How to use M25P32 ?

How are you trying to access it with the Quartus programmer? Via a dedicated AS programming header? Or indirectly via JTAG? Do you have either or (hopefully) both of these programming headers on your hardware? With a little more detail I think we should be able to make that bit work.

Getting 'alt_flash_open_dev' working may be a little more involved but lets make sure you're hardware is working with the above step first.

Cheers,

Alex

Hi Alex,

Thank you very much for your reply. I really need your help.

I access the flash indirectly via JTAG, and I don't have a dedicated AS programming header. When I program the serial flash, I open the nios2eds shell, and using sof2flash and elf2flash to convert the sof/elf files to .flash format. There is a nios core inside sof, so I use nios2-flash-programmer to write the .flash files into the serial flash after nois2-configure-sof.

I am using M25P32 to replace M25P16 for remote update function. When I use M25P16, everything goes well. I can program the flash with nios2-flash-programmer, and read/refresh it with altera epcs driver. But when I change to M25P32, all the tools cannot recognize it. I note there isn't EPCS32 in Altera's flash series. I don't know whether it is the reason.

I am sorry for my poor English. Thanks again.

Derek

Hi Derek,

You should use the Nios II Flash Programmer utility with override file.

Look at the nios ii flash programmer user guide (http://www.altera.com/literature/ug/ug_nios2_flash_programmer.pdf), "Appendix A. Non-Standard Flash Memories".

Put the attached file into your ..\nios2eds\bin\ directory.

If you already have a 'nios2-flash-override.txt' file, add the entry I've given to you into your existing file.

Look at the guide Stuart has pointed you at - it explains why. However, it doesn't include a any EPCS memory examples. The attached should (I hope) tell the nios2 programmer how to use your particular Micron device.

Cheers,

Alex

Hi Stuart and Alex,

It is really helpful! Thank you very much!

Besides, I want to remote update the application image, so I also need a way to refresh the serial flash by the software, like the funtions inside "alt_flash.h" , such as "alt_flash_open_dev".

Do you have some idea except a customized SPI bus? Can I just add some files or some code, so that the alt_flash command can recognize M25P32?

Best wishes,

Derek

Finally, I have found a way, and it is so simple. I just track the boot process step by step, and find alt_epcs_flash_query() function. I just add the following code, and the M25P32 can be accessed.

else if (flash->silicon_id == 0x15) /* EPCS32 */

{

flash->dev.region_info[0].region_size = 32 * 1024 * 1024 / 8;

flash->dev.region_info[0].number_of_blocks = 64;

flash->dev.region_info[0].block_size = 65536;

}

Hope it will help others. Thanks again for Stuart and Alex. You make me solve this issue so quickly.

Derek