FreeMASTER Flash Programmer Interface
The current version of the FreeMASTER Tool implements a graphical front-end for a custom Flash programming routines. The
communication protocol is built solely on top of simple memory-read memory-write access available in any FreeMASTER-enabled
project. Two static (global) variables need to be allocated in the embedded application. One is a command-status word (at least
one byte in size) used to signal data-ready and operation-completed status of FreeMASTER or embedded side respectively. The
next variable is a data buffer used to exchange command parameters and data.
See Freescale Application Note AN4860 for an example implementation of the Flash routines with FreeMASTER interface.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Flash Programmer commands / status bytes MSB is
// the "COMMAND" bit which forces embedded side operation
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_PENDING
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_32ADDR
0x80
0x08
#define
#define
#define
#define
#define
(0x00
(0x01
(0x02
(0x03
(0x04
MCB_FPROG_CMD_READ
MCB_FPROG_CMD_BCHECK
MCB_FPROG_CMD_ERASE
MCB_FPROG_CMD_WRITE
MCB_FPROG_CMD_BLKINFO
// command/status exchange bit
// using 32bit address flag
|
|
|
|
|
MCB_FPROG_CMD_PENDING)
MCB_FPROG_CMD_PENDING)
MCB_FPROG_CMD_PENDING)
MCB_FPROG_CMD_PENDING)
MCB_FPROG_CMD_PENDING)
// flags to be combined with FPROG_CMD_ to specify Flash type
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE0
0x00
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE1
0x10
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE2
0x20
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE3
0x30
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE4
0x40
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE5
0x50
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE6
0x60
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE7
0x70
#define MCB_FPROG_CMD_FTYPE(n) (((n)<<4)&0x70)
// return status codes (MSB cleared to signal "done" state)
#define MCB_FPROG_STS_MASK
0x0f
// bits[6:4] in status byte are reserved
#define MCB_FPROG_STS_SUCC
0x00
// operation finished successfuly
#define MCB_FPROG_STS_FAIL
0x01
// fail: generic fail
#define MCB_FPROG_STS_NOACC
0x02
// fail: access denied
#define MCB_FPROG_STS_INVPRM
0x03
// fail: invalid parameters passed
Command-Status Word Communication
1.
The FreeMASTER prepares the data in the statically allocated data buffer in the format outlined below.
 Size of the “Address” field depends on the MCB_FPROG_CMD_32ADDR bits which will be written below in step 2.
 “Data Size” specifies the size of “Data Chunk” for WRITE operation. It also specifies the required data size for READ
operation or memory block size for ERASE and BCHECK (blank-check) operations. BLKINFO operation is not defined in
the current version.
Address
(2/4 bytes)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Data size
(2 bytes)
Data Chunk
(WRITE operation only)
The FreeMASTER writes the statically allocated control-status variable. The value byte contains the command number
(FPROG_CMD_xxx) and memory type (FPROG_CMD_FTYPE_xxx). Memory type is purely implementation-specific (may
identify different kinds of RAM or Flash in the application).
The FreeMASTER then starts polling (reading) the control byte and waits until the bit 7 is cleared by the embedded-side.
When bit 7 is found cleared, the bits 3:0 contain the success/error status code.
On success, when “READ” operation was executed, the FreeMASTER finds the return data in place of the “Data Chunk” in
the data buffer.
The steps 1-5 are repeated until the whole higher-level operation finishes (e.g. S-Record write operation).