How to store Frontend Heap in external SDRAM?

[heyo]

I want to store this to external SDRAM. Is it possible?

And I put this code to STM32H743ZITX_FLASH.Id

/*
******************************************************************************
**
**  File        : LinkerScript.ld
**
**  Author      : STM32CubeIDE
**
**  Abstract    : Linker script for STM32H7 series
**                2048Kbytes FLASH and 1056Kbytes RAM
**
**                Set heap size, stack size and stack location according
**                to application requirements.
**
**                Set memory bank area and size if external memory is used.
**
**  Target      : STMicroelectronics STM32
**
**  Distribution: The file is distributed as is, without any warranty
**                of any kind.
**
*****************************************************************************
** @attention
**
** Copyright (c) 2022 STMicroelectronics.
** All rights reserved.
**
** This software is licensed under terms that can be found in the LICENSE file
** in the root directory of this software component.
** If no LICENSE file comes with this software, it is provided AS-IS.
**
****************************************************************************
*/
 
/* Entry Point */
ENTRY(Reset_Handler)
 
/* Highest address of the user mode stack */
_estack = ORIGIN(RAM_D1) + LENGTH(RAM_D1);    /* end of RAM */
/* Generate a link error if heap and stack don't fit into RAM */
_Min_Heap_Size = 0x1000;      /* required amount of heap  */
_Min_Stack_Size = 0x1000; /* required amount of stack */
 
/* Specify the memory areas */
MEMORY
{
  FLASH (rx)     : ORIGIN = 0x08000000, LENGTH = 2048K
  DTCMRAM (xrw)  : ORIGIN = 0x20000000, LENGTH = 128K
  RAM_D1 (xrw)   : ORIGIN = 0x24000000, LENGTH = 512K
  RAM_D2 (xrw)   : ORIGIN = 0x30000000, LENGTH = 288K
  RAM_D3 (xrw)   : ORIGIN = 0x38000000, LENGTH = 64K
  ITCMRAM (xrw)  : ORIGIN = 0x00000000, LENGTH = 64K
  QUADSPI (r)    : ORIGIN = 0x90000000, LENGTH = 16M
  SDRAM   (xrw)  : ORIGIN = 0xC0000000, LENGTH = 8M
}
 
/* Define output sections */
SECTIONS
{
  /* The startup code goes first into FLASH */
  .isr_vector :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    KEEP(*(.isr_vector)) /* Startup code */
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >FLASH
 
  /* The program code and other data goes into FLASH */
  .text :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    *(.text)           /* .text sections (code) */
    *(.text*)          /* .text* sections (code) */
    *(.glue_7)         /* glue arm to thumb code */
    *(.glue_7t)        /* glue thumb to arm code */
    *(.eh_frame)
 
    KEEP (*(.init))
    KEEP (*(.fini))
 
    . = ALIGN(4);
    _etext = .;        /* define a global symbols at end of code */
  } >FLASH
 
  /* Constant data goes into FLASH */
  .rodata :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    *(.rodata)         /* .rodata sections (constants, strings, etc.) */
    *(.rodata*)        /* .rodata* sections (constants, strings, etc.) */
    . = ALIGN(4);
  } >FLASH
 
  .ARM.extab   : { *(.ARM.extab* .gnu.linkonce.armextab.*) } >FLASH
  .ARM : {
    __exidx_start = .;
    *(.ARM.exidx*)
    __exidx_end = .;
  } >FLASH
 
  .preinit_array     :
  {
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_start = .);
    KEEP (*(.preinit_array*))
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_end = .);
  } >FLASH
 
  .init_array :
  {
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_start = .);
    KEEP (*(SORT(.init_array.*)))
    KEEP (*(.init_array*))
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_end = .);
  } >FLASH
 
  .fini_array :
  {
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__fini_array_start = .);
    KEEP (*(SORT(.fini_array.*)))
    KEEP (*(.fini_array*))
    PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__fini_array_end = .);
  } >FLASH
 
  /* used by the startup to initialize data */
  _sidata = LOADADDR(.data);
 
