STM32, master and slave devices not responding to each other

Question

Dear stack overflow users, I have built a device with a master device, and a network of 10 slaves. All of them communicate via 4 wire SPI. Right now I am writing the program for both boards, and they don't seem to be working, I do not get expected responses.

I have a master board, and 10 of identical slave boards. The protocol is simple - as with SPI any transaction is initiated by the master device, and a command is sent. The selected slave then receives aforemetioned command, sets a busy flag pin high, and checks if it's valid. After parsing the command the busy bin is released, and if the command is valid, same byte as received is sent to the master, otherwise an error marker is sent. After that, any necessary data exchanges are executed. I've tried configuring the IO's as regular portf, and their Alternative Functions, also I tried resetting the SPI periph after each transaction and nothing seems to be working.

This is what I get: https://imgur.com/a/MICEx2f The channels are from the top, respectively: MOSI,MISO,CLK, and busy flag. I get no response from the slave, no matter what. The command is interpreted correctly (debug data from UART), however nothing is sent back.

This is the SPI part of code for the SLAVE device:

uint8_t spi_sendrecv(uint8_t byte)
{
    // poczekaj az bufor nadawczy bedzie wolny
    while (SPI_I2S_GetFlagStatus(SPI1, SPI_I2S_FLAG_TXE) == RESET);
    SPI_I2S_SendData(SPI1, byte);

    // poczekaj na dane w buforze odbiorczym
    while (SPI_I2S_GetFlagStatus(SPI1, SPI_I2S_FLAG_RXNE) == RESET);
    return SPI_I2S_ReceiveData(SPI1);
}

uint8_t SPI_get_cmd_ack(void)
{
    uint8_t cmd;
    uint8_t valid_flag;

    //In cas if the BF pin was left high
    BF_OUT_low();

    //Let's wait for some data
    while (SPI_I2S_GetFlagStatus(SPI1, SPI_I2S_FLAG_RXNE) == RESET);
    cmd = SPI_I2S_ReceiveData(SPI1);
    //cmd = SPI_get_command();

    //Check the cmd
    BF_OUT_high();
    valid_flag = SPI_check_for_valid_cmd(cmd);
    //SPI_reset_flush();
    BF_OUT_low();

    if(valid_flag == CMD_RET_STATUS_VALID)
    {
        spi_sendrecv(cmd);
        return cmd;
    }
    else
    {
        spi_sendrecv(CMD_ERROR);
        return CMD_ERROR;
    }
}

And this is the MASTER part:

//Sends a command to a slave device
//Param1: slave device no, from 0  to 9
//Param2: command to send
//Retval: command send success or failure:
//DATA_TRANSFER_OK or DATA_TRANSFER_ERR
uint8_t SPI_send_command(uint8_t slave_no, uint8_t cmd)
{
    uint8_t cnt = 0;
    uint8_t rx_cmd;

    //SPI_reset();

    //Select the correct slave
    SPI_select_slave(0);
    delay_ms(0);
    SPI_select_slave(slave_no);
    delay_ms(0);
    //Transmit the cmd
    SPI_sendrecv(cmd);
    //SPI_reset();
     //Wait for the busy flag indication
     while(SPI_get_busy_flag(slave_no) == Bit_RESET)
     {
         if(cnt < SPI_RETRY_COUNT)
         {
             ++cnt;
             delay_ms(1);
         }
         else
        {
             SPI_select_slave(0);
             return DATA_TRANSFER_ERR;
        }
     }
     //Same for the busy flag on:
     while (SPI_get_busy_flag(slave_no) == Bit_SET)
     {
         if(cnt < SPI_RETRY_COUNT)
         {
             ++cnt;
             delay_ms(1);
         }
         else
         {
             SPI_select_slave(0);
             return DATA_TRANSFER_ERR;
         }
     }

     rx_cmd = SPI_sendrecv(0);

     //SPI_reset();

     if(rx_cmd == cmd) return DATA_TRANSFER_OK;
     else return DATA_TRANSFER_ERR;
}

And here are the initialization parts of the code, slave and master respectively:

void SPI_init(void)
{
    GPIO_InitTypeDef SPI_GPIO;
    SPI_InitTypeDef SPI;

