avr-gcc: jump to arbitrary address after ISR has been invoked - c

I'm working with an ATmega168p and compiling with avr-gcc.
Specifically, I have an RS485 slave that receives bytes via UART and writes them to a buffer in an ISR. If an end character is received, a flag is set in the ISR. In my main loop this flag is checked and the input buffer is processed if necessary. However, there is the problem that some time can pass between the arrival of the end byte and the time when the handler in the main loop processes the input buffer, because of the other "stuff".
This results in a latency which can be up to several milliseconds, because e.g. sensors are read in every n-th iterations.
ISR(UART_RX_vect) {
write_byte_to_buffer();
if (byte==endbyte) // return to <HERE>
}
void main(){
init();
for(;;){
// <HERE> I want my program to continue after the ISR received an end byte
handle_buffer();
do_stuff(); // "stuff" may take a while
}
I want to get rid of this latency, as it is the bottleneck for the higher-level system.
I would like that after the ISR received the end byte, the program returns to the beginning of my main loop, where the input buffer would be processed immediately. I could of course process the input buffer directly in the ISR, but I am aware that this is not a good practice. This would also overwrite packets when the ISR gets invoked while processing a packet.
So, is there a way to overwrite an ISR's return address? Does C include such a feature, maybe something like goto?
Or am I completely on the wrong track?
Edit: Below is a reduced version of my code which also causes the described latency.
#define F_CPU 8000000UL
#define BAUD 38400
#define BUFFER_LENGTH 64
#include <util/setbaud.h>
#include <avr/interrupt.h>
#include <stdbool.h>
volatile char input_buffer[BUFFER_LENGTH + 1] = "";
volatile uint8_t input_pointer = 0;
volatile bool packet_started=false;
volatile bool packet_available = false;
ISR (USART_RX_vect) {
unsigned char nextChar;
nextChar = UDR0;
if (nextChar=='<') {
input_pointer=0;
packet_started=true;
}
else if (nextChar=='>' && packet_started) {
packet_started=false;
packet_available=true;
}
else {
if (input_pointer>=BUFFER_LENGTH) {
input_pointer=0;
packet_started=false;
packet_available=false;
}
else {
input_buffer[input_pointer++]=nextChar;
}
}
}
bool ADC_handler () {
ADCSRA = (1<<ADEN)|(1<<ADPS2)|(1<<ADPS1)|(1<<ADPS0);
ADCSRA |= (1<<ADSC);
while (ADCSRA & (1<<ADSC)); // this loop blocks and causes latency
// assigning conversion result to a variable (not shown)
}
void ADC_init(void) {
ADMUX = (1<<REFS1)|(1<<REFS0)|(1<<MUX3);
ADCSRA = (1<<ADEN)|(1<<ADPS2)|(1<<ADPS1)|(1<<ADPS0);
}
void process_buffer() {
// this function does something with the buffer
// but it takes "no" time and is not causing latency
return;
}
void UART_handler () {
if (packet_available) process_buffer();
}
void UART_init (void) {
UBRR0H = UBRRH_VALUE;
UBRR0L = UBRRL_VALUE;
UCSR0B |= (1<<RXCIE0)|(1<<RXEN0)|(1<<TXEN0);
UCSR0C |= (1<<UCSZ01)|(1<<UCSZ00);
}
int main(void){
UART_init();
ADC_init();
// initializing some other things
sei();
for(;;){
UART_handler();
ADC_handler();
// other handlers like the ADC_handler follow
}
return 0;
}
I'm aware that the latency is due to blocking code, in this case the while loop in the ADC_handler() that waits for the conversion to finish. I could check for packet_available in the ADC handler and make this funtion return if the flag is set or I could even retrieve the conversion result with an ADC interrupt. That's all nice because I'm the one who implements the ADC_handler(). But if I wanted to use third party libraries (e.g. sensor libraries provided by manufacturers) I would depend on how those libraries are implemented. So what I'm looking for is a way to handle the problem "on my side"/in the UART implementation itself.

Don't try to use setjmp()/longjmp() to re-enter a main-level function from an ISR. This calls for disaster, because the ISR is never finished correctly. You might like to use assembly to work around, but this is really fragile. I'm not sure that this works at all on AVRs.
Since your baudrate is 38400, one byte needs at least some 250µs to transfer. Assumed that your message has a minimum of 4 bytes, the time to transfer a message is at least 1ms.
