Overview
This is the Linux BSP (Board Support Package) for the Emcraft Systems Kinetis K70/K61 System-On-Module (SOM) Starter Kit.
The BSP provides a software development environment for evaluation and development of Linux (uClinux) on the Cortex-M4 processor core of the Kinetis microcontroller using the Emcraft Systems Kinetis SOM Starter Kit as a hardware platform.
Supported Features
The following list summarizes the features and capabilities of this release of the Kinetis SOM Starter Kit BSP:
- U-Boot firmware:
- U-Boot v2010.03;
- Target initialization from power-on / reset;
- Runs from the internal eNVM and internal SRAM (no external memory required for standalone operation);
- Serial console;
- Ethernet driver for loading images to the target;
- Serial driver for loading images to the target;
- Device driver for built-in Flash (eNVM) and self-upgrade capability;
- Device driver for storing environment and Linux images in external Flash;
- Autoboot feature, allowing boot of OS images from Flash or other storage with no operator intervention;
- Persistent environment in Flash for customization of target operation;
- Sophisticated command interface for maintenance and development of the target.
- Linux:
- uClinux kernel v2.6.33;
- Boot from compressed and uncompressed images;
- Ability to run critical kernel code from integrated Flash of Kinetis;
- Serial device driver and Linux console;
- Ethernet device driver and TCP/IP stack, ping, NFS, Telnet, FTP, NTPD, etc.);
- busybox v1.17;
- POSIX pthreads;
- Hardened exception handling; an exception triggered by a process affects only the offending process;
- Loadable kernel modules;
- Support for the hardware FPU;
- Secure shell (ssh) daemon;
- Web server;
- MTD-based Flash partitioning and persistent JFFS2 Flash file system for external Flash;
- SDHC Card device driver;
- Framebuffer device driver;
- Touchscreen device driver;
- GPIO device driver;
- RTC device driver;
- ADC device driver;
- Device driver for the USB HS host interface;
- Device driver for the USB FS host interface;
- Device driver for the SPI interface.
- Development tools:
- ARMv7-optimized GNU toolchain from CodeSourcery (2010q1) is used for development of U-Boot, Linux and user-space applications (toolchain must be downloaded separately from the CodeSourcery web site);
- Cross GDB for debugging user-space applications;
- mkimage tool used by the Linux kernel build process to create a Linux image bootable by U-Boot.
- Development environment:
- Linux-hosted cross-development environment;
- Development of multiple projects (embedded applications) from a single installation;
- hello sample project ("Hello, world!" single-process configuration);
- networking sample project (basic shell, networking, USB, and Flash management tools demonstration);
- developer sample project (template project that can be used to jump-start development of custom user-space applications and loadable kernel modules).
New and Changed Features
This section lists new and changed features of this release:
- Resolve defect: Linux: Marking bad blocks on NAND doesn't work.
ID: RT 108775.
- Resolve defect: U-Boot: Fixed error in NAND driver - ECC soft errors didn't not correct.
ID: RT 108546.
- Support hardware FPU code in pthreaded applications in uClinux on Cortex-M.
ID: RT 110109.
- Add support for low-power mode to the 8081 PHY device driver (put device into the slow oscillator mode).
ID: RT 112915.
Known Problems & Limitations
This section lists known problems and limitations of this release:
- CONFIG_KERNEL_IN_ENVM requires disabling CONFIG_ARM_UNWIND and CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK.
ID: RT 74683. Workaround: When enabling CONFIG_KERNEL_IN_ENVM in the kernel, disable CONFIG_ARM_UNWIND and CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK.
- Enabling CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD disables data cache in Linux Kinetis.
ID: RT 106727 Workaround: If data cache is required, disable CONFIG_USB_EHCI_HCD and CONFIG_USB_EHCI_MXC in the kernel configuration.
- The Emcraft Systems TWR-K70-SOM-BSB Hardware Architecture document
(twr-k70-som-bsb-ha.pdf) is not included in this release of the product. The document will be made available in the next release.
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