[FAQ] How to synchronize the PRU IEP timer with Linux system time?

Overall design

Let's assume you are synchronizing the Linux system time to an external clock source over Ethernet PTP.

Then you want to use a PPS signal from the CPTS (inside the CPSW) to synchronize the Linux system time with the IEP counter.

After doing an initial read of the Linux system time, then the PRU can wait on the rising or falling edge of the PPS signal to re-sync itself to the Linux system time every second.

Look at the AM64x Technical Reference Manual (TRM), figure "SoC Time Sync Architecture". This is the path the PPS signal will take from the CPTS, to the PRU subsystem:

Step 1: taking a PPS signal from the CPTS and routing it somewhere

Starting in SDK 9.0, there is updated documentation on how to get a PPS signal to go from the CPTS and loop back to itself to generate a CPTS timestamp in the SDK docs: https://software-dl.ti.com/processor-sdk-linux/esd/AM64X/09_00_00_03/exports/docs/linux/Foundational_Components/Kernel/Kernel_Drivers/Network/CPSW-PTP.html

 * section "Time stamping external events" discusses how to set up the loopback

 * section "PPS Pulse Per Second support" discusses how to set up PPS

Let's check the AM64x SK evm file from SDK 9.0, k3-am642-sk.dts:

#define TS_OFFSET(pa, val)     (0x4+(pa)*4) (0x10000 | val)

&timesync_router {
        status = "okay";
        pinctrl-names = "default";
        pinctrl-0 = <&cpsw_cpts_pps>;

        /*
         * Use Time Sync Router to map GENF1 input to HW8_TS_PUSH output as well
         * as the PRU ICSSG0 SYNC1 output.
         */
        cpsw_cpts_pps: cpsw-cpts-pps {
                pinctrl-single,pins = <
                        /* pps [cpts genf1] in22 -> out37 [cpts hw8_push] */
                        TS_OFFSET(37, 22)
                        /* pps [cpts genf1] in22 -> out26 [SYNC1_OUT pin] */
                        /* Note: NOT actually SYNC1_OUT. See Step 2 for details */
                        TS_OFFSET(26, 22)
                        >;
        };
};

One input signal to the time sync router can be routed to multiple outputs. The CPTS PPS signal is also getting routed to an external SYNC_OUT pin, where it can be observed with an oscilloscope.

Step 2: configure the time sync router to send the PPS signal to the PRU 

Add an entry to the time sync router in the Linux devicetree that goes to one of the PRU signals.

The inputs and outputs of the time sync router are different for every processor.

Inputs and Outputs of the time sync router are listed in the TISCI documentation, the associated e2e FAQ, or the Technical Reference Manual (TRM). Different sources have slightly different information in them:

TISCI docs, AM64x Time Sync Router Inputs

TISCI docs, AM64x Time Sync Router Outputs

[FAQ] AM64x: What is the Time Sync Router for? How do I use it?

Let's take another look at the AM64x SK evm file from SDK 9.0, k3-am642-sk.dts. We will check which inputs and outputs are currently configured:

1 input signal, from input 22
The TISCI docs say that this is the cpts_genf1 signal, coming from the CPSW subsystem's CPTS (not the main domain CPTS)

2 output signals:
output 37: The TISCI docs say that cpts_hw8_push goes back to be timestamped by the CPSW CPTS
output 26: The TISCI docs don't say what this is, so we have to refer to the e2e FAQ or the TRM. It is actually the SYNC2_OUT pin (NOT the SYNC1_OUT pin as commented in the SDK 9.0 devicetree file). SYNC2_OUT is not routed to a header pin on AM64x EVM. In order to see the PPS signal on a header pin, try routing to SYNC0_OUT instead, and changing the pinmuxing for D18 from ECAP to SYNC0_OUT.

So we have to configure another output if we want a signal to go to a PRU subsystem.

Use one of the pr1_edc[0:1]_latch[0:1]_in outputs to route the signal to one of the PRU subsystem instances.