Question from the Customer:
We have been using the Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter together with the Flash Center Software and have successfully programmed the AT45DB011E SPI Flash memory chip many times. We recently upgraded the flash chip to a newer model, and got a verification error. Also, the hex data we read from the chip didn’t match the hex data we tried to write into the flash device. If a chip isn’t in your parts library, what can we do?
Response from Technical Support:Thanks for you question! We regularly update our Flash Center Software to support new flash devices – however, the built-in Flash Center Software library does not include every device (there are a lot out there). However, we do provide an easy solution that enables you to quickly work on your project with the newest flash memory devices by creating and loading your own part file, or even easier update an existing XML file to work with your device.
 |
|
|
Figure 1: Flash Center Software |
The XML files for the extensible parts library is included in the parts directory of the Flash Center Software download. To modify an existing file, select the XML file that is most similar to your device and modify the fields for the parameters of your device. The specifications that you need to update in the XML file, such as the device description, timing parameters, read instructions and more should be available in the data sheet of the flash device. Here’s an example of a section of an XML file:
| <manufacturerName> STMicro </manufacturerName>
<deviceAlgorithm>SPI flash</deviceAlgorithm> <maxBitrate>33000</maxBitrate> <writeSize>256</writeSize> <eraseSize>256</eraseSize> <writeTime>1200</writeTime> <eraseTime>10000</eraseTime> <readInstruction>0x0b</readInstruction> |
For more information about modifying XML files for SPI or I2C memory devices, please refer to the section Adding Memory Devices in the Flash Center Software User Manual.
Note - creating a parts file for a new device applies for these other Total Phase products as well:
Additional resources that you may find helpful include the following:
- Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter User Manual
- Aardvark API Documentation
- Flash Center Software User Manual
- Cheetah SPI Host Adapter
- Promira Serial Platform
We hope this answers your question. If you have other questions about our host adapters or other Total Phase products, feel free to email us at sales@totalphase.com, or if you already own one of our devices and have a technical question, please submit a request for technical support.