There are multiple possible solutions; your question might be closed because they are opinion-based...
However, here are some ideas:
Time-sliced main tasks
Since a message can arrive only once per millisecond or less, your application don't need to be much faster than that.
Divide your main tasks into separated steps, each running faster than 1 ms. You might like to use a state machine, for example to allow slower I/O to finish.
After each step, check for a completed message. Using a loop avoids code duplication.
Completely interrupt-based application
Use a timer interrupt to do the repeated work. Divide it in short tasks, a state machine does magic here, too.
Use an otherwise unused interrupt to signal the end of the message. Its ISR may run a bit longer, because it will not be called often. This ISR can handle the message and change the state of the application.
You need to think about interrupt priorities with much care.
The endless loop in main() will effectively be empty, like for (;;) {}.

Related

freeRTOS doesn't work properly on atmega32A

I am new to Free RTOS, and I was following some tutorial line by line but things didn't sum up correctly, I used free RTOS to toggle 3 LEDS but it lights just 2 of them without toggling! random 2 LEDs, whatever I change the priorities or the delay time of toggling. random 2 LEDs just switch on and nothing more, I tried the code on proteus simulation and on real hardware and the same problem exists. can someone help me with this?
M/C: ATMEGA32A
RTOS: FreeRTOS
#define F_CPU 1000000UL
#include <avr/io.h>
#include <util/delay.h>
/* FreeRTOS files. */
#include "FreeRTOS.h"
#include "task.h"
#include "croutine.h"
#include "FreeRTOSConfig.h"
/* Define all the tasks */
static void ledBlinkingtask1(void* pvParameters);
static void ledBlinkingtask2(void* pvParameters);
static void ledBlinkingtask3(void* pvParameters);
int main(void) {
/* Call FreeRTOS APIs to create tasks, all tasks has the same priority "1" with the
same stack size*/
xTaskCreate( ledBlinkingtask1,"LED1",
configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE, NULL, 1, NULL );
xTaskCreate( ledBlinkingtask2,"LED2",
configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE, NULL,1, NULL );
xTaskCreate( ledBlinkingtask3,"LED3",
configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE, NULL,1, NULL );
// Start the RTOS kernel
vTaskStartScheduler();
/* Do nothing here and just run infinte loop */
while(1){};
return 0;
}
static void ledBlinkingtask1(void* pvParameters){
/* Define all variables related to ledBlinkingtask1*/
const uint8_t blinkDelay = 100 ;
/* make PB0 work as output*/
DDRB |= (1<<0); //PB0
/* Start the infinte task 1 loop */
while (1)
{
PORTB ^= (1<<0); //toggle PB0 //PB0
vTaskDelay(blinkDelay); //wait some time
}
}
static void ledBlinkingtask2(void* pvParameters){
/* Define all variables related to ledBlinkingtask2*/
const uint8_t blinkDelay = 100;
/* make PB1 work as output*/
DDRB |= (1<<1);//PB0
/* Start the infinte task 2 loop */
while (1)
{
PORTB ^= (1<<1); //toggle PB0 //PB0
vTaskDelay(blinkDelay); //wait some time
}
}
static void ledBlinkingtask3(void* pvParameters){
/* Define all variables related to ledBlinkingtask3*/
const uint16_t blinkDelay = 100;
/* make PB2 work as output*/
DDRB |= (1<<2); //PB2
/* Start the infinte task 3 loop */
while (1)
{
PORTB ^= (1<<2); //toggle PB0 //PB0
vTaskDelay(blinkDelay); //wait some time
}
}
ps: every task works well alone but not together!
As already mentioned in comments - the major problem seems to be that access to the port register driving the LEDs is neither
PORTB ^= (1<<0); // in task 1
[...]
PORTB ^= (1<<1); // in task 2
[...]
PORTB ^= (1<<2); // in task 3
atomic
protected (by disabling interrupts during access, or by RTOS measures such as a mutex)
deployed to one unique task:
It may be misleading that the access to HW register is performed using a single instruction in the C code every time.
Still, this doesn't help because the compiler generates several assembler instructions (e.g., load previous port value to register, modify that register value, write it back to the port). This way, one task can interrupt another between those assembler/CPU instructions and modify the intermediate value.
Several tasks writing back "their" register value to the port in turn can revert what other task(s) may have just written to the port, so you miss a blinky event (or several, if this happens systematically).
