[ABANDONED] Support Sitara AM437x?

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

  • [ABANDONED] Support Sitara AM437x?

    Is the J-Trace PRO Cortex probe capable of doing streaming trace on the AM4372 or other AM437x Texas Sitara Cortex A9 processors? That processor has got ETB and also support for real time trace with the XDS560v2 Pro Trace module. They're using EMU0 through EMU11 while the Pro Cortex only has clock + 4 data bits.

  • Hello,

    Thank you for your inquiry.
    The AM437x series is currently not supported out of the box by any of our debug probes: segger.com/downloads/supported-devices.php
    We will discuss internally if official support will be added for these particular devices.
    Should you have tight time schedules you can also add support for new devices by your self: wiki.segger.com/Adding_Support_for_New_Devices
    Depending on how "generic" the processors are it is sufficient to tell J-Link/J-Trace which coretype it is. If it is more complex additional settings are required e.g. core init, core reset, manual ROM table definition etc. which can be configured by creating a J-Link script file. More information can be found in the J-Link user guide UM08001.

    On first glance through the manual the AM437x series has PTM/ETB/TPIU so pin trace with a J-Trace PRO Cortex should be possible. Foe example we already added trace support for the RZ/A1H series from Renesas which is also a A9 Core and it is working flawlessly. segger.com/products/debug-prob…echnology/tested-devices/

    ollittm wrote:

    They're using EMU0 through EMU11 while the Pro Cortex only has clock + 4 data bits.
    Using 4 data bits instead of 12 will obviously reduce the maximum possible bandwidth, but his should not be an issue for most traced applications.

    Best regards,
    Nino
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
    Or you can contact us via e-mail.

  • By pin trace you mean it can do code/data streaming capture so we can do e.g. live profiles and deep back trace of instructions?

    XDS560v2 Pro Trace costs $3495 so J-Trace Pro Cortex with the 1995€ price tag would be an attractive alternative if it can provide the same capabilities.

    Texas is also doing system trace (STM), is this something you do support?

  • Hello,

    ollittm wrote:

    By pin trace you mean it can do code/data streaming capture so we can do e.g. live profiles and deep back trace of instructions?
    Correct.
    Which capabilities are supported by J-Trace PRO can be found on our website: segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-trace/
    More information about the features can be found in tab "Technology".
    As debug software we recommend using Ozone for the best trace experience. Ozone works compiler independent and cross-platform: segger.com/products/development-tools/ozone-j-link-debugger/

    Could you point us to a AM437x eval kit that has trace pins populated on the debug interface? Or are you working with custom hardware?

    ollittm wrote:

    Texas is also doing system trace (STM), is this something you do support?
    Not supported. For application instrumentation we recommend using SystemView based on SEGGER RTT: segger.com/products/development-tools/systemview/

    Best regards,
    Nino
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
    Or you can contact us via e-mail.

  • SEGGER - Nino wrote:

    Hello,

    ollittm wrote:

    By pin trace you mean it can do code/data streaming capture so we can do e.g. live profiles and deep back trace of instructions?
    Correct.Which capabilities are supported by J-Trace PRO can be found on our website: segger.com/products/debug-probes/j-trace/
    More information about the features can be found in tab "Technology".
    As debug software we recommend using Ozone for the best trace experience. Ozone works compiler independent and cross-platform: segger.com/products/development-tools/ozone-j-link-debugger/

    Could you point us to a AM437x eval kit that has trace pins populated on the debug interface? Or are you working with custom hardware?

    How does Ozone handle e.g. showing source lines if you're using CCS (eclipse)?

    WRT Texas evaluation boards, no such luck I'm afraid, they use ARM-20 header without the extra pins.

    I will design a board for our product, I'm evaluating some part options right now and this debugger business came up as potential timesaver for software guys. If I put in a 20-pin header with the tracedata pins, I'd lose the option of supporting the Texas probe with 12 EMU lines but I'm not sure we'd go for it in any case. Once I have hardware prototypes, I can evaluate your probe or perhaps even send you a board to try it in anger. But that's not going to happen before the end of the year.

  • Hello,

    ollittm wrote:

    How does Ozone handle e.g. showing source lines if you're using CCS (eclipse)?
    Sorry, I don't quite understand the question. With Ozone you can take CCS output and open it with Ozone. The source files will then be displayed when needed during debugging.

    ollittm wrote:

    WRT Texas evaluation boards, no such luck I'm afraid, they use ARM-20 header without the extra pins.
    This is quite unfortunate. We will see if the available boards can be used for at least a flying wire setup.
    Alternatively we could look into creating a Trace Reference Board for you based on the AM437x for NREs: segger.com/products/debug-prob…eference-boards/overview/
    Would you be interested in that?


    ollittm wrote:

    If I put in a 20-pin header with the tracedata pins, I'd lose the option of supporting the Texas probe with 12 EMU lines but I'm not sure we'd go for it in any case. Once I have hardware prototypes, I can evaluate your probe or perhaps even send you a board to try it in anger. But that's not going to happen before the end of the year.
    I can understand the dilemma here. Getting our hands onto your prototype would also be an option as you suggested. In the meantime we will see if we can add generic debug support for the AM437x until then.

    Best regards,
    Nino
    Please read the forum rules before posting.

    Keep in mind, this is *not* a support forum.
    Our engineers will try to answer your questions between their projects if possible but this can be delayed by longer periods of time.
    Should you be entitled to support you can contact us via our support system: segger.com/ticket/
    Or you can contact us via e-mail.