How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Petter Myhre — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 09:19:45 GMT

@Thanh Doung Please add a new question and link to this one if it is relevant.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Thanh Duong — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 23:56:20 GMT

I already had a pstorage callback function. But when I use printing in callback function I just receive callback of pstorage_load function, I don't know why I can't see callback of pstorage_store and pstorage_update.

I sure the device does not reset before storing or updating complete, because after this test pstorage code it run into bluetooth app (with a blinking led for indicator) and I reset board by pressing the "IF BOOT/RESET" button on board so I think there is enough time for pstorage_store and pstorage_update function.

I will try my code on your example project.

Thanks

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 20:54:01 GMT

Where is your pstorage callback function. You first know that update is successful when you get a pstorage_callback_success event. My guess is the you reset the device before the pstorage update operation is complete. The pstorage update function is in fact combination of several flash operation, including 2x pstorage clear operations and pstorage clear takes around 22ms each. There are some flash storage examples here, including pstorage example where pstorage callback handler is implemented. It is in fact the same example as posted on this thread for SDK 11.0.0

Your question is in fact very good and it would be relevant to make a new thread for it in order for others to find the question and answer.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Thanh Duong — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 14:16:31 GMT

Hi,

Could you help me figure out the bug in the code below.

I have a code to test writing and loading using pstorage (I use nrf51, SDK11).

When power on, it will load from flash to check:

If data is not existed (=0xFF) it will save the default data to flash
Else (data is exist) it will change data then update to flash again. So after each reset, the data loaded must be changed.

But with my code, the data loaded does not change.

Help me. Thanks.

My code:

	pstorage_handle_t       block_handle;
	pstorage_module_param_t param;
	uint8_t					dest_data[4];
	uint8_t					default_data[4];
	uint32_t				retval;
	
	param.block_size  		= 16;
	param.block_count 		= 1;
	param.cb				= app_cb_handler;

	default_data[0] 		= 1;
	default_data[1] 		= 2;
	default_data[2] 		= 3;
	default_data[3] 		= 4;
	
	retval = pstorage_init();							// Initialization
	if(retval == NRF_SUCCESS)
			printf("\r\nPstorage init success");
	else
			printf("\r\nPstorage init failed");
	retval = pstorage_register(&param, &block_handle);	// Register
	if(retval == NRF_SUCCESS)
			printf("\r\nPstorage regis success");
	else
			printf("\r\nPstorage regis failed");
	
	// Request to read 4 bytes from block at an offset of 0 bytes.
	retval = pstorage_load(dest_data, &block_handle, 4, 0);
	if(retval == NRF_SUCCESS)
			printf("\r\nLoad success");
	else
			printf("\r\nLoad failed");
	if(dest_data[1] == 0xFF)
	{
			printf("\r\nData is not exist, save data...");
			retval = pstorage_clear(&block_handle, 4);
			if(retval == NRF_SUCCESS)
					printf("\r\nClear success");
			else
					printf("\r\nClear failed");
			retval = pstorage_store(&block_handle, default_data, 4, 0);
			if(retval == NRF_SUCCESS)
					printf("\r\nStore success");
			else
					printf("\r\nStore failed");
	}
	else
	{
			printf("\r\ndata0 = %d", dest_data[0]);
			printf("\r\ndata1 = %d", dest_data[1]);
			printf("\r\ndata2 = %d", dest_data[2]);
			printf("\r\ndata3 = %d", dest_data[3]);
			dest_data[0] += 1;
			dest_data[1] += 1;
			dest_data[2] += 1;
			dest_data[3] += 1;			
			retval = pstorage_update(&block_handle, dest_data, 4, 0);
			if(retval == NRF_SUCCESS)
					printf("\r\nUpdate success");
			else
					printf("\r\nUpdate failed");
	}

On termial:

Pstorage init success
Pstorage regis success
Load success
Data is not exist, save data...
Clear failed
Store success
---Reset---
Pstorage init success
Pstorage regis success
Load success
data0 = 1
data1 = 2
data2 = 3
data3 = 4
Update success
---Reset---
Pstorage init success
Pstorage regis success
Load success
data0 = 1
data1 = 2
data2 = 3
data3 = 4
Update success

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:59:42 GMT

@hawk I can answer this here. on nRF51, application timer will always block softdevice callbacks. You need to call pstorage operation from main context in order to ever receive the callback for the pstorage operation.

You could call the scheduler from the application timer handler and let the scheduler task call the pstorage operation in the main context.

Another option would be simply to set a global flag in the application timer handler. In the main loop you check for that flag every time you wake up from an interrupt, if the flag is true, you call pstorage operation.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Petter Myhre — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 08:40:44 GMT

@hawk Please add a new question with a detailed description of your problem.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

hawk — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 07:59:44 GMT

hi,Stefan: how to call pstorage operation from an app timer interrupt handler without blocking.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Mark — Thu, 26 May 2016 01:22:00 GMT

This is might the point. Thanks for your suggestion.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Wed, 25 May 2016 11:35:11 GMT

Make sure you call pstorage operation from the main context. You can not call them from an interrupt handler because operations in the examples provided above are blocking while waiting for a callback. If you call pstorage_test_store_and_update function from interrupt hanlder, the function will block all callbacks, including the pstorage callback but also from peripherals and other BLE services

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Mark — Wed, 25 May 2016 10:31:09 GMT

No, just like system hang-up. Even my UART function also freeze. I refer to another way to use pStorage module here and it works fine but I don't know why? The only different between these two sample is: This sample operate the pStorage module in series of function call and the other sample project above I found call these api step by step(triggered by UART input event). Hope these information can give you some ideas. Thanks.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Wed, 25 May 2016 09:36:51 GMT

@Mark

There is a pstorage bug apparently present in SDK 8.1.0-, see this thread. To solve the issue, simply update pstorage module to SDK 9.0.0+. I see that you are using SDK 10.0.0 so that bug should not be present.

