Dear list,

I have difficulties to boot up from SPI flash: IO4 goes down, DSP read data, but IO4 doesn't
rise again. So DSP doesn't start to execute. TI support told me EMIF.ARDY has to be pulled up
to make boot loader successful. I think it's irrelevent since EMIF.ARDY is only for EMIF. I
doublechecked the datasheet and see nothing relate EMIF.ARDY to SPI bootup. I know many people
in this list have successfully boot 5509A from SPI flash. Can you comfirm the he is right or
wrong? 

Best,

Wei

Li Wei-

> I have difficulties to boot up from SPI flash: IO4 goes down, DSP read data,
> but IO4 doesn't rise again. So DSP doesn't start to execute. TI support told
> me EMIF.ARDY has to be pulled up to make boot loader successful. I think it's
> irrelevent since EMIF.ARDY is only for EMIF. I doublechecked the datasheet
> and see nothing relate EMIF.ARDY to SPI bootup. I know many people in this
> list have successfully boot 5509A from SPI flash. Can you comfirm the he is
> right or wrong?

One possibility for TI Hotline's comments that I can think of -- the 5509A bootloader
does a loop that tries several possible boot modes.  When it tries EMIF boot, if ARDY
is not high the bootloader code might hang and never attempt SPI boot.

But I'm not sure.  I also recall that there are ways to "force" one type of boot or
another, using pull-up/down Rs on GPIOx or other lines.

In any case, you definitely need to locate the 5509A bootloader documentation.  It
will show you the actual ROM code the chip runs after Reset.

-Jeff

I tend to believe there are other reasons that IO4 don't rise and cause subsequent boot
failure. I used following steps to substitue the Flash Burn software.

1. use hex55 to generate .hex file.
2. fread() the .hex
3. write to the flash byte by byte according to the
result of fread()
4. read the flash and fwrite() to a file
5. verify the generated file is identical to .hex
6. completed

I am not sure about step 3. Do we have to decode .hex again or just copy and burn the .hex byte
by byte strictly.

Thanks to Jeff for the reply,

Wei

Now myself have the answer I asked for. Since there are already too many questions uncared
by the author in this board, I'd like to conclude my thread by answering it. 

For ARDY issue, not necessarily to be pulled up although TI hotline requested. I messed up
something else.

You cann't just copy .hex to flash. You have to parse it first.

Wei

Dear list,
>
>I have difficulties to boot up from SPI flash: IO4 goes down, DSP read data, but IO4
doesn't rise again. So DSP doesn't start to execute. TI support told me EMIF.ARDY has to be
pulled up to make boot loader successful. I think it's irrelevent since EMIF.ARDY is only for
EMIF. I doublechecked the datasheet and see nothing relate EMIF.ARDY to SPI bootup. I know many
people in this list have successfully boot 5509A from SPI flash. Can you comfirm the he is
right or wrong? 
>
>Best,
>
>Wei

Li Wei-

> I tend to believe there are other reasons that IO4 don't rise and cause
> subsequent boot failure. I used following steps to substitue the Flash
> Burn software.
> 
> 1. use hex55 to generate .hex file.
> 2. fread() the .hex
> 3. write to the flash byte by byte according to the
> result of fread()
> 4. read the flash and fwrite() to a file
> 5. verify the generated file is identical to .hex
> 6. completed
> 
> I am not sure about step 3. Do we have to decode .hex again or just copy
> and burn the .hex byte by byte strictly.

That looks Ok, but you may need a step "2.5" that parses the .hex file into a true,
binary image that can be written to Flash.  The .hex file format is ASCII so it has a
line format with address and data.  Sometimes addr values are not contiguous between
lines.  We use an in-house program to keep track of the address.

-Jeff

Jeff,

Your comment is right. I wish I had received it earlier before I learned it in a hard way. It's
just that the delay of 55x group is reaching the point of unbearable: one post I sent out
Monday is still nowhere as of today, Friday. I will not be suprised to see this post, written
in July 27, appears in August.

Wei    
Dear list,
>
>I have difficulties to boot up from SPI flash: IO4 goes down, DSP read data, but IO4
doesn't rise again. So DSP doesn't start to execute. TI support told me EMIF.ARDY has to be
pulled up to make boot loader successful. I think it's irrelevent since EMIF.ARDY is only for
EMIF. I doublechecked the datasheet and see nothing relate EMIF.ARDY to SPI bootup. I know many
people in this list have successfully boot 5509A from SPI flash. Can you comfirm the he is
right or wrong? 
>
>Best,
>
>Wei

--- In c...@yahoogroups.com, liwei2000@... wrote:
>
> Jeff,
> 
> Your comment is right. I wish I had received it earlier before I
learned it in a hard way. It's just that the delay of 55x group is
reaching the point of unbearable: one post I sent out Monday is still
nowhere as of today, Friday. I will not be suprised to see this post,
written in July 27, appears in August.
> 

Anyone interested in becoming a moderator?  The more moderators there
are in a group, the shorter the delays.  All you have to do is look at
the pending messages once in a while, and be able to make a difference
between a good message that follows the rules, and a bad message.  Let
me know if you want to give it a try.  

Stephane