  /* Initialized data sections goes into RAM, load LMA copy after code */
  .data :
  {
    . = ALIGN(4);
    _sdata = .;        /* create a global symbol at data start */
    *(.data)           /* .data sections */
    *(.data*)          /* .data* sections */
    *(.RamFunc)        /* .RamFunc sections */
    *(.RamFunc*)       /* .RamFunc* sections */
 
    . = ALIGN(4);
    _edata = .;        /* define a global symbol at data end */
  } >RAM_D1 AT> FLASH
 
  /* Uninitialized data section */
  . = ALIGN(4);
  .bss :
  {
    /* This is used by the startup in order to initialize the .bss section */
    _sbss = .;         /* define a global symbol at bss start */
    __bss_start__ = _sbss;
    *(.bss)
    *(.bss*)
    *(COMMON)
 
    . = ALIGN(4);
    _ebss = .;         /* define a global symbol at bss end */
    __bss_end__ = _ebss;
  } >RAM_D1
 
  /* User_heap_stack section, used to check that there is enough RAM left */
  ._user_heap_stack :
  {
    . = ALIGN(8);
    PROVIDE ( end = . );
    PROVIDE ( _end = . );
    . = . + _Min_Heap_Size;
    . = . + _Min_Stack_Size;
    . = ALIGN(8);
  } >RAM_D1
 
  /* Remove information from the standard libraries */
  /DISCARD/ :
  {
    libc.a ( * )
    libm.a ( * )
    libgcc.a ( * )
  }
 
  .ARM.attributes 0 : { *(.ARM.attributes) }
      FontFlashSection :
  {
    *(FontFlashSection FontFlashSection.*)
    *(.gnu.linkonce.r.*)
    . = ALIGN(0x4);
  } >QUADSPI
 
  TextFlashSection :
  {
    *(TextFlashSection TextFlashSection.*)
    *(.gnu.linkonce.r.*)
    . = ALIGN(0x4);
  } >QUADSPI
 
  ExtFlashSection :
  {
    *(ExtFlashSection ExtFlashSection.*)
    *(.gnu.linkonce.r.*)
    . = ALIGN(0x4);
  } >QUADSPI
  
FrontEndHeapExtRAMSection ():
  { 
    *(FrontEndHeap FrontEndHeap.*)
    *(.gnu.linkonce.r.*)
    . = ALIGN(0x4);
  } >SDRAM
}

But still Frontend Heap is in internal RAM:

[heyo]

Nobody knows? It's really important for me..

[Yoann KLEIN]

Hello @heyo​,

That should be doable. In the linker script you need to say that data from FrontendHeap should go to SDRAM, like you did. But as FrontendHeap is allocated by TouchGFXConfiguration.cpp, here :

you need to allocate all data from TouchGFXConfiguration.o to SDRAM:

  

Hope that it helps,

/Yoann

[heyo]

Yes, I understand, but don't know how and where to implement. =)

[heyo]

@Yoann KLEIN​ I'm trying to do like this but it's not working :

[heyo]

@Yoann KLEIN​  Can u help me?

[heyo]

I've tried like that, but also does not work :

it allocates only 360B: 

[Osman SOYKURT]

Hello heyo,

Yes it's possible to move FrontendHeap to SDRAM :

In your FrontendHeap.hpp file, declare a new section to use it in the linker script like this :

static FrontendHeap& getInstance()
    {
        __attribute__ ((section (".sdram_section")))    // <--- add this line
        static FrontendHeap instance;
        return instance;
    }

Then in the linkerscript, use it like this :

.sdram_section (NOLOAD) : { *(.sdram_section) }> SDRAM

Note : It will fail if the memory section allocated for it is already used (for the framebuffers storage in SDRAM for example). So to make sure, replace your framebuffer to an other address range in the TouchGFXHAL.cpp file. This is not needed if there's nothing else in SDRAM, only if you allocated your framebuffer.

void TouchGFXHAL::initialize()
{
    ...
    TouchGFXGeneratedHAL::initialize();
    setFrameBufferStartAddresses((void*)0xD0030000, (void*)0xD00C6000, (void*)0xD015C000);
    ...
}

Can you try it and tell me if that works on your side as well ?

/Osman

[heyo]

@Osman SOYKURT​ It does not start, when I upload code It starts and immediately goes to hardfault and reset(because I add watchdog there).

I change framebuffer range :

[heyo]

Hardfault at this point: