CMSIS-Toolbox > Reference Applications
This chapter explains how to work with Reference Applications that can run on several evaluation boards.
Chapter Contents:
- Reference Applications
The CMSIS-Pack format supports different types of project examples:
- Templates are stub projects that help to get started. Some software packs may contain device specific templates.
- Examples are created for a specific hardware or evaluation board. These are typically complete projects that directly interface with board and device peripherals.
- Reference Applications that use defined interfaces (APIs) and are therefore hardware agnostic. These project examples show usage of middleware components and require additional software layers with API drivers for the specific target hardware, typically an evaluation board.
The following sections explain the usage, structure, and creation of Reference Applications that can target many different evaluation boards.
Reference Applications show the usage of middleware that may run on many different target hardware boards. Such middleware uses application programming interfaces (APIs) to interface with hardware interfaces or other software components.
The MDK Middleware provides software components for IPv4/IPv6 networking, USB Host/Device communication, and File System for data storage.
The MDK Middleware Pack contains Reference Applications that shows the usage of these software components. These examples are hardware agnostic; adding a board layer that provides the required APIs allows to run the example project on a specific target hardware.
The picture above shows how an USB HID example connects to a board specific software layer. The Reference Application does not specify a target hardware. For execution on target hardware a software layer is required that provides the hardware specific APIs. These board specific layers are provided in BSP Packs which allows to run the example on many different hardware targets.
The Reference example uses connections:
to list the consumed (required) APIs. The board layer in the BSP Pack provides these connections:
and may offer several additional connections:
that makes the layer suitable for a range of Reference Applications.
As the Reference Application is not hardware specific it does not define a target type. It does also not add the board specific software layer. With two steps the *.csolution.yml
file of such an example is configured for an evaluation board.
- Specify the evaluation board under
target-types:
. This board should also provide a suitable board specific software layer for the application. - Use the command
cbuild setup
to identify the compatible board specific software layer. Add this software layer to your application.
Reference Application *.csolution.yml
file
solution:
cdefault:
compiler: AC6
:
target-types:
# Step 1: Specify your board, for example with:
# - type: IMXRT1050-EVKB Board
# board: NXP::IMXRT1050-EVKB
# Step 2: Run `cbuild setup` and use cbuild-idx.yml to identify variables, for example:
# variables:
# - Board-Layer: %SolutionDir()$/board/IMXRT1050-EVKB/board.clayer.yml
The overall concept of Reference Applications and the same board specific software layers can be used for a wide range of applications. For example, a Sensor SDK Pack may provide Reference Applications that show the usage of a MEMS sensor. This MEMS sensor is additional hardware that could be provided by an widely supported Arduino UNO shield.
The Sensor SDK with the related Arduino shield can be structured to work with a wide range of evaluation boards that offer a compatible board specific software layer.
The overall structure of an sensor example project is shown in the picture below. It is composed of:
- The Reference Application with sensor specific middleware that shows usage of a MEMS sensor.
Layer type: Board
contains the hardware specific setup of an evaluation board with an Cortex-M processor along with drivers, i.e. for SPI or I2C that connect to Arduino pins.Layer type: Shield
defines the pin routing of the Arduino UNO shield that adds the MEMS sensor to the evaluation board.
Note:
As the
connections:
for the MEMS sensor are specific to the sensor itself, the same Reference Application also works with an evaluation board that integrates the MEMS sensor (and requires therefore no Shield layer). The board specific software layer adds in this case the sensor specificconnections:
.
The Reference Application may serve as starting point for user applications that target custom hardware. It is required to provide:
- A software layer with a compatible set of APIs of the
connections:
consumed by the Reference Application. This software layer can be added along with the target type (in the*.csolution.yml
file) that defines the custom hardware.Note: It is not required to define
connections:
as this information is only used to identify compatible layers. - A header file that replaces the
CMSIS_target_header
. Refer to Header File Structure for more information.
