Testing External SDRAM on NXP MIMXRT1170-EVKB using memc sample

[mnsgs]

Hi all,

Compiling the sample (samples/drivers/memc) returns the error (with/without the sram-ext alias defined):

west build --pristine -b mimxrt1170_evk/mimxrt1176/cm7 samples/drivers/memc/
.
.
[26/148] Building C object CMakeFiles/app.dir/src/main.c.obj
FAILED: CMakeFiles/app.dir/src/main.c.obj 
ccache /home/martin/zephyr-sdk-0.17.1/arm-zephyr-eabi/bin/arm-zephyr-eabi-gcc -DBOARD_FLASH_SIZE="CONFIG_FLASH_SIZE*1024" -DCPU_MIMXRT1176DVMAA_cm7 -DKERNEL -DK_HEAP_MEM_POOL_SIZE=0 -DNDEBUG -DPICOLIBC_LONG_LONG_PRINTF_SCANF -DXIP_BOOT_HEADER_ENABLE=1 -DXIP_BOOT_HEADER_XMCD_ENABLE=1 -DXIP_EXTERNAL_FLASH -D__LINUX_ERRNO_EXTENSIONS__ -D__PROGRAM_START -D__ZEPHYR__=1 -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/build/zephyr/include/generated/zephyr -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/include -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/build/zephyr/include/generated -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/soc/nxp/imxrt -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/soc/nxp/imxrt/imxrt11xx/. -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/soc/nxp/imxrt/. -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/soc/nxp/imxrt/imxrt11xx -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/cmsis_6/CMSIS/Core/Include -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/modules/cmsis_6/. -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/drivers/common -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/drivers/igpio -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/drivers/lpuart -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/drivers/ocotp -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/drivers/cache/armv7-m7 -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176 -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/periph -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176/xip -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176/drivers -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176/drivers/anatop_ai -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176/drivers/memory -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176/drivers/power -I/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/modules/hal/nxp/mcux/mcux-sdk-ng/devices/RT/RT1170/MIMXRT1176/drivers/romapi -isystem /home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/lib/libc/common/include -fno-strict-aliasing -Os -imacros /home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/build/zephyr/include/generated/zephyr/autoconf.h -fno-printf-return-value -fno-common -g -gdwarf-4 -fdiagnostics-color=always -mcpu=cortex-m7 -mthumb -mabi=aapcs -mfp16-format=ieee -mtp=soft --sysroot=/home/martin/zephyr-sdk-0.17.1/arm-zephyr-eabi/arm-zephyr-eabi -imacros /home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/include/zephyr/toolchain/zephyr_stdint.h -Wall -Wformat -Wformat-security -Wno-format-zero-length -Wdouble-promotion -Wno-pointer-sign -Wpointer-arith -Wexpansion-to-defined -Wno-unused-but-set-variable -Werror=implicit-int -fno-pic -fno-pie -fno-asynchronous-unwind-tables -ftls-model=local-exec -fno-reorder-functions --param=min-pagesize=0 -fno-defer-pop -fmacro-prefix-map=/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/samples/drivers/memc=CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR -fmacro-prefix-map=/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr=ZEPHYR_BASE -fmacro-prefix-map=/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws=WEST_TOPDIR -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -specs=picolibc.specs -std=c99 -MD -MT CMakeFiles/app.dir/src/main.c.obj -MF CMakeFiles/app.dir/src/main.c.obj.d -o CMakeFiles/app.dir/src/main.c.obj -c /home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/samples/drivers/memc/src/main.c
/home/martin/work/zephyr-ws/zephyr/samples/drivers/memc/src/main.c:14:10: fatal error: memc_mcux_flexspi.h: No such file or directory
   14 | #include "memc_mcux_flexspi.h"
      |          ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
[55/148] Building C object zephyr/arch/arch/arm/core/cortex_m/CMakeFiles/arch__arm__core__cortex_m.dir/cpu_idle.c.obj
ninja: build stopped: subcommand failed.

which leads me to think that it wants to test FlexSPI connected memory. Is testing external SDRAM (connected to SEMC) not possible?

[DerekSnell]

Hi @mnsgs ,
There is no Zephyr MEMC driver for the SEMC interface. That is why this sample will not build for SDRAM or any other memory through the SEMC. There are MEMC drivers for the FlexSPI and XSPI interfaces.

Typically the SEMC is configured by the Bootloader in ROM, and then the SDRAM is initialized and accessible before the app executes, so no memory driver is required. More details are available in NXP's Zephyr Knowledge Hub.

Best regards

[mnsgs]

Thanks @DerekSnell ,

Typically the SEMC is configured by the Bootloader in ROM,

Yes, I am aware of the DCD data - in particular this (on a custom 1170-based design) is what I am interested in verifying. My hope was that the MEMC sample could assist in that, but I guess I need to look in a different direction.

Cheers,