TM4C129ENCPDT: Create custom bootloader for EK-TM4C129EXL

Balázs Buglyó

Part Number: TM4C129ENCPDT
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: MSP432E401Y, , EK-TM4C129EXL

Hi all,

First of all let me allow to thanks for all that the hard work what you are doing for us under the PANDEMIC.
I am opening this thread because of the following reason. We are developing SW for TM4C129ENCPDT and for MSP432E401Y, and we run into some problems.
I would like to create a custom bootloader for a EK-TM4C129EXL.
In a development stage i took the boot_emac_flash example from the TivaWare_C_Series-2.2.0.295.
I modified the bl_config.h. Uncommented the #define BL_INIT_FN_HOOK and the #define BL_CHECK_UPDATE_FN_HOOK.
I wrote my own functions.

First i just wanted to make sure these functions are running so used a simple blink function.

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void MyInitFunc(void){
            volatile uint32_t ui32Loop;
           //
           // Enable the GPIO port that is used for the on-board LED.
           //
           ROM_SysCtlPeripheralEnable(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION);
           //
           // Check if the peripheral access is enabled.
           //
           while(!ROM_SysCtlPeripheralReady(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION))
           {
           }
           //
           // Enable the GPIO pin for the LED (PN0).  Set the direction as output, and
           // enable the GPIO pin for digital function.
           //
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

void MyInitFunc(void){


            volatile uint32_t ui32Loop;

           //
           // Enable the GPIO port that is used for the on-board LED.
           //
           ROM_SysCtlPeripheralEnable(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION);

           //
           // Check if the peripheral access is enabled.
           //
           while(!ROM_SysCtlPeripheralReady(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION))
           {
           }

           //
           // Enable the GPIO pin for the LED (PN0).  Set the direction as output, and
           // enable the GPIO pin for digital function.
           //
           ROM_GPIOPinTypeGPIOOutput(GPIO_PORTN_BASE, GPIO_PIN_0);

           //
           // Loop forever.
           //

           volatile  uint16_t xi;

           for( xi = 0; xi <100; xi++)
           {
               //
               // Turn on the LED.
               //
               ROM_GPIOPinWrite(GPIO_PORTN_BASE, GPIO_PIN_0, GPIO_PIN_0);

               //
               // Delay for a bit.
               //
               for(ui32Loop = 0; ui32Loop < 500000; ui32Loop++)
               {
               }

               //
               // Turn off the LED.
               //
               ROM_GPIOPinWrite(GPIO_PORTN_BASE, GPIO_PIN_0, 0x0);

               //
               // Delay for a bit.
               //
               for(ui32Loop = 0; ui32Loop < 500000; ui32Loop++)
               {
               }
        }

}

In the first trials nothing happend. After that i tried to debug it but is a bit tricky and i realized that the bootloader stuck.
I tried some changes (used volatile) and the prev. inserted code can run in debug mode.

But when i try to run the device in standalone mode no blinking, noting happening. The device was fully ereased prev.

More or less i was happy because in debug mode it worked. So made the second step in my tiny project.

Here is what i modified in the bl_config.h:

#define BL_CHECK_UPDATE_FN_HOOK DetermineBootSeq
#define BL_INIT_FN_HOOK MyStartFunc

I wrote the custom BL_CHECK_UPDATE_FN_HOOK to check the content of the eeprom at a specified address.

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uint32_t DetermineBootSeq(void){
    uint32_t ui32EEPROMInit;
    uint32_t ReadCustomBLFlags[2];
    //
    // Enable the EEPROM module.
    //
    SysCtlPeripheralEnable(SYSCTL_PERIPH_EEPROM0);
    //
    // Wait for the EEPROM module to be ready.
    //
    while (!SysCtlPeripheralReady(SYSCTL_PERIPH_EEPROM0))
    {
    }
    //
    // Wait for the EEPROM Initialization to complete
    //
    ui32EEPROMInit = EEPROMInit();
    //
    // Check if the EEPROM Initialization returned an error
    // and inform the application
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

uint32_t DetermineBootSeq(void){

    uint32_t ui32EEPROMInit;
    uint32_t ReadCustomBLFlags[2];
    //
    // Enable the EEPROM module.
    //
    SysCtlPeripheralEnable(SYSCTL_PERIPH_EEPROM0);
    //
    // Wait for the EEPROM module to be ready.
    //
    while (!SysCtlPeripheralReady(SYSCTL_PERIPH_EEPROM0))
    {
    }
    //
    // Wait for the EEPROM Initialization to complete
    //
    ui32EEPROMInit = EEPROMInit();
    //
    // Check if the EEPROM Initialization returned an error
    // and inform the application
    //
    if (ui32EEPROMInit != EEPROM_INIT_OK)
    {
        while (1)
        {
        }
    }
    //  //Get the EEPROMSize +
    //READ some data FROM THE LAST 2 WORD OF the EEPROM
    //
    //uint32_t EepromMaxSize = EEPROMSizeGet();
    EEPROMRead(ReadCustomBLFlags, BL_CUSTOME_FLAGS_ADDRESS,
               sizeof(ReadCustomBLFlags));

