ADSP BF538_Board Bring Up Query

Hello to all,

I m working on ADSP BF538. Being the part of project i would like to
write the Board Bring Up(BBU) Software for the DSP Board. As this is
first time i m dealing with DSP and BBU as well, i a m looking for any
help frm all. Please guide me. If any one is working on the same DSP,
please let me know.Atleast tell me how to start the approach of
writing the BBU for the specified DSP.
Thanks in advance...........

With Best egards,
Nutty

Nutty wrote:
> I m working on ADSP BF538. Being the part of project i would like to
> write the Board Bring Up(BBU) Software for the DSP Board. As this is
> first time i m dealing with DSP and BBU as well, i a m looking for any
> help frm all. Please guide me. If any one is working on the same DSP,
> please let me know.Atleast tell me how to start the approach of
> writing the BBU for the specified DSP.
> Thanks in advance...........

Well, what is unique about your board that needs bringing up?

We just did a BF538 project, but it uses on-chip peripherals exclusively,
so it was just a matter of providing the JTAG interface for the ICE in
the hardware in order to bring it up.

The only special software required is the loader for the EEPROM chip
that holds the firmware. With the -BF538F, ADI provides the loader for
the EEPROM that's inside the package. For the non-F version, you can
either use the same chip externally -- and the same loader module -- or
you can switch to a different chip, and then you need to customize the
loader module a bit. Not a big deal.

Our application software is written in C++ using the ADI compiler,
in conjunction with their VDK kernel and System Services. Software
development and debugging in the VisualDSP++ environment "just works".

Does this help?

-- Dave Tweed

On Jul 14, 9:43 pm, David Tweed <dtw...@acm.org> wrote:
> Nutty wrote:
> > I m working on ADSP BF538. Being the part of project i would like to
> > write the Board Bring Up(BBU) Software for the DSP Board. As this is
> > first time i m dealing with DSP and BBU as well, i a m looking for any
> > help frm all. Please guide me. If any one is working on the same DSP,
> > please let me know.Atleast tell me how to start the approach of
> > writing the BBU for the specified DSP.
> > Thanks in advance...........
>
> Well, what is unique about your board that needs bringing up?
>
> We just did a BF538 project, but it uses on-chip peripherals exclusively,
> so it was just a matter of providing the JTAG interface for the ICE in
> the hardware in order to bring it up.
>
> The only special software required is the loader for the EEPROM chip
> that holds the firmware. With the -BF538F, ADI provides the loader for
> the EEPROM that's inside the package. For the non-F version, you can
> either use the same chip externally -- and the same loader module -- or
> you can switch to a different chip, and then you need to customize the
> loader module a bit. Not a big deal.
>
> Our application software is written in C++ using the ADI compiler,
> in conjunction with their VDK kernel and System Services. Software
> development and debugging in the VisualDSP++ environment "just works".
>
> Does this help?
>
> -- Dave Tweed

Thanks a lot !!!!
Could u please share ur loader module?? So that i can get some idea
abt the boot loader. I don't have any knowledge on boot loader.
In BF538, there r different booting methods. How to select the
perticular method. Like which one is best? On wht basis should i come
up with perticular method?
Please guide me.....
Nutty

Nutty wrote:
> Could u please share ur loader module?? So that i can get some idea
> abt the boot loader. I don't have any knowledge on boot loader.

No, sorry, our custom loader was done as work-for-hire, and I can't
share it. But the stanard ADI loaders can be found in your VisualDSP
install directory:

.../VisualDSP_4.5/Blacfkin/Flash Programmer Drivers/...

> In BF538, there r different booting methods. How to select the
> perticular method. Like which one is best? On wht basis should i come
> up with perticular method?
> Please guide me.....

It really depends on the context in which the Blackfin is used.

If it is running more or less standalone, you'll want to boot it from
a flash chip, either 8-bit parallel or serial SPI, depending on code
size and cost constraints. For example, our design prototype uses the
8-bit parallel flash built into the -BF538F, but to save a couple of
pennies, the production unit uses a -BF533 booted from SPI flash.

If it is always operating directly attached to another processor that
has flash memory of its own (even another Blackfin), it may be worthwhile
to store the Blackfin code in the host processor's flash and do a host
boot of the Blackfin.

If you need the absolutely quickest start-up, you may want to put the
code in 16-bit wide external flash attached directly to the Blackfin
memory bus and operate in the "no-boot" mode.

-- Dave Tweed