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TM4C1294NCPDT: Firmware Upgrade via external SSI Flash

Gaurav Pandit
Prodigy 60 points
Part Number: TM4C1294NCPDT

Hello,

Is it possible to get the boot loader to grab the binary file of application code from an external SSI flash chip?

Thanks & Regards,
Gaurav

  • 0
    TI__Guru*** 134845 points
    Hello Gaurav,

    First off, do you mean Flash or ROM boot loader? Secondly, do you mean that you want SSI to operate as a master to communicate with the external SSI flash chip?
  • 0 in reply to Ralph Jacobi
    Prodigy 60 points
    Hello Ralph,
    Thanks for the reply!

    I am trying to use the ROM bootloader & want operate the SSI in master mode to connect to the external Flash chip.

    Thanks & Regards,
    Gaurav
  • 0 in reply to Gaurav Pandit
    TI__Guru*** 134845 points

    Hello Gaurav,

    That is not possible as within the ROM bootloader, the SSI module is only allowed to operate in slave mode. Also our Flash bootloader example provided with TivaWare operates in the same way.

    It should be possible for you to build a custom bootloader where SSI would operate as a master, but that would be an application specific implementation that you'd have to develop on your end as you would need to program the bootloader code to handle the external Flash chip and know exactly how to read from it's memory successfully since the TM4C bootloader would responsible for driving all the communication (where as in the ROM/Flash bootloader where TM4C is a slave, it is primarily responsible for receiving data correctly rather than ensuring it is accessing the right data to begin with).

  • 0 in reply to Ralph Jacobi
    Prodigy 60 points
    Hello Ralph,

    Thanks for the information! I suspected similar thing that it might not be possible to operate in master mode, but wasn't sure. Your reply really helps!
    Although, for my implementation I was thinking that maybe I can modify & re-purpose the usb_stick_demo that grabs the firmware binary and writes it to the internal flash. Can it be done this way?

    Thanks & Regards,
    Gaurav
  • 0 in reply to Gaurav Pandit
    TI__Guru*** 134845 points
    Hello Gaurav,

    I think the theory can be applied, though the practical application feels like it would be quite different as the usb stick examples leveraged 3rd party collateral like fatfs to operate. Not sure if you could leverage the same for SSI communication with an external flash chip. But the general flow and setup of 'get data' and 'flash to memory' would be applicable, so I could certainly see it being beneficial to understand as you develop your application.
  • 0 in reply to Ralph Jacobi
    Prodigy 60 points
    Hello Ralph,

    I already have a FATfs working with my external SSI flash, so it's going to be easier to develop.

    And again, thanks for your valuable responses!

    Regards,
    Gaurav