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AMD
29K
Family
Technical
Bulletin
Synchronizing
RESET
Misconfiguring ROM Bank 0 Width
and
BOOTW
to Avoid
EPD Systems Engineering
November 15, 1993
Purpose
This bulletin replaces the technical bulletin entitled
RESET-BOOTW Synchronization
, PID No. 18011,
and its first revision,
RESET-BOOTW Correction
,
PID No. 18011A. This revision includes the
Revision B Am29200 microcontroller as an affected
part, and incorporates minor, nontechnical changes
throughout.
The only nonreserved selection where
BOOTW
has a
different value before and after a reset is an 8-bit-
wide boot bank. For this option,
RESET
are tied together. Any nonzero skew between these
two signals can result in the possibility of
misconfiguring the boot bank.
––––– and
BOOTW
on
approximately the rising edge of
MEMCLK
. It is
difficult to be specific because during a processor
reset, the clocks may not be established yet. In
particular,
MEMCLK
is not guaranteed externally until
after
RESET
––––– and
BOOTW
The processor samples
RESET
––––– is deasserted.
The 29K Family microcontrollers support 8-, 16-,
and 32-bit-wide ROM banks. Configuring an 8-bit-
wide boot bank (ROM Bank 0) requires that
BOOTW
and
RESET
between these two signals can result in the
possibility of misconfiguring the width of ROM
Bank 0. This technical bulletin describes the cause
and probability of such a misconfiguration and
discusses possible solutions, including an example
circuit.
––––– be tied together. Any nonzero skew
When the processor recognizes the deassertion of
RESET
––––– (the first sample where
RESET
compares the new and previous samples of
BOOTW
.
If a rising
MEMCLK
edge occurs during the skew
region of the
RESET
misconfiguration may occur.
––––– is High), it
BOOTW
signals, a
Affected Parts
The information in this bulletin affects the following
parts:
MEMCLK
*RESET
BOOTW
skew
Device
Am29200
microcontroller
Am29205
microcontroller
Am29240
microcontroller
Am29243
microcontroller
Am29245
microcontroller
Revision
A, B
A
A
A
A
Again, it is difficult to know whether a
misconfiguration will actually occur because of
uncertainties in the signal-hardening logic and phase
relationships of internal processor clocks. A
misconfiguration is externally visible by an
instruction fetch stream indicative of 16- or 32-bit-
wide memory (0, 2, 4, ..., or 0, 4, 8, ...) instead of the
intended 8-bit-wide bank (0, 1, 2, ...).
The Problem
The state of
BOOTW
before and after the deassertion
of
RESET
––––– determines the width of ROM Bank 0.
In a production environment, it is impossible to
guarantee zero skew between the
BOOTW
and
pins of the processor, or account for varying
processor internal delays due to process variations.
–––––
State of
BOOTW
Signal
Before Reset
0
1
0
1
ROM Bank 0
Width (Bits)
16
32
After Reset
0
1
1
0
Assuming a random distribution of
deassertions relative to
INCLK
, the probability of
–––––
8
(reserved)
PID No. 18011B
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