The solution is therefore to protect the assignments against each other.
In the same order as numbered above, this may mean either of the following:
Check if the hardware offers a "set value" or "reset value" register beside the main PORTB port register. If so, writing a single bit to that port would be an atomic way to have the LED toggle.
I'm sorry that I don't know the hardware interface of Atmega. Maybe, this isn't possible, and you have to go on directly to 2. and 3.
a. Disable interrupts before changing the port register, reenable it afterwards. This way, the task scheduler won't run during that period (= critical section) and nobody disturbs the task that accesses the hardware.
b. Use taskENTER_CRITICAL()/taskEXIT_CRITICAL()
c. Use a mutex or similar.
Create a fourth task which waits (blocking) at a mailbox/queue.
Whenever it receives a value from the mailbox, it processes it (e.g., by XOR-ing it to the port register).
The three existing tasks don't access the LED port register themselves, but instead send such a value (= request message) to the new task.
Assign a higher priority to the new task in order to get a smooth blinking pattern.
If option 1. is possible on your controller, it is fastest (but it requires certain features in the hardware platform...). Otherwise, I agree with the hint from #Richard, option 2.b. are fastest (2.a. is as fast, but not as clean because you break the layering of the FreeRTOS lib).
Option 2.c. may introduce a notable overhead, and option 3. is very clean but a complete overkill in your situation: If your question is really only about blinking LEDs, please leave the bulldozer inside the garage and choose option 2.

Arduino Drone project, when output is "loaded" (even cap to gnd), input "steering" command starts to glitch

Arduino drone project, whenever output is "loaded" ("open-circuit" signal-in pin to ESC or even a cap to ground), the input "steering" command starts to glitch (go to really low values << 1000).
The motor speed is a function of both the steering command, as well as the throttle. (In this test-case with just one motor as seen in the code below, unMotorSpeed = unThrottleIn +/- unSteeringIn)
When hooked up to a scope, the physical input signals (steering and throttle coming from the receiver) are great, and I even swapped the input pins to make sure there wasn't a problem between the receiver and the arduino. The problem seems to be coming from the software, but it just doesn't make sense, since when there isn't a "load" attached, the input and output values are all fine and clean. (I put "load" in quotes because sometimes it's essentially an open circuit --> super high impedance input signal to the electronic speed controller (ESC), which I don't even ground to complete a circuit).
Would anyone be able to check out the code and see if I'm missing something?
At this point, a somewhat quick workaround would be to simply not write those new glitchy values to the motor and keep the old speed values for whenever the new speed is significantly lower than the old speed (and these are at over 50khz, so clearly a huge jump in just one step is a bit crazy).
Note: In the code, the total output of unMotorSpeed leaves from the servoThrottle pin. Just the original naming that I didn't end up changing... it's clear if you read the code and see all the variables.
UPDATE: Weird thing is, I just ran my setup without any changes and EVERYTHING WORKED...I reflashed the arduino multiple times to make sure it wasn't some lucky glitch, and it kept on working, with everything set up. Then I dropped my remote on the ground and moved a few of the wires on the breadboard around, and things went back to their wonky ways after putting the setup back together. Idk what to do!
// --> starting code found at: rcarduino.blogspot.com
// See related posts -
// http://rcarduino.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/how-to-read-rc-receiver-with.html
with.html
#include <Servo.h>
// Assign your channel in pins
#define THROTTLE_IN_PIN 3
#define STEERING_IN_PIN 2
// Assign your channel out pins
#define THROTTLE_OUT_PIN 9
//#define STEERING_OUT_PIN 9
// Servo objects generate the signals expected by Electronic Speed Controllers and Servos
// We will use the objects to output the signals we read in
// this example code provides a straight pass through of the signal with no custom processing
Servo servoThrottle;
//Servo servoSteering;
// These bit flags are set in bUpdateFlagsShared to indicate which
// channels have new signals
#define THROTTLE_FLAG 1
#define STEERING_FLAG 2
// holds the update flags defined above
volatile uint8_t bUpdateFlagsShared;
// shared variables are updated by the ISR and read by loop.
