Re: BeMicro SDK - how to access SD card

Altera_Forum · ‎10-26-2011

updated 7th november - change title from BeMicro SDK - how to access SD card to

bemicro sdk - how to make the web server run from epcs memory

Hi All

The reference board I am using is the.... BeMicro SDK

bemicro sdk (http://www.arrownac.com/solutions/bemicro-sdk/) or bemicro sdk (http://www.altera.com/b/bemicro-sdk.html)

Its supposed to be a SDK (software development kit) but does not provide working / documented examples to use with Ethernet or the uSD Card. strange for a sdk kit? :(

Anyway, I want to test the performance of HTTP downloads etc using the ucos and the iniche stack.

I downloaded the material "BeMicro SDK Lab Materials v1.22" from the above web site.

In the NOIS II development environment there is an option to create a simple web server, its actually for a different development kit.

It does not compile, you have to comment out accesses to flash memory

in the file network_utilities.c as follows:-#if 0 /* RLF comment out flash accesses as no memory */

/* Write the MAC address to flash */

flash_handle = alt_flash_open_dev(EXT_FLASH_NAME);

if (flash_handle)

{

alt_write_flash(flash_handle,

last_flash_sector_offset,

flash_content,

32);

alt_flash_close_dev(flash_handle);

error = 0;

}

# endif

.....and....................

#if 0 /* RLF comment out flash accesses as no memory */

/* Get the flash sector with the MAC address. */

error = FindLastFlashSectorOffset(&last_flash_sector_offset);

if (!error)

last_flash_sector = EXT_FLASH_BASE + last_flash_sector_offset;

/* This last_flash_sector region of flash is examined to see if

* valid network settings are present, indicated by a signature of 0x00005afe at

* the first address of the last flash sector. This hex value is chosen as the

* signature since it looks like the english word "SAFE", meaning that it is

* safe to use these network address values.

*/

if (!error)

{

signature = IORD_32DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 0);

if (signature != 0x00005afe)

{

error = generate_and_store_mac_addr();

}

# endif

.....and....................

/* RLF comment out accesse and hardcode teh mac address */

/* mac_addr[0] = IORD_8DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 4);

mac_addr[1] = IORD_8DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 5);

mac_addr[2] = IORD_8DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 6);

mac_addr[3] = IORD_8DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 7);

mac_addr[4] = IORD_8DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 8);

mac_addr[5] = IORD_8DIRECT(last_flash_sector, 9); */

/* RLF Modded as example from mobile DDR stack */

/* Hard code MAC address here $$ */

mac_addr[0] = 0x00;

mac_addr[1] = 0x15;

mac_addr[2] = 0x17;

mac_addr[3] = 0x26;

mac_addr[4] = 0x63;

mac_addr[5] = 0xf8;

At first it would not run.... In the BSP make sure the following is set sys_clk_timer is set to sys_timer

timestamp_timer is set to high_res_timer

The development board now starts up, ipaddress allocated from the DNS server okay etc.

Accessing the web server generates the following error message:-

"can't find the requested file file. have you programmed the flash filing system into flash?"

On further reading its because the webpages which are stored in ro_zipfs.zip which should be programmed to flash.

However this board does not have flash... (apart from configuration EPROM)

As the board has 64Mbytes of DDR ram and the program is running from DDR ram, could I load this into RAM ???? (I could find no way)

If anyone knows how to do this with the tools supplied with the SDK board please let me know??

Okay...I could use the uSD card slot to store web pages.... But the ip belongs to slscorp (http://www.slscorp.com/ip-cores/memory/sd-host-controller.html), no HAL driver is provided so no way to access the uSD card slot.

If I have missed something please let me know.

I'm a software developer, I don't want to or know how to change the reference hardware design (FPGA), all the bits are there so I should be able to use it.

Any help much appreciated

Altera_Forum · ‎10-31-2011

If you don't mind slow access to SD card, you can use SPI bus.

Also, it's not HAL, but you can see a bit of SD card access demo by using this

http://www.alterawiki.com/wiki/linux_on_a_bemicro_sdk

This is uClinux demo, but has SD card access in it. Also, this example is using SPI bus interface to read/write to the SD card.

Altera_Forum · ‎11-01-2011

Thanks nekojiru

I already know about the linux port and have tried it...but I can not use linux for my application....

I'm looking at ucosii for the operating system....

From slscorp (http://www.slscorp.com/ip-cores/memory/sd-host-controller.html) I can get an evaluation....I assume that all I need is the driver as the controller is built into the hardware design

Software Drivers
Custom HAL Driver for accessing SD Card (object code)
Nios II Sample Applications
FAT (16/32) File System (RockBox)

Seems that the BeMicro SDK dev kit is not very popular?

I will try....

Altera_Forum · ‎11-02-2011

"from slscorp (http://www.slscorp.com/ip-cores/memory/sd-host-controller.html) i can get an evaluation....i assume that all i need is the driver as the controller is built into the hardware design"

not true, the reference configuration does not contain sd controller...