Example *.csolution.yml
file for custom hardware
solution:
cdefault:
compiler: AC6
:
target-types:
- type: MyHardware
device: STM32U585AIIx # custom hardware uses only a device definition
variables:
- Board-Layer: %SolutionDir$/MyTarget/MyHardware.clayer.yml
Example `MyHardware.clayer.yml
You may use a *.clayer.yml
file for implementing the HAL drivers for the application and define the CMSIS_target_header
as shown below:
layer:
:
define:
- CMSIS_target_header: "\"MyHardware.h\""
A Reference Applications is an incomplete *.csolution.yml
project file that requires the following steps to compile the project:
-
Add in the
*.csolution.yml
file undertarget-types:
your board:solution: cdefault: : target-types: - type: B-U585I-IOT02A board: B-U585I-IOT02A # name of a target board
-
Run
cbuild setup
with the*.csolution.yml
file. This identifies compatible layers with an output similar to:>cbuild setup xxx.csolution.yml error csolution: undefined variables in xxx.csolution.yml: - $Board-Layer$ To resolve undefined variables, copy the settings from cbuild-idx.yml to csolution.yml
The related
*.cbuild-idx.yml
should contain information similar to this:build-idx: generated-by: csolution version 2.4.0 cdefault: cdefault.yml csolution: xxx.csolution.yml configurations: - target-type: B-U585I-IOT02A target-configurations: - configuration: variables: - Board-Layer: ${CMSIS_PACK_ROOT}/Keil/B-U585I-IOT02A_BSP/2.0.0/Layers/IoT/Board.clayer.yml description: B-U585I-IOT02A Board setup for IoT path: ${CMSIS_PACK_ROOT}/Keil/B-U585I-IOT02A_BSP/2.0.0/Layers/IoT file: Board.clayer.yml copy-to: .Board/U585
As a user you have now two choices to work with the identified software layer.
This is useful when there is no plan to modify the software layer, for example in the early phase of adoption.
solution:
cdefault:
:
target-types:
- type: B-U585I-IOT02A
board: B-U585I-IOT02A # name of a target board
variables:
- Board-Layer: ${CMSIS_PACK_ROOT}/Keil/B-U585I-IOT02A_BSP/2.0.0/Layers/IoT/Board.clayer.yml
This allows to modify the layer, for example add or remove drivers or change device settings.
It requires these steps:
- Copy all files from
path
, i.e.${CMSIS_PACK_ROOT}/Keil/B-U585I-IOT02A_BSP/2.0.0/Layers/IoT
to the local csolution project directory. Thecopy-to
is a proposal for the user. - Remove R/O attribute from the copied files.
- Add under
variables:
the path to the*.clayer.yml
file. Use$SolutionDir()
as base path to make the project portable.
solution:
cdefault:
:
target-types:
- type: B-U585I-IOT02A
board: B-U585I-IOT02A # name of a target board
variables:
- Board-Layer: $SolutionDir()$\Board\B-U585I-IOT02A\Board.clayer.yml
Note:
The copy step is executed for you by some IDEs during the Create New Project workflow.
The following section describes the overall file structure of Reference Applications.
A *.csolution.yml
project file that contains software layers for two different evaluation boards should look like shown below. This project contains three different examples that show different features of a USB device middleware.
The actual example project (HID, MSC, or CDC1) is selected using a context set; the compiler is selected using the --toolchain
option. To translate the completed Reference Applications use:
cbuild USB_Device.csolution.yml --context-set --toolchain AC6
Example USB_Device.csolution.yml
file with three different projects
solution:
created-for: CMSIS-Toolbox@2.4.0
cdefault:
target-types:
- type: B-U585I-IOT02A
board: B-U585I-IOT02A
variables:
- Board-Layer: $SolutionDir()$\Board\B-U585I-IOT02A\Board.clayer.yml
- type: LPC55S69-EVK # type name identical with board name?
board: LPC55S69-EVK
variables:
- Board-Layer: $SolutionDir()$\Board\LPC55S69-EVK\Board.clayer.yml
build-types:
- type: Debug
debug: on
optimize: debug
- type: Release
debug: off
optimize: balanced
projects:
- project: HID/HID.cproject.yml
- project: MSC/MassStorage.cproject.yml
- project: CDC1/VirtualCOM.cproject.yml
The directory structure of the above example from the programmers point of view is shown below. The software layer in the directory ./Board
is copied from the BSP of the related board.
