Re: ARM Cortex M3 Macro Limitation

["Thomas M. Alldread" <tmall at telus dot net>]

Greetings Richard,

   I wrote a test file as you suggested and included the resulting ASM 
code below. I eventually proved myself wrong about the pre-processor 
using the address value for the variable in the macro. Although "test0" 
below is completed with just the two load and store instructions I guess 
the address of the variable is being loaded at run time, after being 
assigned by the linker as you said.

   It would seem there is little to be gained by adopting the Cortex M3 
RAM bitBand memory map for single bit semaphores when using the GCC 
compiler. It generates roughly the same number of assembler steps as 
using the traditional AND/OR selection of the flag bits within the 
containing word. From a cursory look it appears ARM's own compiler may 
have special capability for efficiently harnessing the bitBand RAM 
memory map.

   This issue is of little significance as modern day processors 
usually have sufficient RAM capacity that facilitates the use of byte 
size variables for single bit flags. Seems like a waste of memory space 
but it simply doesn't matter if it is unused space. Should you want 
source files for my tests I will send them to you.

Best Regards,
Tom Alldread



/* Includes ------------------------------------------------------------------*/
#include "stm32f10x.h"
/* Define to prevent recursive inclusion -------------------------------------*/
#ifndef __STM32_RAM_BIT_BAND_H
#define __STM32_RAM_BIT_BAND_H

#ifndef SRAM_BASE
#define SRAM_BASE 0x20000000
#endif

#ifndef SRAM_BB_BASE
#define SRAM_BB_BASE 0x22000000
#endif

/* Includes ------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Global variables and constants --------------------------------------------*/
volatile uint32_t tick_500mS_Flags;

#define  HEARTBEAT_500MS_FLG    (1<<1)

#define RAMBBTEST_0             (uint32_t)&tick_500mS_Flags

#define RAMBBTEST_1  uint32_t)&tick_500mS_Flags-SRAM_BASE)*32 + 								1*4+SRAM_BB_BASE

#define RAMBBTEST_2(varName,bit)   						 		((uint32_t)&varName-SRAM_BASE)*32+4*bit+SRAM_BB_BASE

#define RAMBBTEST_3(varName,bit
(*((volatile unsigned int *) (((uint32_t)&varName-SRAM_BASE)
					*32+4*bit+SRAM_BB_BASE)))

#define HEARTBEAT_500MS_BBFLG     RAMBBTEST_2(tick_500mS_Flags,1)

#define HEARTBEAT_500MS_BBFLG_P   RAMBBTEST_3(tick_500mS_Flags,1)

#endif  /*__STM32_RAM_BIT_BAND_H*/
/*******************************************************************************
* Function Name  : main.
* Description    : Main routine.
* Input          : None.
* Output         : None.
* Return         : None.
*******************************************************************************/
int main(void)
{
  		B480       push {r7}
  		B085       sub sp, #0x014
  		AF00       add r7, sp, #0x000
 while (1)
 {
   uint32_t test0, test1, test2, test3, test4;
       (*((volatile unsigned int *)0x22005304)) = (uint16_t)1;;
  		4A16       ldr r2, [pc, #0x058]
  		F04F0301   mov.w r3, #0x00000001
  		6013       str r3, [r2, #0x00]
       test0 = RAMBBTEST_0;
  		4B15       ldr r3, [pc, #0x054]
  		603B       str r3, [r7, #0x00]
       test1 = RAMBBTEST_1;
  		4B14       ldr r3, [pc, #0x050]
  		EA4F1343   mov.w r3, r3, lsl #0x05
  		F1035308   add.w r3, r3, #0x22000000
  		F1030304   add.w r3, r3, #0x00000004
  		607B       str r3, [r7, #0x04]
       test2 = HEARTBEAT_500MS_BBFLG;
  		4B10       ldr r3, [pc, #0x040]
  		EA4F1343   mov.w r3, r3, lsl #0x05
  		F1035308   add.w r3, r3, #0x22000000
  		F1030304   add.w r3, r3, #0x00000004
  		60BB       str r3, [r7, #0x08]
       test3 = HEARTBEAT_500MS_BBFLG_P = 1;
  		4B0C       ldr r3, [pc, #0x030]
  		EA4F1343   mov.w r3, r3, lsl #0x05
  		F1035308   add.w r3, r3, #0x22000000
  		F1030304   add.w r3, r3, #0x00000004
  		461A       mov r2, r3
  		F04F0301   mov.w r3, #0x00000001
  		6013       str r3, [r2, #0x00]
  		F04F0301   mov.w r3, #0x00000001
  		60FB       str r3, [r7, #0x0C]
       test4 = (uint32_t)&HEARTBEAT_500MS_BBFLG_P;
  		4B05       ldr r3, [pc, #0x014]
  		EA4F1343   mov.w r3, r3, lsl #0x05
  		F1035308   add.w r3, r3, #0x22000000
  		F1030304   add.w r3, r3, #0x00000004
  		613B       str r3, [r7, #0x10]
 }
  		E7D2       b 0x0800032A
  		5304       strh r4, [r0, r4]
  		2200       movs r2, #0x00
  		003C       lsls r4, r7, #0x00
  		2000       movs r0, #0x00
  		0000       lsls r0, r0, #0x00
}