Lpc2000

Kelvin,

For having nested interrupts, the processor needs to
be put in any other mode other than IRQ before
enabling the interrups. Otherwise the IRQ_LR would get
corrupted (System mode was invented for this purpose,
I guess).

There are several ways to exit from IRQ mode, but
should be returned to the address IRQ_LR - #4

Cheers,
-Mike.


--- Robert Adsett
<subscriptions@...> wrote:

> At 10:40 AM 10/9/04 -0700, you wrote:
> >This may be, perhaps, a bit off topic.
> 
> I'd call it on topic.
> 
> 
> >I'm trying to make sense of the IRQ modle of the
> ARM core on the lpc2124.  My
> >understanding of how this works is based on the ARM
> port to Linux, and the
> >ARM refrence manual.
> >
> >I'm a bit confused.
> >
> >On IRQ interrupt (not FIQ) the CPU switches to the
> ARM interrupt registers 
> >and
> >branches to the irq vector currently installed.
> 
> It does do a similar thing for the FIQ, just a
> different set of registers.
> 
> 
> >The ARM manual states that your ISR should do its
> thing, and to return 
> >back to
> >the interrupted state execute "subs pc lr 4"  or
> something very close (I'm
> >doing this from memory at the moment so the actual
> instruction may be a bit
> >different).
> 
> So far so good.
> 
> 
> >However; in Linux this happens the following way;
> >entry.S has the __irq_svr handler, that calls
> do_IRQ, now do_IRQ sometime
> >can / will re-enable interrupts.
> >
> >Now how can another IRQ happen before returning
> back to the non-IRQ 
> >register?
> >Wouldn't that mess things up if it one did?
> 
> Not if done correctly.  Several things have to
> happen to make this work.
> 
> - first the PSR of the interrupted process must be
> saved so that it can be 
> restored when the interrupt is finally exited
> - The return address has to be calculated and saved
> somewhere so it won't 
> be corrupted and can be used to exit the interrupt
> - Any necessary registers should be saved.
> 
> At this point interrupts can be reenabled. 
> Sometimes the code will change 
> processor modes to facilitate this.
> 
> Exiting from interrupts essentially reverses this
> process.
> 
> - The saved PSR is restored to the SPSR register
> - and the calculated return address is restored to
> R14
> - and finally the interrupt can be exited using an
> instruction like
> 
> movs    pc, r14
> 
> which tells the micro to return while changing modes
> and restoring the PSR 
> using the SPSR register.
> 
> The "ARM Architecture Reference Manual"  ARM ARM ?
> ;) is quite usefule for 
> going through the details.
> 
> Don't use the above as more than a rough guide,
> definitely check out the 
> details, but that should give you the general idea
> of how it works.
> 
> >My other problem is that I cannot find that magic
> opcode ("subs pc lr 4") to
> >return from the interrupt, is there another way to
> return the ARM processor
> >registers to non-IRQ register set?  Or is this just
> an Linux-ism.
> 
> Not a linux-ism, there are several ways to return
> from an interrupt.
> 
> Robert
> 
> " 'Freedom' has no meaning of itself.  There are
> always restrictions,
> be they legal, genetic, or physical.  If you don't
> believe me, try to
> chew a radio signal. "
> 
>                          Kelvin Throop, III
> 
> 



		
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