Directory Content | Content |
---|---|
USB_Device.csolution.yml |
Overall CMSIS solution project file. |
./HID/ |
HID example project from MDK-Middleware pack. |
./MSC/ |
MSC example project from MDK-Middleware pack. |
./CDC1/ |
CDC1 example project from MDK-Middleware pack. |
./Board/B-U585I-IOT02A |
Board software layer from B-U585I-IOT02A BSP. |
./Board/LPC55S69-EVK |
Board software layer from LPC55S69-EVK BSP. |
The interfaces between the software layers are defined in header files. As such is it possible to reuse the various software blocks with other build systems that are not CMSIS aware. The following diagram shows the overall header file structure.
The Reference Application has no direct access to hardware. Therefore, it does not use the CMSIS_device_header
provided by the CMSIS-Core that defines the registers and interrupt mapping.
To access target hardware these header files are used by the Reference Application:
- Standardized
Driver API header files
are used for the communication with device peripherals. Header files of CMSIS-Drivers are provided by the CMSIS base software pack. - The configuration of the driver interfaces is defined by the
CMSIS_target_header
. This header therefore specifies the available resources of the target hardware that can be used by the Reference Application. The Header File Example shows a typical structure of theCMSIS_target_header
. - When a shield is applied to a evaluation board, the
CMSIS_shield_header
extends the resource configuration of theCMSIS_target_header
.
Note:
The driver implementation of the hardware abstraction might use shim layer as shown on the right side of above diagram. For example for STM32 devices the STM32 HAL is used in the driver implementation.
A Reference Application starts with the C function app_main
as shown below.
#include CMSIS_target_header // board resource definitions
// reference application of a middleware component
int app_main (void) {
};
The application may use a RTOS kernel or run a simple while
loop. Additional software components such as CMSIS-View, CMSIS-DSP, or mbedTLS are added directly to the Reference Application. In general the connections:
that are consumed should be minimized allowing to run the example on many different target boards.
Provides system startup, board/device hardware initialization, and transfers control to the application. It also exposes various drivers and interfaces.
Typical Features:
- System startup including clock and memory configuration.
- Device/Board hardware initialization.
- Calls the application startup function.
- Drivers for board peripherals [optional].
- Interfaces to LEDs and switches [optional].
- STDIO re-targeting to debug interfaces [optional].
- Shield setup and drivers for Arduino interfaces [optional].
- Heap and Stack configuration [optional].
Files:
- CMSIS startup and system file for device initialization.
main.c
source module that implements the functionmain
.- Optional drivers and interfaces (CMSIS-Drivers, GPIO, STDIO).
- Files that relate to the device and/or board configuration (i.e. generated by MCUXpresso or STM32CubeMX)
- Linker Script definition for boards that require specific memory configurations.
The configuration parameters of the available APIs are defined in CMSIS_target_header
.
Generator Usage:
The board specific software layer is used by many different projects. When a board configuration is generated by tools, for example MCUXpresso or STM32CubeMX, configure the generator output directory and import file using the generators:
node in the *.clayer.yml
file as shown below:
layer:
generators:
options:
- generator: CubeMX
path: ./CubeMX
name: Board
Support for additional hardware via plugin shields (i.e. Arduino Uno). Arduino shields consume connections with the prefix ARDUINO_UNO_
. Potentially other shields could be covered.
Shields may feature various hardware modules such as WiFi chips or MEMS sensors. Frequently the Shield software layer only defines a header file that redirects the Arduino specific connect:
to a chip specific connect:
that is then used by application software.
The Shield software layer is configured from the Board software layer which calls the following function:
extern int32_t shield_setup (void);
The connections are only used to identify compatible software layers. There are no strict rules for the connect
Name it is therefore possible to extend it with additional name spacing, i.e. prefix with ST_ to denote ST specific interfaces.
There are also no strict rules how the different software layers consume or provide the connect
names. However guidelines will be developed once reference applications mature.