// In loop we immediatley take local copies so that the ISR can keep ownership of the
// shared ones. To access these in loop
// we first turn interrupts off with noInterrupts
// we take a copy to use in loop and the turn interrupts back on
// as quickly as possible, this ensures that we are always able to receive new signals
volatile uint16_t unThrottleInShared;
volatile uint16_t unSteeringInShared;
// These are used to record the rising edge of a pulse in the calcInput functions
// They do not need to be volatile as they are only used in the ISR. If we wanted
// to refer to these in loop and the ISR then they would need to be declared volatile
uint32_t ulThrottleStart;
uint32_t ulSteeringStart;
//uint32_t ulAuxStart;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
// attach servo objects, these will generate the correct
// pulses for driving Electronic speed controllers, servos or other devices
// designed to interface directly with RC Receivers
servoThrottle.attach(THROTTLE_OUT_PIN);
// using the PinChangeInt library, attach the interrupts
// used to read the channels
attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(THROTTLE_IN_PIN), calcThrottle,CHANGE);
attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(STEERING_IN_PIN), calcSteering,CHANGE);
}
void loop()
{
// create local variables to hold a local copies of the channel inputs
// these are declared static so that thier values will be retained
// between calls to loop.
static uint16_t unThrottleIn;
static uint16_t unSteeringIn;
static uint16_t difference;
static uint16_t unMotorSpeed; // variable that stores overall motor speed
static uint8_t bUpdateFlags; // local copy of update flags
// check shared update flags to see if any channels have a new signal
if(bUpdateFlagsShared)
{
noInterrupts(); // turn interrupts off quickly while we take local copies of the shared variables
// take a local copy of which channels were updated in case we need to use this in the rest of loop
bUpdateFlags = bUpdateFlagsShared;
// in the current code, the shared values are always populated
// so we could copy them without testing the flags
// however in the future this could change, so lets
// only copy when the flags tell us we can.
if(bUpdateFlags & THROTTLE_FLAG)
{
unThrottleIn = unThrottleInShared;
}
if(bUpdateFlags & STEERING_FLAG)
{
unSteeringIn = unSteeringInShared;
}
// clear shared copy of updated flags as we have already taken the updates
// we still have a local copy if we need to use it in bUpdateFlags
bUpdateFlagsShared = 0;
interrupts(); // we have local copies of the inputs, so now we can turn interrupts back on
// as soon as interrupts are back on, we can no longer use the shared copies, the interrupt
// service routines own these and could update them at any time. During the update, the
// shared copies may contain junk. Luckily we have our local copies to work with :-)
}
//Serial.println(unSteeringIn);
// do any processing from here onwards
// only use the local values unAuxIn, unThrottleIn and unSteeringIn, the shared
// variables unAuxInShared, unThrottleInShared, unSteeringInShared are always owned by
// the interrupt routines and should not be used in loop
// the following code provides simple pass through
// this is a good initial test, the Arduino will pass through
// receiver input as if the Arduino is not there.
// This should be used to confirm the circuit and power
// before attempting any custom processing in a project.
// we are checking to see if the channel value has changed, this is indicated
// by the flags. For the simple pass through we don't really need this check,
// but for a more complex project where a new signal requires significant processing
// this allows us to only calculate new values when we have new inputs, rather than
// on every cycle.
///// if-else chain commented out to determine/prove problem with steering signal --> buggy!
if(unSteeringIn < 1400) // if steering joystick moved left
{
difference = 1400 - unSteeringIn;
if(unThrottleIn - difference >= 0)
unMotorSpeed = unThrottleIn - difference;
}
else if(unSteeringIn > 1550) //if steering joystick moved right (needs to be tweaked, but works for now)
{
difference = unSteeringIn - 1600;
if(unThrottleIn + difference < 2000)
unMotorSpeed = unThrottleIn + difference;
}
else
{
unMotorSpeed = unThrottleIn;
}
//Serial.println(unMotorSpeed);
//Serial.println(unSteeringIn);
//Serial.println(unThrottleIn);
if(bUpdateFlags)
{
//Serial.println(servoThrottle.readMicroseconds());
if(servoThrottle.readMicroseconds() != unMotorSpeed)
{
servoThrottle.writeMicroseconds(unMotorSpeed);
Serial.println(unMotorSpeed);
}
}
bUpdateFlags = 0;
}
// simple interrupt service routine
void calcThrottle()
{
// if the pin is high, its a rising edge of the signal pulse, so lets record its value
if(digitalRead(THROTTLE_IN_PIN) == HIGH)
{
ulThrottleStart = micros();
}
else
{
// else it must be a falling edge, so lets get the time and subtract the time of the rising edge
// this gives use the time between the rising and falling edges i.e. the pulse duration.
