Mixing address lines in SDRAM.

Dear all,

I have to boot-up a device based on Hitachi uP with external SDRAM (2x256Mb). The device was designed by somebody else and I only have to get it working. However there is something that bothers me very much. Probably to easen PCB layout the designer has mixed data and address lines for SDRAM: i.e. pin D0 of SDRAM is connected to pin D7 of uP. All other interface signals (RAS#,CAS#,CLK,CKE,UDQM,LDQM,WE#,CE#) are connected correctly. While mixing data lines seems ok to me (let me know if I'm wrong) mixing address lines looks unacceptable. Here are the connections:

SDRAM uP

------------------ A0 A5 A1 A4 A2 A3 A3 A2 A4 A14 A5 A13 A6 A12 A7 A11 A8 A10 A9 A9 A10 A6 A11 A8 A12 A7

BA0 A15 (bank select) BA1 A16 (bank select)

Will this connection work? For the time being I know that I must forget burst transfers. Are there any obstacles for SDRAM in this configuration to work with 1-byte burst transfers?

Thanks Wlad

Reply to
Wlad
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I think it should work, but be careful when you configure the SDRAM mode register which uses the SDRAM address lines for the configuration bits.

Karl Olsen

Reply to
Karl Olsen

It looks a bit weird, but you'll have to consult the datasheet of the CPU. Address lines of SDRAMs are multiplexed, so it is all a question of which row and which column address is output at which CPU address pin at what time. It might be that the connections are right. After all, the one who designed the board, must have considered that. If he had no idea of what he was doing, he would probably not have got as far as finishing a board. And if the connection is right, then it will support burst transfers if the CPU supports them. Like you, I can't see any problems with the data bus (even though I never tried that).

Michael

Reply to
Michael Kr?mer

It would be worth the time to track them down, if alive, and ask. - RM

Reply to
Rick Merrill

The connection scheme really seems a little bit weird. While address Interchanging is ok for SRAM, for SDRAM (and asyn. DRAM) it can be a problem. In your example, low address lines of the µP are connected to the higher lines of the RAM such that when the µP outputs a column address on the lower eight or nine lines, the RAM gets some of them on its higher address inputs A9...A12 where it doesn't expect them. Furthermore, SDRAMs use input A10 as part of the command word to switch on and off AutoPrecharge. Simultaneously with the column address on the lower address lines command Bit 'AP' is sampled from A10. Unless the SDRAM controller of your µP (for some mystic reasons) uses a non-standard address pattern (i.e. outputting AP on address line A6 while column address is on lines A5..2,A14..10) or the SDRAM chips are a little bit 'non-standard', your design probably will not work.

HTH, Jens

Reply to
Jens Hildebrandt

Well, if he's alive, track him down to take him down ;)

I have serious doubts ! Unless you have very special SDRAM and/or a very flexible SDRAM controller (like a FPGA;)), I don't possibly see how it could work. Maybe by disabling completly burst and if your SDRAM controller can put precharge on AD6 you can exchange single word at a time but that's a lot of wasted bw IMHO.

At least on the uC and SDRAM I've seen so far, it won't work at all.

Have you actually seen it boot once ?

Sylvain Munaut

Reply to
Sylvain Munaut

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