Currently the following connect
names are used.
connect name |
Value | Description |
---|---|---|
. | . | Arduino Shield Interface |
ARDUINO_UNO_UART | - | CMSIS-Driver USART connecting to UART on Arduino pins D0..D1 |
ARDUINO_UNO_SPI | - | CMSIS-Driver SPI connecting to SPI on Arduino pins D10..D13 |
ARDUINO_UNO_I2C | - | CMSIS-Driver I2C connecting to I2C on Arduino pins D20..D21 |
ARDUINO_UNO_I2C-Alt | - | CMSIS-Driver I2C connecting to I2C on Arduino pins D18..D19 |
ARDUINO_UNO_D0 .. D21 | - | CMSIS-Driver GPIO connecting to Arduino pins D0..D21 |
. | . | CMSIS Driver and RTOS Interfaces |
CMSIS_ETH | - | CMSIS-Driver ETH connected to physical board connector |
CMSIS_MCI | - | CMSIS-Driver MCI connected to physical board connector |
CMSIS_USB_Device | - | CMSIS-Driver USB Device connected to physical board connector |
CMSIS_USB_Host | - | CMSIS-Driver USB Host connected to physical board connector |
CMSIS_VIO | - | CMSIS-Driver VIO interface for virtual I/O |
CMSIS-RTOS2 | - | CMSIS-RTOS2 compliant RTOS |
. | . | I/O Retargeting |
STDERR | - | Standard Error output |
STDIN | - | Standard Input |
STDOUT | - | Standard Output |
. | . | Memory allocation |
Heap | Heap Size | Memory heap configuration |
ToDo:
- what features of CMSIS-RTOS2 are typically used by board layers?
- more information about Heap. How is it configured? Which existing Reference Applications are using it? FreeRTOS has it's own heap management; is it really required?
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver USART Interface configured in asynchronous UART mode with no Modem lines.
CMSIS_target_header
contains driver instance number with this define:
#define ARDUINO_UNO_UART 3 // CMSIS-Driver USART instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver I2C Interface configured in Master Mode.
CMSIS_target_header
contains driver instance number with this define:
#define ARDUINO_UNO_I2C 0 // CMSIS-Driver I2C instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver SPI Interface configured in Master Mode and CPOL/CPHA Frame Format (no TI or Microwire).
The Slave Select (SS) pin (typically on ARDUINO_UNO_D10) is not handled by CMSIS-Driver SPI interface. This is driven by the GPIO interface.
CMSIS_target_header
contains driver instance number with this define:
#define ARDUINO_UNO_SPI 1 // CMSIS-Driver SPI instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver GPIO Interface.
CMSIS_target_header
contains the pin mapping to the physical driver.
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D0 GPIO_PORTD(9U) /* USART3: RX */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D1 GPIO_PORTD(8U) /* USART3: TX */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D2 GPIO_PORTD(15U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D3 GPIO_PORTB(2U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D4 GPIO_PORTE(7U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D5 GPIO_PORTE(0U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D6 GPIO_PORTB(6U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D7 GPIO_PORTF(13U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D8 GPIO_PORTC(1U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D9 GPIO_PORTA(8U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D10 GPIO_PORTE(12U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D11 GPIO_PORTE(15U) /* SPI1: MOSI */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D12 GPIO_PORTE(14U) /* SPI1: MISO */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D13 GPIO_PORTE(13U) /* SPI1: SCK */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D14 GPIO_PORTC(0U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D15 GPIO_PORTC(2U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D16 GPIO_PORTC(4U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D17 GPIO_PORTC(5U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D18 GPIO_PORTA(7U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D19 GPIO_PORTB(0U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D20 GPIO_PORTB(8U) /* I2C1: SDA */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D21 GPIO_PORTB(9U) /* I2C1: SCL */
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver Ethernet Interface that offers a physical Ethernet connector on the evaluation board.
CMSIS_target_header
contains the pin mapping to the physical driver.
#define CMSIS_DRIVER_ETH 0 // CMSIS-Driver Ethernet instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver MCI Interface that offers a physical Memory Card connector on the evaluation board.
CMSIS_target_header
contains the pin mapping to the physical driver.
#define CMSIS_DRIVER_MCI 0 // CMSIS-Driver MCI instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver USB Device Interface that offers a physical USB connector on the evaluation board.
