MPC8xx Frequently Asked Questions

How can I restore the PlanetCore Boot Loader?

Refer to the FAQ on Restoring the PlanetCore Boot Loader.

I am trying to build a low profile product. What are my available connector options?

There are several possible board mating combinations using 3 receptacles and 4 plugs. Mix and match these to get board to board mating heights ranging from 5mm through 16mm, in 1mm increments. Our standard products use the pair that give 16mm spacing. The following describes the combinations:

	Plugs
		177984	179029	179030	179031
Receptacles	177983	5mm	6mm	7mm	8mm
	179009	9mm	10mm	11mm	12mm
	179010	13mm	14mm	15mm	16mm

As an example, 179010 and 179031 is the product we purchase as "standard" (16mm). 7mm is the lowest height possible on the credit card series, but in order to do that the expansion card must be aware of component heights on the CPU card. The components must be placed on the bottom of the expansion card around the higher components on the CPU card.

The Receptacles are located on the CPU cards and the Plugs on the Expansion cards.

Why do I get machine check errors when using Linux and PCMCIA memory accesses?

The PCMCIA memory accesses may take longer than the default setting that SYPCR register has for bus timeouts. The PlanetCore loader has a setting for the SYPCR register that will allow you to increase the bus timeout duration.

Are RS-322/422/485 supported in the RPX products?

The RPX boards leverage the communication processor of the 8xx chips. All boards ship with a monitor port (RS-232).

Some of our RPX expansion cards (HIOX, VEXC) offer software selectable option of RS-232 and RS-485 interfaces via SMC and SCC channels.

What LCD displays do you support?

The MPC823 LCD controller supports variety of LCD display modules. It includes STN, DSTN and TFT displays, both color and monochrome. The primary requirement is that LCD must accept LVTTL data signals from MPC823. Please refer to "MPC823 User's manual" from Motorola for more detailed description of the LCD controller as well as examples of connection of various types of LCD's.

The RPX HIOX-Card and V-Card feature 31-pin LCD interface connector, which complies with standard connector specifications selected by the U.S. VESA as a flat panel display interface (FPDI-1). The pin-out of the LCD connector was chosen to support particular family of LCD's. An adapter cable may be necessary to connect to different types of LCD's.

The following LCD's were tested with HIOX, V-Cards:

• NEC NL6448AC33 - all sub models
• NEC NL6448AC20 - all sub models
• Sharp LQ64D343

The HIOX-Card also features a second LCD connector of the same type with a different pin-out, designed to support Sharp LQ070T5DG01 any Sharp displays that normally cannot work gluelessly with the 823.

Can +3.3V power be supplied directly to the RPX CPU boards?

Power can be supplied to the RPX CPU boards in a variety of ways. Standard RPX boards have linear regulator on-board that converts +5V supplied to the barrel connector to the +3.3V needed for the chips. The +5V power goes to a power rail and can also be found on the P1/P2 expansion connectors of the RPX CPU cards.

Power can be applied to the directly to the P1/P2 connectors instead of using the barrel connector. This power then goes to the power rail, and then will be converted to +3.3V needed for the chips.

To supply +3.3V directly to the RPX CPU boards, most cards have an option for a +3.3V power supply. If this option is selected, then the regulator is not populated and external power from the power barrel is directly supplied to the main power bus of the board. The board can also be powered through the P1/P2 connectors with +3.3V. Pins designated as +5V pins should then be changed to +3.3V. If the +3.3V option is selected, then requirements for a cleaner power supply increase, because there is no further power conditioning on-board, i.e. +3.3V power supply should be very "clean" with low internal impedance.

For credit-card sized boards, power can be supplied through the utility header.

If the board is powered with +3.3V, devices like USB and PCMCIA may not operate.

How many total I/O cards can be stacked on an RPX CPU card?

We recommend that only two Expansion Cards are allowed to be stacked on top of a CPU Card. The limitation is due to trace length and signal loading issues.

What are the ways in which a modem can be connected to RPX boards?

An external modem can be connected in one of three ways:

• An external modem can be connected to the SMC and SCC connections of the RPX boards.
• You can use a PCMCIA modem card with the RPX boards that have PCMCIA populated. Drivers will need to be written before it will operate.
• You can create an expansion card with a modem chip that accesses the CPM via the RPX bus.