    if (ReadCustomBLFlags[BL_ALWAYS_RUN_ADDRESS] == BL_ALWAYS_RUN)
    {
        return (1);
    }
    else
    {
        if (ReadCustomBLFlags[BL_UPDATE_STATUS_ADDRESS] == BL_UPDATE_END)
        {
            //
            // See if the first location is 0xfffffffff or something that does not
            // look like a stack pointer, or if the second location is 0xffffffff or
            // something that does not look like a reset vector.
            //
          volatile  uint32_t *pui32App;
            pui32App = (uint32_t*) APP_START_ADDRESS;
            if ((pui32App[0] == 0xffffffff)
                    || ((pui32App[0] & 0xfff00000) != 0x20000000)
                    || (pui32App[1] == 0xffffffff)
                    || ((pui32App[1] & 0xfff00001) != 0x00000001))
            {
                return (1);
            }
            //a valid image exists
            // and no update is needed.
            // return(0)
            return (0);
        }
        else
        {
                        //If the update not complated run the bootloader for update

            return (1);
        }
    }

}

Also wrote the BL_INIT_FN_HOOK :

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void MyStartFunc(void){
            volatile uint32_t ui32Loop;
           //
           // Enable the GPIO port that is used for the on-board LED.
           //
           ROM_SysCtlPeripheralEnable(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION);
           //
           // Check if the peripheral access is enabled.
           //
           while(!ROM_SysCtlPeripheralReady(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION))
           {
           }
           //
           // Enable the GPIO pin for the LED (PN0).  Set the direction as output, and
           // enable the GPIO pin for digital function.
           //
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

void MyStartFunc(void){


            volatile uint32_t ui32Loop;

           //
           // Enable the GPIO port that is used for the on-board LED.
           //
           ROM_SysCtlPeripheralEnable(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION);

           //
           // Check if the peripheral access is enabled.
           //
           while(!ROM_SysCtlPeripheralReady(SYSCTL_PERIPH_GPION))
           {
           }

           //
           // Enable the GPIO pin for the LED (PN0).  Set the direction as output, and
           // enable the GPIO pin for digital function.
           //
           ROM_GPIOPinTypeGPIOOutput(GPIO_PORTN_BASE, GPIO_PIN_0);

           //
           // Loop forever.
           //

           volatile  uint32_t xi;

           for( xi = 0; xi <100; xi++)
           {
               //
               // Turn on the LED.
               //
               ROM_GPIOPinWrite(GPIO_PORTN_BASE, GPIO_PIN_0, GPIO_PIN_0);

               //
               // Delay for a bit.
               //
               for(ui32Loop = 0; ui32Loop < 500000; ui32Loop++)
               {
               }

               //
               // Turn off the LED.
               //
               ROM_GPIOPinWrite(GPIO_PORTN_BASE, GPIO_PIN_0, 0x0);

               //
               // Delay for a bit.
               //
               for(ui32Loop = 0; ui32Loop < 500000; ui32Loop++)
               {
               }
        }

}

Right now it is working only in debug mode, but if i change something in the code it is freezing and nothing happening.

Where should i start to examine?

So, 2 question lefts for me.

Why it is only working in debuge mode?

Should i modify something in the bl_link_css.cmd?

Why is that this code can run in debuge mode but if i change something it stuck

I read the SW-TM4C-BOOTLDR-UG-2.2.0.295.

Any helping hand is welcome.

Im using CCS Version: 10.2.0.00009, TivaWare_C_Series-2.2.0.295.

I really appreciate that if we can start conversion with these problems and would be a great if you can suggest better ideas.

Stay safe and keep calm.

over 4 years ago

0 Charles Tsai over 4 years ago

TI__Guru**** 183536 points

Hi,

Not sure what is the problem that it only works in debug mode but not run mode. Can you tell where the code is stuck at after the debugger connects to the target again? In your MyInitFunc you are trying to blink the LED 100 times. Can you tell if this function is ever entered? Can you tell if the for-loop was ever entered? Can you change the delay from 500000 to something larger? Does it make a difference? I may imagine the problem is related to some timing issue. For example, in debug mode you will be waiting much much longer than the 500000 delay if you happen to be stepping through the code.

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TM4C129ENCPDT: Create custom bootloader for EK-TM4C129EXL