unThrottleInShared = (uint16_t)(micros() - ulThrottleStart); // pulse duration
// use set the throttle flag to indicate that a new throttle signal has been received
bUpdateFlagsShared |= THROTTLE_FLAG;
}
}
void calcSteering()
{
if(digitalRead(STEERING_IN_PIN) == HIGH)
{
ulSteeringStart = micros();
}
else
{
unSteeringInShared = (uint16_t)(micros() - ulSteeringStart); // pulse duration
bUpdateFlagsShared |= STEERING_FLAG;
}
}
You should read the documentation of AttachInterrupt() - in the section "About Interrupt Service Routines" it gives information on how certain functions behave when called from an interrupt. For micros() it states:
micros() works initially, but will start behaving erratically after 1-2 ms.
I believe that means after the ISR has been running for more than 1ms, rather than just 1 ms in general, so may not apply in this case, but you might need to consider how you are doing the timing in the ISR. That's a problem with Arduino - terrible documentation!
One definite problem which may be a cause is the fact that unSteeringInShared is non-atomic. It is a 16 bit value on 8 bit hardware so requires multiple instructions to read and write and the process can be interrupted. It is therefore possible to read one byte of the value in the loop() context and then have both bytes changed by the interrupt context before you read the second byte, so you then up with two halves of two different values.
To resolve this problem you could either disable interrupts while reading:
noInterrupts() ;
unSteeringIn = unSteeringInShared ;
interrupts() ;
Or you can spin-lock the read:
do
{
unSteeringIn = unSteeringInShared ;
} while( unSteeringIn != unSteeringInShared ) ;
You should do the same for unThrottleInShared too, although why you do not see any problem with that is unclear - this is perhaps not the problem you are currently observing, but is definitely a problem in any case.
Alternatively if 8 bit resolution is sufficient you could encode the input as an atomic 8 bit value thus:
uint8_t unSteeringInShared ;
...
int32_t timeus = micros() - ulSteeringStart - 1000 ;
if( timeus < 0 )
{
unSteeringInShared = 0 ;
}
else if( timeus > 1000 )
{
unSteeringInShared = 255;
}
else
{
unSteeringInShared = (uint8_t)(time * 255 / 1000) ;
}
Of course changing your scale from 1000 to 2000 to 0 to 255 will need changes to the rest of the code. For example to convert a value x in the range 0 to 255 to a a servo pulse width:
pulsew = (x * 1000 / 256) + 1000 ;

How to get silabs Si1141 out of suspended mode

Trying to read the PS1 values. But as im running the following code it keeps saying on "chip_stat" that its suspended.
main (void){
init(); // Configuration initialization
si1141_init(); // Si1141 sensor initialization
__delay_ms(30); // Delay to ensure Si1141 is completely booted, must be atleast 25ms
si1141_WriteToRegister(REG_IRQ_STATUS, 0xFF); // Clear interrupt source
signed int status;
while(1){
WriteToI2C(0x5A<<1); // Slave address
PutByteI2C(0x30); // chip_stat
ReadFromI2C(0x5A<<1); // Slave address
if((status = GetByteI2C(0x30)) == Sw_I2C_ERROR) // chip_stat
{
return Sw_I2C_ERROR;
}
Stop_I2C();
status++;;
}
}
The code im using to read the PS1 values is the following. Im reading the value 16705. Which keeps being the same on all measurements.
The value should go up and down from 0 - 32767, as it measures more or less movement.
signed int si1141_ReadFromRegister(unsigned char reg){
signed int data;
WriteToI2C(0x5A<<1); // Slave address
ReadFromI2C(0x5A<<1); // Slave address
if((data = GetByteI2C(Sw_I2C_LAST)) == Sw_I2C_ERROR)
{
return Sw_I2C_ERROR;
}
Stop_I2C();
return data;
}
main (void){
init(); // Configuration initialization
si1141_init(); // Si1141 sensor initialization
__delay_ms(30); // Delay to ensure Si1141 is completely booted, must be atleast 25ms
si1141_WriteToRegister(REG_IRQ_STATUS, 0xFF); // Clear interrupt source
signed int PS1;
while(1){
PS1 = si1141_ReadFromRegister(REG_PS1_DATA0) + (256 * si1141_ReadFromRegister(REG_PS1_DATA1)); // Proximity CH1
}
}
I linked the files for the i2c communication.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/q41vw444gjvj0qa/swi2c.c?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1mshyz88o15hz8c/swi2c.h?dl=0
Rule out I2C errors first. Your software I2C library is no help at all.
