This is it. The beginning for QiProg has ended. It has been a long and tedious journey to equip the Stellaris Launchpad for Low Pin Count mastering. The hardware is built, and it works. The software is there, although its contribution to the ecosystem is somewhat minimal — it is more of a bridge than a road in itself. The real value lies in the firmware. To the best of my knowledge, LPC bus mastering has not been implemented in a microcontroller without using ASICs or FPGAs. The vessels are here, and now it is time for the explorers to start their journeys.
Why do I talk like this is project is not over? It is not over. Although I have attained the minimal goals, there is a whole new world to explore. Integration in flashrom was one of the targets I had really hoped for, but was unable to complete. Is writing of the chip working? Yes. Is it reliable? Writing and verifying predetermined patterns works. Disturbingly, when I plugged in output from /dev/urand, the write did not verify. Some bits were simply not programmed, although the majority of the chip matched. Is it the LPC bus mastering that is at fault, is it the command sequence, or are we not giving the chip enough time to complete the operation? Will chips other than the SST 49LF080A work? Can we write a complete ROM image and boot a machine? This is the exploration phase: we have built it, now let’s make the most of it.
Time has been tight for the last month. I had forgotten to plan for the start of the fall semester, and my time since this event has been severely crippled. I wish I could have achieved more. I took the last two days off from the University to organize the last few weeks’ salad of stashed and uncommitted changes into readable patches.
I don’t feel sad, just tired. Exhausted, I have nothing left to keep me entertained but an Alec Bradley Presando cigar, which I have been saving for a special occasion. This is that occasion: QiProg has stopped being a commitment, and became a hobby, a child, something to care for. Now is the time to build your VultureProg, get the software, and start reporting those issues you know you will encounter. I’m in Houston, and I don’t have a problem.
You’ve done an absolutely amazing job on this project!
I am of course thrilled that this idea has become reality, but more so about how well it has been done and about our great discussions along the way! Thank you very much!
urandom not verifying is a little worrying and debugging that could potentially need a customized debugging rig, but we can handle that.