Do you get any error message when calling the 'pstorage_test_store_and_update' function. Do you get any pstorage callback from the softdevice in the sys_evt_dispatch callback?

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Mark — Mon, 23 May 2016 08:53:21 GMT

I porting your code into my test project with SDK v10.0.0 and works fine before my nRF51800 BLE connected with cellphone. But if I call your 'pstorage_test_store_and_update' function after BLE connected with cellphone, the callback function 'example_cb_handler' will never be called. I want to confirm if pstorage module can NOT be operated to read/write data into flash when BLE in connected/adv status?

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 07:37:36 GMT

Hi kerem. You can not halt the softdevice while debugging, so you can not single step past a sd_* function. However, in order to halt interrupts while you single step with the debugger, you need to set the PRIMASK to 1, which you can do when you have hit a breakpoint. Set the PRIMASK to 1 in the Registers window in Keil, expand "System", and there you can set the PRIMASK.

When you want to debug past a sd_* function, you simply must set a new breakpoint and restart the debugger.

Anyhow, the RTT debugger in Keil is very useful.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

kerem — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 16:15:14 GMT

Stefan thanks for the example code, I only modified the led definitions and board macro to run this on nrf51-dk (pca10028), I can't manage to debug it. I get pstorage assert led on, I can catch a breakpoint but once I try to move from there I lose track of what's going on(can't read the op code more than once for example or can't see any error thrown out). What would be a preffered approach to debug pstorage? Do you think this example could have problems with nrf51-dk? It's same story with my own implementation I prepared looking at SDK doc though.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

wins — Sun, 03 May 2015 17:47:40 GMT

@stefanbirnir thanks a lot for example, it solve everything!

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 16:03:24 GMT

I lost track of this thread, sorry. I have updated my answer in order to identify what this example is compatible with. I suspect that you have a incompatible SDK, softdevice or hardware

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

frijj2k — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 12:36:38 GMT

I have downloaded your app template and modified it to work with SDK 7.x and PCA10028... It compiles OK but I immediately get a hard fault upon execution.

I don't know what I am doing wrong... Would it be possible to post a Keil 5 project that uses SDK 7.x and works with the nRF51-DK dev kit (PCA10028) with SoftDevice S110?

I have been bashing my head over various ways to get persistent storage to work over the last couple of weeks to no avail and there seems very little on the Internet regarding it.

Any help or pointers in the right direction (other than the SDK documentation that I have been over-and-over) would be very much appreciated! :)

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

max — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 08:59:56 GMT

With this solution i cannot write to Page n and then to page n+3

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Stefan Birnir Sverrisson — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 14:03:13 GMT

You can register for more than one page with a single pstorage_register command. Then you can write to more than one page, but the following rules apply:

One pstorage_clear command can only clear data within the same page
One pstorage_update command can only update data within the same page
One pstorage_store command can only write data to a single block
One pstorage_load command can only read data from a single block

Also, when registering for more than a single page, registered blocks must be page aligned.

E.g. registering 16 blocks each with 128 bytes is registering two whole pages since 128 * 16=2048. It is also page aligned since each page is 1024 bytes and 8*128=1024.

To clear the two pages you must issue two clear commands:

 pstorage_clear(&block_0_handle, 1024);
 pstorage_clear(&block_8_handle, 1024);

Update 28.10.2014 I include a pstorage sample code below. Hopefully you can use that code to overcome your issues. Report back with any complications.

ble_app_template_with_flash_operations.zip

Update 27.3.2015 The example above is tested with SDK 6.1, softdevice 7.0.0/7.1.0 and second revision nRF51 harware. It should also work with SDK 6.1, softdevice 7.1.0, and third revision nRF51 hardware. For further compatibility of different SDKs and softdevices, and to see the nRF51 hardware revision of the chip/board you have, see nRF51 compatibility matrix

Update 18.8.2015 Below is a similar pstorage example made for SDK 8.1 and softdevice S110 8.0.0

ble_app_template_with_pstorage_operations_nRF51DK.zip

Update 22.1.2016 Below is another pstorage example for SDK 8.1 and softdevice S110 8.0.0. Tested on nRF51-DK board. This example writes pstorage result on UART (instead of Segger RTT as in example from 18.8.2015). You can see the result in a UART terminal as e.g. Realterm (38,400 BAUD; no parity; 1 stop bit; flow control enabled).

ble_app_template_with_pstorage_SDK_8_1_0.zip

Update 1.9.2016 Here is the same pstorage example for nRF5 SDK 11

ble_app_template_with_pstorage_operations.zip

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

max — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 06:11:16 GMT

How i can move to next page?How it is managed with pstorage? thanks

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

John — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 21:30:53 GMT

Yes, the size of a page is 0x400 bytes.

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

max — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:44:14 GMT

The size of one page is 0x400 bytes?!

RE: How can i write 10kB of data to internal flash?

Wojtek — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 13:42:10 GMT

Have you tried requesting pstorage module for more blocks with smaller size?

Also, consider that writing to flash in loop is not good idea - product specification says flash endurance is about 20 000 write/erase cycles for each word.