So in order to get access to the SD card, you have to update the FPGA design....licence a trial of the mobile DDR controller and licence a trial of slscorp SD controller, place that in the design or use SPI bus as in the linux example above). :(

Altera_Forum · ‎11-07-2011

I have given up on using the uSD Card slot... I have managed to get the web server running from EPCS memory, the guide is as follows:-

1) update the simple web server as in the first post, source code and bsp, make sure it runs

2) go to the bsp editor, software packages….. change the following:-

ro_zipfs_base: to 0xa003800 (which is the base address of ecps memory)

and make sure :-

ro_zipfs_offset: is 0x100000 (offset to where we will program the flash pages)

(reference attachment)

3) generate the bsp

4) the code (ro_zipfs.c) for extracting web pages from memory mapped parallel flash will not work with epcs serial flash, this has to be modified:-

reference attached zip file,altera_ro_zipfs.c.zip,which contains the original Altera file and a corrected version of DrinkFish file

Replace the original for the corrected one, reference this post for additional details http://www.alteraforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=132498#post132498

The following commands are run using the noisII command shell

5) Convert the webpages (ro_zipfs.zip) to an S record file with an offset of 0x100000, use the following command

bin2flash --location=0x100000 --input=ro_zipfs.zip --output=ro_zipfs.flash

6) To program the web-server pages to the serial epcs memory use the following command

nios2-flash-programmer --epcs --base=0xa003800 ro_zipfs.flash

(note:- it will be programmed at the offset specified in 5, in this case in the middle of epcs memory and does not affect the fpga configuration section)Using cable "USB-Blaster [USB-0]", device 1, instance 0x00

Resetting and pausing target processor: OK

Checksummed/read 26kB in 0.6s

Erased 64kB in 0.6s (106.6kB/s)

Programmed 39KB +25KB in 0.6s (106.6KB/s)

Did not attempt to verify device contents

Leaving target processor paused

6a) Additional Info - You can read the whole contents from the epcs memory by running the following command:-

nios2-flash-programmer --epcs --base=0xa003800 --read=epcs_memory_contents.srec --read-bytes=0,0x200000Using cable "USB-Blaster [USB-0]", device 1, instance 0x00

Resetting and pausing target processor: OK

Read 2048KB in 49.7s (41.2KB/s)

Writing EPCS contents to current.srec

Leaving target processor paused

6b) Additional Info - To visually see the contents of this file (i.e. in a binary format) can be done by using the s record import function in “hexworksshop”

(remember to re name the file epcs_memory_contents.srec to epcs_memory_contents.srec .mot i.e. mot extension)

[/INDENT]7) First Clean and Compile BSP, then Clean and Compile the application

That’s it...

Altera_Forum · ‎11-08-2011

Small update.... The server should now be up and running...

Remote configuration does not work....very minor changes have to be made to index.html in ro_zipfs.zip and are as follows:-

--- Quote Start ---

epcs_controller needs to be renamed epcs_flash_controller

Change the following :-

from……..

<option>ext_flash</option>

<option>epcs_controller</option>

</select>

to……..

<option>epcs_flash_controller</option>

</select>

--- Quote End ---

Re program as described in 5 & 6 above

Now that the web pages have been corrected....you can... (a) Re-program new web pages using the resultant file from section (5) in the above post

OR.. (b) Re-program the whole ecps memory by using the resultant file from section (6a) in the above post

ETC

Altera_Forum · ‎11-09-2011

Further to my knowledge, index.html has nothing to do with the type of memory or memory name. I am talking about this webserver example http://www.alterawiki.com/wiki/web_server_with_ajax_progress_bar

Altera_Forum · ‎01-16-2012

How can I test the BeMicro once I have flashed it? Do I need a hub and what ip do I type in internet explorer? Is it 192.168.1.234?

Altera_Forum · ‎01-17-2012

Yes, you need a switch to access the web server.

Regarding the IP address, you can define it in the header file (webserver.h)

Altera_Forum · ‎01-17-2012

The IP address is displayed in the nios II output window..

By default the software tries to find a dhcp server to allocate it an address, however this can be fixed by turning off dhcp.

I believe the output window contains all this info

Altera_Forum · ‎01-17-2012

I must be doing something wrong. I cannot seem to get the breakpoints to work. I see this in the Console:

Using cable "USB-Blaster [USB-1]", device 1, instance 0x00

Pausing target processor: OK

Reading System ID at address 0x080002A8:

ID value verified

Timestamp value was not verified: value was not specified

Listening on port 10249 for connection from GDB: 59saccepted <<< there 3 boxes between 59s and accepted

I pause the execution and see this in the stack:

BeMicroSDK [Nios II Hardware]

Altera CDI GDB Debugger (1/17/12 7:52 AM) (Suspended)

Thread [1] (Suspended: Signal 'SIGTRAP' received. Description: Trace/breakpoint trap.)

6 alt_find_file() alt_find_file.c:74 0x0403bdb0

5 alt_flash_open_dev() alt_flash_dev.c:55 0x0401534c

4 read_half_word_inc() altera_ro_zipfs.c:120 0x040219d0

3 check_file_header() altera_ro_zipfs.c:138 0x04021a2c

2 check_file_header() altera_ro_zipfs.c:160 0x04021a80

1 find_file_entry_by_name() altera_ro_zipfs.c:342 0x04021da4

<terminated, exit value: 0>nios2-download (1/17/12 7:52 AM)

nios2-download (1/17/12 7:52 AM)

nios2-elf-gdb (1/17/12 7:52 AM)

Why can't I break at alt_main? Why don't the breakpoints work? There must be a switch I missed.

Altera_Forum · ‎02-01-2012

The SD card can be accessed through a standard SPI port.

The pins map as:

SD_CLK - CLK

SD_DAT0 - MISO

SD_DAT3 - CS

SD_CMD - MOSI

Leave SD_DAT1 and SD_DAT2 disconnected. They will pulled high.

Altera_Forum · ‎02-09-2012

If anyone is interested in the SD Card driver, you can use a SPI port and FatFS software on the web. Some slight modificatin was needed for diskio.c.