CMSIS_target_header
contains the pin mapping to the physical driver.
#define CMSIS_DRIVER_USBD 0 // CMSIS-Driver USB Device instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver USB Host Interface that offers a physical USB connector on the evaluation board.
CMSIS_target_header
contains the pin mapping to the physical driver.
#define CMSIS_DRIVER_USBH 0 // CMSIS-Driver USB Host instance number
Connects to a CMSIS-Driver VIO Interface, a virtual I/O interface that connects on physical boards to LEDs and switches.
I/O redirection via the CMSIS-Compiler software component. Typical the redirect is to a UART dedicated for debugging.
The software layers Board and Shield are currently based on Arduino UNO connectors. To combine different boards and shields a consistent pin naming is required. The standardized mapping is shown in the diagram below.
Two header files contain I/O configuration settings for the application program:
CMSIS_target_header
defines the resources available by the evaluation board.CMSIS_shield_header
extends thisCMSIS_target_header
with resources of a shield that is applied to an evaluation board.
Refer to Header File Structure for more information.
CMSIS_target_header
#ifndef B_U585I_IOT02A_H_
#define B_U585I_IOT02A_H_
#include "stm32u5xx_hal.h"
#include "GPIO_STM32U5xx.h"
#include "Driver_I2C.h" // ToDo are these headers included in CMSIS_target_header?
#include "Driver_SPI.h"
#include "Driver_USART.h"
// B-U585I-IOT02A Arduino Connector Pin Defintions
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D0 GPIO_PORTD(9U) /* USART3: RX */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D1 GPIO_PORTD(8U) /* USART3: TX */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D2 GPIO_PORTD(15U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D3 GPIO_PORTB(2U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D4 GPIO_PORTE(7U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D5 GPIO_PORTE(0U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D6 GPIO_PORTB(6U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D7 GPIO_PORTF(13U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D8 GPIO_PORTC(1U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D9 GPIO_PORTA(8U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D10 GPIO_PORTE(12U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D11 GPIO_PORTE(15U) /* SPI1: MOSI */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D12 GPIO_PORTE(14U) /* SPI1: MISO */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D13 GPIO_PORTE(13U) /* SPI1: SCK */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D14 GPIO_PORTC(0U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D15 GPIO_PORTC(2U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D16 GPIO_PORTC(4U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D17 GPIO_PORTC(5U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D18 GPIO_PORTA(7U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D19 GPIO_PORTB(0U)
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D20 GPIO_PORTB(8U) /* I2C1: SDA */
#define ARDUINO_UNO_D21 GPIO_PORTB(9U) /* I2C1: SCL */
// CMSIS Driver instances on Arduino connector
#define ARDUINO_UNO_I2C 1
#define ARDUINO_UNO_SPI 1
#define ARDUINO_UNO_UART 3
// CMSIS Driver instances of Board peripherals
#define CMSIS_DRIVER_USBD 0 // instance of CMSIS-Driver USB Device
// CMSIS Drivers
extern ARM_DRIVER_I2C Driver_I2C1;
extern ARM_DRIVER_SPI Driver_SPI1;
extern ARM_DRIVER_USART Driver_USART1;
extern ARM_DRIVER_USART Driver_USART3;
#ifdef CMSIS_shield_header
#include CMSIS_shield_header
#endif
#endif /* B_U585I_IOT02A_H_ */
CMSIS_shield_header
#ifndef _FRDM_STBC_AGM01_SHIELD_H_
#define _FRDM_STBC_AGM01_SHIELD_H_
// FRDM-STBC-AGM01 Shield Reset
#define RESET_GPIO ARDUINO_UNO_D17
#define SHIELD_MULTIB 0
#define SHIELD_NONE 1
#define SHIELD_AGM01 2
#define SHIELD_AGM02 3
#define SHIELD_AGMP03 4
#define SHIELD_AGM04 5
#define THIS_SHIELD SHIELD_AGM01
// Shield Setup (default configuration)
extern int32_t shield_setup (void);
#endif /* _FRDM_STBC_AGM01_SHIELD_H_ */