connect to the ARM core using an emulator and CCS and run a GEL script to initialize clocks, DDR and PRCM for modules and develop application code. Ones you finished development, you convert the application .out file into a .bin file using the process described here:

Hope this helps.

If your usecase is Linux or Linux-RT then SPL and u-boot is the right way to go. For flashing u-boot, you can refer to the U-boot user guide here:

Regards,

Rahul

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AM4376: Custom board boot using UART0 and NOR flash