What is the voltage requirement for the EBAT (external battery) input on the utility header?

If RTC is not required, then the EBAT input on P14 can be left floating or connected to GND. If RTC functionality is required, a 3.0V supply is required. This alone will not work, however. Please see EP's FAQ on external batteries.

Are the power-on reset circuits on the boards robust? Should separate uP supervisor be added to ensure that the board is held in reset until the power is rock-solid or will the board take care of itself?

The hard and soft reset circuits are robust, so the boards will take care of themselves. If power goes below 3.0V or below 4.75V (depending if you have a 3v or 5v board), reset will be activated on the board, and remain activated until both supplies go above the threshold. After the supplies go above the threshold, the reset is held active for typically another 100msec.

An option exists that allows the disabling of the 5.0V monitor. This option exists because the some boards only require +3.3V to operate and can be powered either through the P14 header or the Expansion Connectors by a clean +3.3V supply. Clean is defined by a linear regulator type of +3.3V supply.

Where do I get a BDM configuration file for my BDM?

Embedded Planet has some example files for BDMs. We have HMI, SDS, and Abatron configuration files. Not all boards have configuration files for each of these BDMs. These are only examples and have not been thoroughly tested. Contact Embedded Planet technical support for these files.

You can create your own configuration file using information gathered from the PlanetCore loader. If you type 'upm' this will display the UPM tables needed for the configuration file. You can also display the SPRs using the 'spr' command. In addition, you can dump any on the internal memory locations to see the register settings.

How do I determine the processor type and revision used on my board?

There are two places to look for the processor type. Look at the part number (a white sticker usually located on the dual RJ45 connector) on the board. For example: CLLF60PZ5 will indicate a CLLF 860 type PZ running at 50MHz. You can also locate the processor type by looking at the processor itself.

To find out the revision of the processor, in the PlanetCore loader, type 'spr 638'. This will display the IMMR register. For example: the output is 'SPR 638 = FA200502'. The lower 2 bytes indicate the processor version and masks. In this case 0502. You can check Motorola's web site for the version and mask table.

In the PlanetCore loader, if you type 'i' you will see 'Core/CPM Version = 02 50/0000'. The 0000 indicates the CPM revision.

How do I determine what CPM signals are being used by the board?

The pinout documentation for your board will tell you what signals are being used by the board. Some of these signals can be made available for your use at the expansion connector by disabling the on-board peripheral by setting the BCSR's (see the programming section for your board).

What fast ethernet PHY's are used on your CLLF boards?

The CLLF BW uses a QS6612 PHY. The CLLF BW31 uses an LXT971 PHY. If you need programming examples, please see the linux fec driver.

Where do I put the reset switch?

The reset switch that comes with the board can be placed on the board's utility header. Check the manual for pinout locations for the POR, HWR, and SWR. Tie one of these signals to ground with the reset switch.

My board doesn't boot any more. What can I do?

The first thing to check is the LED CR8 (see the board manuals for LED descriptions). This is the processor hard active reset indicator. If it is lit (red), then the board has been damaged. This most likely occurs when the wrong power supply has been plugged into the board. Contact Embedded Planet to have the board repaired.

If the LED CR8 is not on, check to see if the 5V and 3V power LED's are OK.

If you are not seeing the loader from your computer terminal, put the board into fallback mode. This is accomplished via the dipswitches. Set the switches as follows: 1=ON, 2=ON, 3=OFF, 4=ON. Reset the board. This will set the bootloader into a default state of 9600, N, 8, 1. Make sure that you have the null modem connection to your computer, and that you have flow control disabled in your terminal emulation program. See the PlanetCore manuals for more information on the fallback mode.

If you are seeing status (user) LED's blinking, the PlanetCore load is running. If you don't see anything in your terminal, either your setup is wrong or the serial circuitry has been damaged or interfered with.

If PlanetCore loader is running, you can run the PlanetCore diagnostics from flash (if it is installed) or from RAM (if it has been downloaded). You can use the tests in the loader and in the diagnstics to test the functions of the board.