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CCS/TM4C1294NCPDT: Tivaware bootloader

Shyam Shankar
Prodigy 220 points
Part Number: TM4C1294NCPDT
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: EK-TM4C1294XL

Tool/software: Code Composer Studio

Hi,

I downloaded the Tivaware software from the TI site.  But I do not understand how to use it in a project. 
Before downloading the Tivaware I executed programs in TI RTOS on my board to blink LEDs.  All of the APIs like gpiotoggleled etc where included in board.h.  

How actually am I supposed to use this Tivaware Bootloader in my projects in CCS. How do I include it in the project?? Also if we are using this, what is the purpose then of board.h

  • 0
    TI__Guru**** 182996 points
    Hi,
    There are several bootloader examples that comes with the TivaWare package. Please refer to the TivaWare Boot Loader userguide for details. www.ti.com/.../spmu301d.pdf. You can various TivaWare userguides under the <TivaWare_Installation>\docs including the Boot Loader Userguide. The bootloader examples can be found under <TivaWare_Installation>\examples\borads\ek-tm4c1294xl. For example if you plan to bootload from UART comm port you can reference the boot_serial bootlader example along with the two application examples boot_demo1 and boot_demo2.
  • 0
    Intellectual 545 points

    In order to run a program that is burnt into flash, either with CCS or by a board manufacturer, you don't need the Tivaware bootloader or any of the other of TI's bootloader programs.  For example, if you were shipping a doorbell that used the Tiva, that you never expected to change, you would program the flash when you manufactured the device, and never use or care about custom bootloading.  The Tiva ROM bootloader would load your program, just fine.

    The TivaWare bootloader, and all of the other bootloader examples, fit into what most of us think as firmware upgrade applications.  You boot into the bootloader application (yours or the Tivaware one) using the default ROM bootloader behavior, and it then looks for an application image in some other place (in memory, over a network or serial connection, etc.), and then loads and starts that application.

    The sample applications (including the Tivaware bootloader) add some fairly simple layers on top of the ROM bootloader, but they also serve as examples for other types of bootloader/upgrade mechanisms.  For example, you could have your bootloader load an image from local flash storage, where it had been placed by your normal application, which might have fetched the upgrade from somewhere over the internet.  Or etc.

    In other words, to do any sort of firmware upgrade, you will need to understand the bootloader, otherwise you may not need to know anything more about it.