AM263P4: AM263P4 and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) support clarification

IEEE 802.1AS-2011 assumes all communication between devices is done on the OSI layer 2, while IEEE 1588-2008 can support various layer 2 and layer 3-4 communication methods

Also please refer to the TRM section for CPSW, where it mentions that PTP is also supported

Pasquale Buonocore said:

If not, is there another TI device similar to the AM263P4 (optimized for real-time motor control) that natively supports IEEE 1588v2?

All AM26x family devices supports both the protocols

Hi Nilabh,
thank you for your response and for sharing the references.

Right after posting my question, I watched the following video series from Texas Instruments (PTPv2 in the Processor SDK for Linux). It helped me understand that the PTPv2 protocol can be implemented either using the CPSW (with hardware timestamps provided by the CPTS) or the PRU-ICSS on certain Sitara boards.

Because of that, I started looking for this information in the AM263Px TRM and found Chapter 13 (the one shown in the screenshot you shared) and Chapter 12 (Time Sync), which I’ve included below:

In order to find an example to start with, I downloaded both the MCU+SDK (version 10_02_00_15) and the Industrial Communication SDK (version 10_02_00_22). I was able to find a guide for the PTP implementation on the PRU-ICSS here:  ICSS TimeSync API Guide.

However, I couldn’t find any documentation or examples regarding a PTPv2 implementation using the CPSW on the R5F core. Moreover, in the Networking documentation, the only reference to PTPv2 also points to the PRU-ICSS.

Even in the Ethernet and Networking Examples, I couldn’t find any example demonstrating PTPv2 over CPSW, which makes me wonder about the feasibility of implementing the PTP protocol on the R5F side.

Having said that, I have two questions:

1. Do you know if there is any example of PTPv2 implemented over the R5F CPSW module? If so, where should I start?

2. Is the PRU-ICSS-based implementation sufficient to allow the AM263P4 board to act as a slave in a PTP network?

Thank you very much for your help and expertise!
Pasquale

Hi Nilabh,
do you have any new updates regarding my last questions?

Thank you very much for your kind support,
Pasquale