Make sure you read registers PART_ID, REV_ID, SEQ_ED first and that the values match the data sheet resp. your expected values. This is to rule out I2C errors.
You have to take quite a few steps to get a single reading to get started.
Reset the Si114x. Program the HW_KEY. Program PS_LED21 to a sensible value. The ANs tell you how. Do not program a higher value than what your components can handle and what your design can support. This might destroy something if done incorrectly. Do not get any funny ideas about PS_ADC_GAIN either, or you will fry your device. Read the AN. Do not program PS_ADC_GAIN at this point.
Clear PSLED21_SELECT -- only PS2_LED, keep PS1_LED set for LED1, obviously -- and PSLED3_SELECT. This is probably optional, but the datasheet tells you to do it, so do it.
Next, program CH_LIST to PS1_EN, then send a PS_FORCE command.** Now read PS1 data from PS1_DATA0 and PS1_DATA1. Done.
It may be easier to test with ALS first to rule out saturating your sensor with some stray infrared (think setting sun as you work through the night).
** For the command protocol, you have to implement the command/response protocol laid out in the datasheet. I suggest you test with reset and nop first to verify your code.

Embedded C UART conventions

I need advice on proper way of handling UART communication. I feel like I've done handling sending serial commands over UART well but I don't know if the way I'm parsing the response or receiving serial data is the best way to do it. Any tips are appreciated but I just want to know if there's a better more and elegant way to parse UART RX.
This is for an MSP430 uC by the way...
First I have these declared in the header file:
const unsigned char *UART_TX_Buffer;
unsigned char UART_TX_Index;
unsigned char UART_TX_Length;
unsigned char UART_TX_Pkt_Complete;
unsigned char UART_RX_Buffer[25];
unsigned char UART_RX_Pkt_Complete;
unsigned char UART_RX_Index;
Here is the function that is called once the flag UART_RX_Pkt_Complete is set in the ISR:
void Receive_Resp()
{
switch (UART_RX_Buffer[UART_RX_Index - 3])
{
case 0x4B:
break;
case 0x56:
P1OUT &= ~(tos_sel0 + tos_sel1);
break;
case 0x43:
P1OUT |= tos_sel0;
P1OUT &= ~tos_sel1;
break;
case 0x34:
P1OUT |= tos_sel1;
P1OUT &= ~tos_sel0;
break;
case 0x33:
P1OUT |= tos_sel0 + tos_sel1;
break;
default:
break;
}
UART_RX_Pkt_Complete = 0;
UART_RX_Index = 0;
}
For reference here's the RX ISR:
#pragma vector=USCIAB0RX_VECTOR
__interrupt void USCIA0RX_ISR(void)
{
UART_RX_Buffer[UART_RX_Index++] = UCA0RXBUF;
if (UART_RX_Buffer[UART_RX_Index - 1] == 0x0A)
{
UART_RX_Pkt_Complete = 1;
_BIC_SR_IRQ(LPM3_bits);
}
IFG2 &= ~UCA0RXIFG;
}
Also here's the TX ISR and send UART command routine:
if (UART_TX_Index < UART_TX_Length) // Check if there are more bytes to be sent
{
UCA0TXBUF = UART_TX_Buffer[UART_TX_Index++];
}
else // Last byte has been sent
{
UART_TX_Pkt_Complete = 1; // Set flag to show last byte was sent
_BIC_SR_IRQ(LPM3_bits);
}
IFG2 &= ~UCA0TXIFG;
void Send_CMD (const unsigned char *Data, const unsigned char Length)
{
UART_TX_Buffer = Data; // Move into global variables
UART_TX_Length = Length;
UART_TX_Pkt_Complete = 0; // Starting values
UART_RX_Pkt_Complete = 0;
UART_TX_Index = 0;
UCA0TXBUF = UART_TX_Buffer[UART_TX_Index++];
while(!UART_TX_Pkt_Complete)
{
Delay(5,'u');
}
while(!UART_RX_Pkt_Complete)
{
Delay(5,'u');
}
}
If this works and meets your system's requirements then it's fine. But there are several ways it could be improved.
