flash loader only accepts the first non-zero data as a valid response. This zero padding is needed
by the SSI interface in order to receive data to or from the flash loader.
A.4 Commands
The next section defines the list of commands that can be sent to the flash loader. The first byte of
the data should always be one of the defined commands, followed by data or parameters as
determined by the command that is sent.
A.4.1 COMMAND_PING (0X20)
This command simply accepts the command and sets the global status to success. The format of
the packet is as follows:
Byte[0] = 0x03;
Byte[1] = checksum(Byte[2]);
Byte[2] = COMMAND_PING;
The ping command has 3 bytes and the value for COMMAND_PING is 0x20 and the checksum of one
byte is that same byte, making Byte[1] also 0x20. Since the ping command has no real return status,
the receipt of an ACK can be interpreted as a successful ping to the flash loader.
A.4.2 COMMAND_GET_STATUS (0x23)
This command returns the status of the last command that was issued. Typically, this command
should be sent after every command to ensure that the previous command was successful or to
properly respond to a failure. The command requires one byte in the data of the packet and should
be followed by reading a packet with one byte of data that contains a status code. The last step is
to ACK or NAK the received data so the flash loader knows that the data has been read.
Byte[0] = 0x03
Byte[1] = checksum(Byte[2])
Byte[2] = COMMAND_GET_STATUS
A.4.3 COMMAND_DOWNLOAD (0x21)
This command is sent to the flash loader to indicate where to store data and how many bytes will
be sent by the COMMAND_SEND_DATA commands that follow. The command consists of two 32-bit
values that are both transferred MSB first. The first 32-bit value is the address to start programming
data into, while the second is the 32-bit size of the data that will be sent. This command also triggers
an erase of the full area to be programmed so this command takes longer than other commands.
This results in a longer time to receive the ACK/NAK back from the board. This command should
be followed by a COMMAND_GET_STATUS to ensure that the Program Address and Program size
are valid for the device running the flash loader.
The format of the packet to send this command is a follows:
Byte[0] = 11
Byte[1] = checksum(Bytes[2:10])
Byte[2] = COMMAND_DOWNLOAD
Byte[3] = Program Address [31:24]
Byte[4] = Program Address [23:16]
Byte[5] = Program Address [15:8]
Byte[6] = Program Address [7:0]
Byte[7] = Program Size [31:24]
501June 22, 2010
Texas Instruments-Production Data
Stellaris® LM3S8530 Microcontroller
