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Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
Oliver_I_Sedlacek
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2 years ago

NIOS2 doesn't automatically run from external RAM, how to debug

I really need my NIOS2 to autostart and run from off chip RAM using the bootloader copy method. The trouble is that despite many readings of the handbook and multiple rebuilds of the design the code ...
Embedded Applications Layer
tehjingy_Altera's avatar
tehjingy_Altera
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2 years ago

Hi Oliver


Sorry for the slow response.

With the elf file that you generated you are able to run from the external ram means the linker script settings is correct.


I believe in the BSP editor you have point the Linker Section to the external RAM.



When combining the bootloader are you using the command below:

alt-file-convert -I elf32-littlenios2 -O hex--input=<ELF filename>.elf --output=<HEX filename>.hex --base=<address of GSFI AVL MEM> --end=<address of GSFI AVL MEM> --reset=<reset vector> --out-data-width=8 --boot=<Quartus installation directory>/nios2eds/components/altera_nios2/boot_loader_cfi.srec


If yes could you try booting from the external flash and attaching the debugger and try looking at the memory region of the external ram and see whether the bootloader copied the code to the external RAM ?


Regards

Jingyang, Teh



Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
Oliver_I_Sedlacek
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2 years ago

Thanks for that. I'm unclear what you mean by 'booting from exteranl flash and attaching the debugger'. All I can seem to do is debug but then the external RAM contains what the debugger put there (screen shot attached). It's just a bunch of numbers to me so I don't know what that tells me anyway.