Receive_Resp() and USCIA0RX_ISR() are tightly coupled, which is undesirable. They both manipulate UART_RX_Index for the other (USCIA0RX_ISR() increments it and Receive_Resp() clears it) and they both rely on the other for part of the framing of each message (USCIA0RX_ISR() finds the end of the frame while Receive_Resp() interprets and resets for the next frame). It would be better if these routines were decoupled.
The character buffer should be a circular buffer with a head pointer (where characters get added) and a tail pointer (where characters get removed). The ISR should only add chars to the circular buffer and advance the head pointer. The ISR should also handle wrapping of the head pointer back to the beginning of the circular buffer. And the ISR should protect from overruns by making sure the head pointer doesn't pass the tail pointer.
The Receive routine should be responsible for framing the message. This includes pulling chars from the tail pointer and identifying the beginning and end of the message. The Receive routine increments and wraps the tail pointer. Typically the Receive routine is implemented as a state machine with states for identifying the start, body, and end of a frame.
For even less coupling you might have a separate function that interprets the content of the message (i.e., separate the framing from the interpretation of the message).
Your ReceiveResp() routine doesn't handle any errors such as a dropped character. It assumes that all three characters were received correctly. Maybe that's fine for your application and requirements. But typically there should be some error checking performed here. At the very least you should ensure that UART_RX_Index >= 3 before you subtract 3 from it. In other words, make sure the message length is sane. A more robust serial protocol would have a checksum or CRC in each frame to ensure the frame was received correctly but that is probably overkill for your application.
Your Transmit side could be improved with some of the same advice. Typically there is a circular buffer for transmit chars. The Transmit routine adds chars to the buffer and manages the head pointer. The TX ISR copies chars from the buffer to the UART and manages the tail pointer.
Do the calls to Delay in Send_CMD() mean that your application is totally stalled while it's waiting to finish the transmission? Again, maybe that's OK for your application but typically that is undesirable. Typically you want the application to continue to function even while it's waiting for the UART to be ready to transmit. By using a circular transmit buffer, it would be possible for multiple messages to queue up in the transmit buffer and you wouldn't have to wait for the previous message to finish before queuing up another. But then you should add protection for a buffer overrun and this may complicate things unnecessarily for you. Which brings me back to my first point, if what you have works and meets your requirements then it is fine.
Personally, I'd write a completely separate UART module that contained methods for write and read operations. Under the hood I'd create two circular buffers (of whatever the appropriate size may be) and use those for storing bytes as data comes in or goes out. This would allow an interrupt driven solution with buffers.
For instance, my interrupt for receive would do something like:
#pragma vector=USCIAB0RX_VECTOR
__interrupt void UartRxIsr()
{
...
// Add new byte to my receive buffer.
...
}
Then I can call my Uart.read() method to read out that byte. The read method might look something like the following:
char read()
{
if (Uart.rxBuffer.length > 0)
{
return Uart.rxBuffer.buffer[Uart.rxBuffer.write++];
}
}
This is assuming that you've implemented circular buffers using pointers.
I have a solution lying around somewhere. I'll try to find it and post it.

How to throttle Interrupt Driven UART transmission PIC24H?

I am transmitting data from my PIC24H microcontroller over 460Kbaud UART to a bluetooth radio module. Under most conditions, this flow works just fine and the bluetooth module uses CTS and RTS lines to manage flow control when its internal data buffers are full. However, there is a bug of some kind in the bluetooth module that resets it when data is continuously sent to it without any breaks, which happens if my data gets backed up in another bottleneck.
It would be nice if the module worked properly, but that's out of my control. So it seems that my only option is to do some data throttling on my end to make sure I don't exceed the data throughput limits (which I know roughly by experimentation).
My question is how to implement data rate throttling?
My current UART implementation is a RAM circular FIFO buffer 1024 bytes long that the main loop writes data to. A peripheral interrupt is triggered by the PIC when the last byte has been sent out by the UART hardware and my ISR reads the next byte from the buffer and sends it to the UART hardware.
