Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch

Date	2012-08-05 13:32 +0200
From	David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no>
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.os.linux.embedded
Subject	Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch
References	<%iVSr.551997$Nc1.363298@fx33.am4>
Message-ID	<YNCdnQsXKMlyxIPNnZ2dnUVZ8kadnZ2d@lyse.net> (permalink)

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

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On 03/08/12 21:06, 7 wrote:
> ARM boot technology going up a notch
> ------------------------------------
>
> ARM chips are constantly evolving.
> So no two ARMs are really alike - always someone has added some
> extra lines of VHDL code to add some more functions.
>
> The latest SoC feature an impressive array of functions
> such as multiple cores, graphics accelerations, LCD controller,
> HDMI interface, USB, USB OTH, SDCard, ethernet, camera interface,
> SATA interface, RS232, ADC, sound, memory management unit,
> DMA, SPI, CAN, RS232, Real time clock, etc, and ALL ON ONE CHIP!!
>
> The point being, the chip can connect to a lot of devices
> with minimal add on chips and components.
>
> Notice the list includes a dedicated SDCard 2.0 interface
> that allows the ARM chip to directly read an SDCard.
> Some of these ARM chips have gone one step further
> and also have extra pins to tell them to BOOT FROM SDCARD!!!!
>
> That changes everything!!!
>
> For the average embedded techie who creates products from thin air,
> the way to program up an ARM is very expensive - they have
> to buy a JTAG debugger and a commercial compiler that
> works with that JTAG debugger to be able to do anything
> useful. Or he can wait a few months to years for someone
> in open source to catch up with the new chip with
> open source OpenOCD JTAG debugger and Eclipse.

JTAG debuggers are available for less than $50, or you can make them 
yourself.  (More expensive devices have higher speeds and more 
functions, of course.)  The most popular ARM toolchain is free (though 
again you can pay for more features, more support, etc., if you want).

It is not a matter of "waiting for months or years" - support from 
OpenOCD and gcc normally arrives long before the chips.

And while booting from an SDCard may be a new feature, microcontrollers 
and processors have supported multiple boot modes for decades.  People 
who actually /work/ with these sorts of devices (as electronics 
developers and low-level programmers) have been happily booting from 
UARTs, Ethernet, CAN, SPI, QSPI, NAND flash, NOR flash, and a variety of 
other devices and data stores in addition to JTAG.

Built-in boot rom support for SDCard is nothing revolutionary or 
dramatic.  It's a nice feature to have, but that's it.

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Thread

ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-03 20:06 +0100
  Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2012-08-05 13:32 +0200
    Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-05 13:06 +0100
      Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2012-08-05 16:07 +0200
        Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Hadron<hadronquark@gmail.com> - 2012-08-05 15:38 +0100
          Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-05 16:11 +0100
          Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2012-08-05 14:38 -0400
        Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-05 15:46 +0100
          Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2012-08-05 21:06 +0200
            Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2012-08-05 15:26 -0400
              Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-05 20:46 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-05 20:59 +0100
              Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2012-08-06 08:15 +0200
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2012-08-06 14:11 +0000
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2012-08-06 22:37 +0200
              Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch chrisv <chrisv@nospam.invalid> - 2012-08-06 07:47 -0500
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Big Steel <Run77712@Run77712.com> - 2012-08-06 08:52 -0400
            Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-05 20:35 +0100
              Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2012-08-06 08:09 +0200
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-06 20:43 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2012-08-06 22:44 +0200
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-06 22:14 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Hadron<hadronquark@gmail.com> - 2012-08-06 22:41 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-06 22:51 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Hadron<hadronquark@gmail.com> - 2012-08-06 22:58 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch 7 <email_at_www_at_enemygadgets_dot_com@enemygadgets.com> - 2012-08-06 23:31 +0100
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Hadron<hadronquark@gmail.com> - 2012-08-07 00:51 +0200
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch "Ezekiel" <zeke@nosuchemail.com> - 2012-08-06 19:30 -0400
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Hadron<hadronquark@gmail.com> - 2012-08-07 01:36 +0200
                Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Foster <frankfoster50@yahoo.com> - 2012-08-06 20:14 -0400
        Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Scott Wood <scott@buserror.net> - 2012-08-25 13:39 -0500
    Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2012-08-06 14:07 +0000
      Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch chrisv <chrisv@nospam.invalid> - 2012-08-06 09:48 -0500
      Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Hadron<hadronquark@gmail.com> - 2012-08-06 17:23 +0100
        Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2012-08-06 18:36 +0000
  Re: ARM boot technology going up a notch "Stonethrower" <digi_64-public[removeme]@yahoo.com> - 2012-08-06 15:15 +0200

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