    RCC_AHBPeriphClockCmd(RCC_AHBPeriph_GPIOA | RCC_AHBPeriph_GPIOB | RCC_AHBPeriph_GPIOC, ENABLE);
    RCC_APB2PeriphClockCmd(RCC_APB2Periph_SPI1, ENABLE);

    //GPIOA5 SCK
    //GPIOA6 MISO
    //GPIOA7 MOSI
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_AF;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_5 | GPIO_Pin_6 | GPIO_Pin_7;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_DOWN;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Speed = GPIO_Speed_2MHz;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOA, &SPI_GPIO);

    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_15;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_UP;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOA, &SPI_GPIO);

    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource5, GPIO_AF_SPI1);
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource6, GPIO_AF_SPI1);
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource7, GPIO_AF_SPI1);
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource15, GPIO_AF_SPI1);

    //Busy flag
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_OUT;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_OType = GPIO_OType_PP;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_5;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOC, &SPI_GPIO);

    /*SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_IN;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_UP;
    SPI_GPIO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_15;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOA, &SPI_GPIO);*/

    SPI.SPI_CPHA = SPI_CPHA_1Edge;
    SPI.SPI_CPOL = SPI_CPOL_Low;
    SPI.SPI_DataSize = SPI_DataSize_8b;
    SPI.SPI_Direction = SPI_Direction_2Lines_FullDuplex;
    SPI.SPI_FirstBit = SPI_FirstBit_MSB;
    SPI.SPI_Mode = SPI_Mode_Slave;
    SPI.SPI_NSS = SPI_NSS_Hard;

    SPI_Init(SPI1, &SPI);

    SPI_Cmd(SPI1, ENABLE);

    SPI_aux_tim_conf();
}

static void SPI_IO_conf(void)
{
    //Struct
    GPIO_InitTypeDef SPI_IO;

    //CLK
    RCC_AHB1PeriphClockCmd(RCC_AHB1Periph_GPIOA | RCC_AHB1Periph_GPIOB | RCC_AHB1Periph_GPIOE, ENABLE);

    //Conf
    SPI_IO.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_AF;
    //5 - SCK, 6 - MISO, 7- MOSI
    SPI_IO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_5 | GPIO_Pin_7 | GPIO_Pin_6;
    SPI_IO.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_DOWN;
    SPI_IO.GPIO_OType = GPIO_OType_PP;
    SPI_IO.GPIO_Speed = GPIO_Speed_25MHz;

    //Init
    GPIO_Init(GPIOA, &SPI_IO);

    //Connect to SPI periph
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource5, GPIO_AF_SPI1);
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource6, GPIO_AF_SPI1);
    GPIO_PinAFConfig(GPIOA, GPIO_PinSource7, GPIO_AF_SPI1);


    //For busy flag checking
    SPI_IO.GPIO_Mode = GPIO_Mode_IN;
    SPI_IO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_7 | GPIO_Pin_8 | GPIO_Pin_9 | GPIO_Pin_10 | GPIO_Pin_11 |GPIO_Pin_12 |GPIO_Pin_13 | GPIO_Pin_14 | GPIO_Pin_15;
    SPI_IO.GPIO_PuPd = GPIO_PuPd_DOWN;
    SPI_IO.GPIO_Speed = GPIO_Speed_2MHz;

    GPIO_Init(GPIOE, &SPI_IO);

    SPI_IO.GPIO_Pin = GPIO_Pin_10;
    GPIO_Init(GPIOB, &SPI_IO);
}

static void SPI_periph_conf(void)
{
    //Struct
    SPI_InitTypeDef SPI_conf;

    //CLK
    RCC_APB2PeriphClockCmd(RCC_APB2Periph_SPI1, ENABLE);

