NIOS Interrupts
Last updated 8/20/20
NIOS Interrupts
These slides describe the interrupt controllers for the
NIOS system
Upon completion: You should be able to implement
an interrupt controller in a NIOS system
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• 2 Options for dealing with interrupts
• Internal Interrupt Controller – IIC
• External Interrupt Controller - EIC
• The IIC has two versions
• Legacy API
• Enhanced API
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• On an interrupt or exception the processor
• Saves the current status
• Disables HW interrupts
• Saves the next execution address (Program Counter)
• Transfers control to the exception handler
• What about all the registers?
• NIOS supports shadow registers
• Removes the need to save the registers to the stack
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• Support for 32 interrupt signals
• Interrupt # indicates inverse priority**
• We set these in QSYS
** Managed by the HAL SW
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• The HAL Internal Interrupt framework uses a single
exception controller
• We set the address for the “exception handler” when we instantiate
the NIOS II processor
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• The single Exception handler
• Handles exceptions and interrupts
• Exception handler keeps a table of ISR priorities
• To be included in the table – we must “register” the IRQ
of each module
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• Enhanced Exception Handler Functions
• ALT_ENHANCED_INTERRUPT_API_PRESENT in system.h
alt_ic_isr_register()
alt_ic_irq_disable()
alt_ic_irq_enable()
alt_irq_disable_all()
alt_irq_enable_all()
alt_ic_irq_enabled()
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• Legacy Exception Handler Functions
• ALT_LEGACY_INTERRUPT_API_PRESENT in system.h
alt_irq_register() alt_irq_interruptible()
alt_irq_disable() alt_irq_non_interruptible()
alt_irq_enable() alt_ic_irq_enabled()
alt_irq_disable_all()
alt_irq_enable_all()
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• ISR register function - prototype
int alt_ic_isr_register(
alt_u32 ic_id, // interrupt controller ID
alt_u32 irq, // interrupt ID
alt_isr_func isr, // isr name
void * isr_context, // pointer to any passed context
void * flags // reserved - 0
);
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• Register prototype
interrupt controller ID – not used with IIC - 0
interrupt ID – from system.h
isr name – your choice
pointer to any passed context – e.g PIO input value
this can be any type → needs a “void” pointer
#define SW_PIO_HAS_IN 1
#define SW_PIO_HAS_OUT 0
#define SW_PIO_HAS_TRI 0
#define SW_PIO_IRQ 10
#define SW_PIO_IRQ_INTERRUPT_CONTROLLER_ID 0
#define SW_PIO_IRQ_TYPE "EDGE"
#define SW_PIO_NAME "/dev/sw_pio"
#define SW_PIO_RESET_VALUE 0
#define SW_PIO_SPAN 16
#define SW_PIO_TYPE "altera_avalon_pio"
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – Interrupts
• ISR prototype
void isr(void * context)
void pointers do not have a type
void pointers can point to any type
void pointers cannot be dereferenced
void pointers can be cast to any type
pointer arithmetic is not allowed with void pointers
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NIOS Interrupts
• HAL Framework – process
int
Choose a name Create a global
foo
for ISR variable
Create a void * void *
pointer to the foo_ptr
global variable
Register the ISR – passing context
the context in via the
void * pointer
increment
Create an cast foo
appropriate type
pointer
int *
Cast the context void * my_ptr
ISR pointer to the appropriate
type pointer
Modify the appropriate (*my_ptr)++;
type pointer as usual
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