AM623: AM62x: Looking for instructions and sample code for programing the PRU

Hello Martha,

I am going to give you an overview of getting started resources for AM62x, as well as what you can expect in the near future.

Getting started with PRU on AM62x through the years

I assume you found the first version of the PRU Getting Started Labs, which I wrote for AM62x in 2022:
https://software-dl.ti.com/processor-sdk-linux/esd/AM62X/latest/exports/docs/common/PRU-ICSS/PRU-Getting-Started-Labs.html 

Those labs were written to be used alongside the PRU Software Support Package, which I have maintained since 2018:
https://git.ti.com/cgit/pru-software-support-package/pru-software-support-package/ 

In 2025, we started publishing the new OpenPRU repository, as well as the first version of the new PRU Academy on AM243x & AM64x. The PRU Academy includes an updated version of the PRU Getting Started Labs (which still uses CCS12.x), as well as a bunch of additional information:
https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/node?isTheia=false&node=A__AB.mSUi9ihL.a5hIt1grfw__AM64-ACADEMY__WI1KRXP__LATEST 

Short term plans (March 2026)

I just finished officially adding support for AM62x to the OpenPRU repo last week, tag v2026.00.00:
https://github.com/TexasInstruments/open-pru 

and now I am writing the PRU Academy for AM62x. As a part of that, I am rewriting the PRU Getting Started Labs to use CCS20.

What do you want to do next? 

I am working for the month of March, but I will take some time off starting in April. So you could:
1) start development right now with CCS12.x
2) start development with CCS20.x later this week, and I could post drafts of the PRU Getting Started Labs with CCS20 later this week
3) just wait for AM62x PRU Academy to be published sometime before the end of April, and start development then

If you want my help as you get started, it might be a good idea to begin development while I'm around in March.

Anything that you could read while waiting for drafts? 

This is a really good section for getting an overview of what PRU is. Let me know if you want me to generate the AM62x version of this section in the AM64x PRU Academy (the usecase page specifically I generate details specific to the processor that the academy is for):
https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/node?isTheia=false&node=A__AfYd0P3wI1CDis1g9k1nSQ__AM64-ACADEMY__WI1KRXP__LATEST 

Regards,

Nick

Nick, thank you very much for your reply.  I'd like to go with CCS12 for now then switch to CCS20 when it is ready.

Hello Martha,

Got it. In that case, I would suggest starting with the AM64x PRU Academy's getting started labs. Ignore any information about MCU+ SDK, we only support controlling the AM62x PRU cores from Linux A53. That information is specific to AM64x, so let me know if you have any questions or run into anything confusing:
https://dev.ti.com/tirex/explore/node?isTheia=false&node=A__AZlFVyFPIrugfOX0nu3fMg__AM64-ACADEMY__WI1KRXP__LATEST

For PRU example code on AM62x, you'll find projects in both OpenPRU & PSSP - my eventual goal is to migrate all PSSP projects over to OpenPRU, but that probably won't be done until after it would matter for your project.

Regards,

Nick

I installed CCS 12.8.1 and now the lab instructions make sense.  Thank you!  I'm single stepping the pru_add example and I can see and modify the memory mapped a, b, c in the Memory Browser (0x110), but the X, Y, Z in the Variables view all show 0 and it will not let me change them.  Even if I look at the X/Y/Z variables in the Memory Browser, 0x4120, they show values of 0 and won't let me change them.

Hello Martha,

Awesome, glad you hear you are able to make progress.

Unfortunately I have run into some bugs with the memory browser / variables view in the past. It does not look like I mentioned anything about that in the latest PRU Academy version of the labs, but I might have missed something with my testing if I already installed updates and fixes a few years back.

Please refer to the older version of the PRU Getting Started Labs. Look for all the blue "NOTE" boxes and see if any of them fix the behavior, or explain the behavior. Then please let me know so I can make sure to highlight it in the AM62x PRU Academy version of the docs.

https://software-dl.ti.com/processor-sdk-linux/esd/AM62X/11_01_05_03/exports/docs/common/PRU-ICSS/PRU-Getting-Started-Labs_Lab5.html

Regards,

Nick

I created some file scope variables, and I can see them in the Expressions View and I can modify them.  So that is a viable work-around.

Looks to me like the stack address for the X/Y/Z locals is invalid for the PRU (0x4120).  I'm trying to figure out where the linker directives is.

Hello Martha,

Apologies for the delayed responses here. Did you get it figured out, or do you need additional support from our side?

Regards,

Nick

I still don't understand why the locals are located at 0x4920@Program_Memory.  I found the linker command file AM62x_PRU0.cmd and thought the problem was that the system stack size was not defined.  I set it at 256 in Basic Options but the locals are still at the same addresses.  So I definitely could use your help.