Here's an idea of the source code:
uart_isr.c
//*************** Interrupt Service routine for UART2 Transmission
void __attribute__ ((interrupt,no_auto_psv)) _U2TXInterrupt(void)
{
//the UART2 Tx Buffer is empty (!UART_TX_BUF_FULL()), fill it
//Only if data exists in data buffer (!isTxBufEmpty())
while(!isTxBufEmpty()&& !UART_TX_BUF_FULL()) {
if(BT_CONNECTED)
{ //Transmit next byte of data
U2TXREG = 0xFF & (unsigned int)txbuf[txReadPtr];
txReadPtr = (txReadPtr + 1) % TX_BUFFER_SIZE;
}else{
break;
}
}
IFS1bits.U2TXIF = 0;
}
uart_methods.c
//return false if buffer overrun
BOOL writeStrUART(WORD length, BYTE* writePtr)
{
BOOL overrun = TRUE;
while(length)
{
txbuf[txWritePtr] = *(writePtr);
//increment writePtr
txWritePtr = (txWritePtr + 1) % TX_BUFFER_SIZE;
if(txWritePtr == txReadPtr)
{
//write pointer has caught up to read, increment read ptr
txReadPtr = (txReadPtr + 1) % TX_BUFFER_SIZE;
//Set overrun flag to FALSE
overrun = FALSE;
}
writePtr++;
length--;
}
//Make sure that Data is being transmitted
ensureTxCycleStarted();
return overrun;
}
void ensureTxCycleStarted()
{
WORD oldPtr = 0;
if(IS_UART_TX_IDLE() && !isTxBufEmpty())
{
//write one byte to start UART transmit cycle
oldPtr = txReadPtr;
txReadPtr = (txReadPtr + 1) % TX_BUFFER_SIZE;//Preincrement pointer
//Note: if pointer is incremented after U2TXREG write,
// the interrupt will trigger before the increment
// and the first piece of data will be retransmitted.
U2TXREG = 0xFF & (unsigned int)txbuf[oldPtr];
}
}
Edit
There are two ways that throttling could be implemented as I see it:
Enforce a time delay in between UART byte to be written that puts an upper limit on data throughput.
Keep a running tally of bytes transmitted over a certain time frame and if the maximum number of bytes is exceeded for that timespan create a slightly longer delay before continuing transmission.
Either option would theoretically work, its the implementation I'm wondering about.
Maybe a quota approach is what you want.
Using a periodic interrupt of relevant timescale, add a quota of "bytes to be transmitted" to a global variable to a point that you don't go over some level adjusted for the related deluge.
Then just check if there is quota before you come to send a byte. On new transmission there will be an initial deluge but later the quota will limit the transmission rate.
~~some periodic interrupt
if(bytes_to_send < MAX_LEVEL){
bytes_to_send = bytes_to_send + BYTES_PER_PERIOD;
}
~~in uart_send_byte
if(bytes_to_send){
bytes_to_send = bytes_to_send - 1;
//then send the byte
If you have a free timer, or if you can use an existing one, you could do some kind of "debounce" of the bytes sent.
Imagine you have this global var, byte_interval and you have a timer overflowing (and triggering the ISR) every microsecond. Then it could look something like this:
timer_usec_isr() {
// other stuff
if (byte_interval)
byte_interval--;
}
And then in the "putchar" function, you could have something like:
uart_send_byte(unsigned char b) {
if (!byte_interval) { // this could be a while too,
// depends on how you want to structure the code
//code to send the byte
byte_interval = AMOUNT_OF_USECS;
}
}
I'm sorry to not look much into your code so I could be more specific.
This is just an idea, I don't know if it fits for you.
First, there's two types of serial flow control in common use.
CTS/RTS handshaking ('hardware flow control')
XON/XOFF ('software flow control')
You say CTS is on, but you might want to see if XON/XOFF can be enabled in some way.
Another approach if you can configure it is simply to use a lower baud rate. This obviously depends on what you can configure on the other end of the link, but it's usually the easiest way of fixing problems when devices aren't able to cope with higher speed transfers.
Timer approach which adds delay to Tx at specific time:
Configure a free running timer at an appropriate periodic rate.
In the timer ISR, toggle a bit in a global state variable (delayBit)
In the UART ISR, if delayBit is high and delayPostedBit is low, then exit the TX ISR without clearing the TX interrupt flag and set a bit in a global state variable (delayPostedBit). If delayBit is low, then clear delayPostedBit. The result is to cause a delay equal to one ISR schedule latency, since the ISR will be entered again. This is not a busy-wait delay so won't affect the timing of the rest of the system.
Adjust the period of the timer to add latency at appropriate intervals.

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