    //Conf
    //SysClk = 84000000
    //84/64 = 1,3125MHz
    SPI_conf.SPI_BaudRatePrescaler = SPI_BaudRatePrescaler_128;
    SPI_conf.SPI_CPHA = SPI_CPHA_1Edge;
    SPI_conf.SPI_CPOL = SPI_CPOL_Low;
    //SPI_conf.SPI_CRCPolynomial =
    SPI_conf.SPI_DataSize = SPI_DataSize_8b;
    SPI_conf.SPI_Direction = SPI_Direction_2Lines_FullDuplex;
    SPI_conf.SPI_FirstBit = SPI_FirstBit_MSB;
    SPI_conf.SPI_Mode = SPI_Mode_Master;
    SPI_conf.SPI_NSS = SPI_NSS_Soft;

    //Conf, enable
    SPI_Init(SPI1, &SPI_conf);

    SPI_Cmd(SPI1, ENABLE);
    //SPI_Cmd(SPI1, DISABLE);
}

As You can see on the oscillogram, there is no response from the Slave, The expected response is the same command that was sent in the previous cycle by the master. Eg, I send a 0x01 presence command, and the slave should respond with the same byte, after that, any other exchanges should occur, which are not implemented yet.

Best regards, Marek

Answer 1

From your images it seems that CLK is kept low after sending data. In SPI the Master is the sole governor of the clock.

From STM32F411xC/E reference manual, p 578:

BUSY flag

This BSY flag is set and cleared by hardware (writing to this flag has no effect). The BSY flag indicates the state of the communication layer of the SPI.

When BSY is set, it indicates that the SPI is busy communicating. There is one exception in master mode / bidirectional receive mode (MSTR=1 and BDM=1 and BDOE=0) where the BSY flag is kept low during reception.

The BSY flag is useful to detect the end of a transfer if the software wants to disable the SPI and enter Halt mode (or disable the peripheral clock). This avoids corrupting the last transfer. For this, the procedure described below must be strictly respected.

The BSY flag is also useful to avoid write collisions in a multimaster system.

The BSY flag is set when a transfer starts, with the exception of master mode / bidirectional receive mode (MSTR=1 and BDM=1 and BDOE=0).

It is cleared:

• when a transfer is finished (except in master mode if the communication is continuous)
• when the SPI is disabledwhen a master mode fault occurs (MODF=1)

When communication is not continuous, the BSY flag is low between each communication.

When communication is continuous:

• in master mode, the BSY flag is kept high during all the transfers
• in slave mode, the BSY flag goes low for one SPI clock cycle between each transfer

Note:Do not use the BSY flag to handle each data transmission or reception. It is better to use the TXE and RXNE flags instead

So I think your waiting for busy flag in master after sending data can lock indefinitely. Try this (the code uses plain CMSIS, but it should be understandable):

GPIOB->BSRR |= GPIO_BSRR_BR6; //slave select
while(! (SPI1->SR & SPI_SR_TXE)); //wait for Tx buffer empty
SPI1->DR = 0x01; //send 0x01
while(! (SPI1->SR & SPI_SR_RXNE)); //wait for Rx buffer not empty (receive 0x0 sent by the slave during our sending 0x01 since it's 4-wire SPI)
uint8_t tmp = SPI1->DR; //we don't need that value, but need to read DR in order to reset RXNE flag
SPI1->DR = 0x0; //we need to trigger send in order to receive
while(! (SPI1->SR & SPI_SR_RXNE)); //wait for Rx buffer not empty (our response)
response = SPI1->DR;
while(SPI1->SR & SPI_SR_BSY); //now we can wait for SPI to end communications
GPIOB->BSRR |= GPIO_BSRR_BS6; //slave deselect

Answer 2

Thank You for the help. After long hours I managed to get it working, by resetting the SPI peripheral in th Slave device after each transaction:

void SPI_reset_flush(void)
{
    //Reset the periph and registers
    RCC_APB2PeriphResetCmd(RCC_APB2Periph_SPI1, ENABLE);
    SPI_aux_tim_wait();
    RCC_APB2PeriphResetCmd(RCC_APB2Periph_SPI1, DISABLE);
    SPI_aux_tim_wait();

    SPI_Cmd(SPI1, ENABLE);
}

12.04.2019 Actually, I think the mentioned solution is not the best. The problem was, I was not waiting for the SPI buffers to empty, this resulted in random data being send, and I lost synchronisation between devices. I since the rewrote the code, and stuck to the TX/RX procedures in a Reference Manuals.

Best Regards, Marek