Adds FPGA-exclusive access to the onboard W25Q128JV SPI NOR flash for
weights/bias/network persistence, layered as spi_flash_master (raw SPI,
USRMCLK-driven) -> flash_copy_engine (flash<->PSRAM streaming, erase-
before-write, Page Program loop) -> flash_slot_manager (16-slot catalog
with CRC32), exposed via 8 new SPI opcodes (0x40-0x47). Fixes two
pre-existing bugs found during bring-up: a psram_controller.v request
lost during power-up, and a one-cycle-pulse race in the PSRAM arbiter
request handshake. Full simulation + real Yosys/nextpnr-ecp5 synthesis
verification (0 errors, Fmax 66.68MHz) in WORKLOG.md and
docs/FPGA-Neural-Flash-Subsystem-Verification.md.
Also updates docs/pinout to reflect the 56-signal real .lpf (3 new
flash pins) and documents the WRITE_RAM/READ_RAM host backpressure
risk found while testing this subsystem.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_013xXuuRUWZScuo1DeYJxs3v
Bumps ADDR_WIDTH's default from 22 to 23 bits across every RTL
module (neuron_memory, layer_sequencer, spi_engine, spi_neuron_top,
mem_arbiter, int8_memory_access, memory_interface, psram_controller,
memory_model) and every testbench that mirrors it, so the system's
byte-address space reaches the full 8 MiB the recommended PSRAM part
(ISSI IS66WVE4M16EBLL-70BLI, docs/FPGA-Neural-Hardware-Design.md §3)
actually provides -- previously only 4 MiB (half the chip) was
reachable, since int8_memory_access.v's byte->word address shift
(addr >> 1) turned the old 22-bit byte address into only 21 real word
bits, one short of the chip's real 22-bit word address (A0-A21). At
23 bits, that same shift lands exactly on all 22 chip address lines,
so the whole part is usable now instead of deferred to a future
widening.
Also fixes a stray 22'd11-sized literal in layer_sequencer.v's
descriptor-table address increment (numerically already safe via
Verilog's zero-extension, but now correctly unsized so it always
matches ADDR_WIDTH instead of silently assuming 22).
Updated docs/FPGA-NeuralNetwork-Engine.md's SPI protocol address-field
note (23 bits, top 1 reserved bit instead of 2) and
docs/FPGA-Neural-Hardware-Design.md's PSRAM section (the "chip has
one spare address line" framing is gone now that all 22 are wired
and used).
Full regression (all 11 ADDR_WIDTH-touching testbenches, plus a
Yosys elaboration check of spi_neuron_top with the new default and
no override) passes clean.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01WQV3vS9TXaGDJ5cRfnfidt
Wires the already-present layer_sequencer.v into the SPI stack:
- spi_engine.v: RUN_NETWORK opcode (0x23) + SET_BASE selectors for
table_base/buf_a_base/buf_b_base; STATUS.busy/done extended to
track the sequencer (seq_busy/seq_done) alongside neuron_memory
directly, so done latches on the last layer only.
- spi_neuron_top.v: instantiates layer_sequencer, muxes
neuron_memory's control inputs between it (while seq_busy) and
spi_engine's direct-drive path (legacy single-layer mode), wires
the sequencer's own RAM master to mem_arbiter's Port C.
Found and fixed a real race while writing the end-to-end test: STATUS's
sticky/clear-on-read done bit read its value live/combinationally
during transmission and cleared unconditionally on any STATUS read.
A done_event landing mid-transmission of a STATUS response byte could
be silently dropped -- the host would receive a stale byte while the
sticky bit was cleared regardless, hanging any host polling STATUS in
a loop. Present since Phase 4, not RUN_NETWORK-specific; only
surfaced under this test's continuous polling. Fixed by latching a
status_snapshot at opcode-accept time and gating the clear on what
was actually transmitted.
Tests: spi_engine_tb.v gains RUN_NETWORK/SET_BASE opcode tests (K/L);
new layer_sequencer_tb.v unit-tests the sequencer FSM directly
(descriptor table, ping-pong buffer addressing, byte-exact copy-out);
new spi_neuron_top_runnetwork_tb.v drives a real 2-layer network over
simulated SPI end to end (real neuron_memory + PSRAM, hand-computed
expected output) and confirms the legacy single-layer path still
works afterward. All existing testbenches still pass.
Implements the rest of the SPI interface (docs §8.1) on top of
spi_slave.v from the previous commit:
- rtl/spi_engine.v: opcode FSM + register bank, all 8 opcodes (NOP,
WRITE_RAM, READ_RAM, RESET, SET_BASE, START, STATUS, READ_OUTPUT,
READ_CONFIG). tx_byte is driven combinationally from live state
(not reactively on tx_byte_req), applying the prefetch-vs-consume
contract documented on spi_slave.v. STATUS.done is a sticky,
clear-on-read latch. RAM master port uses the same byte-level
convention as neuron_memory.v's external mem_* port.
- rtl/mem_arbiter.v: fixed-priority (neuron_memory > spi_engine)
grant-and-forward arbiter sharing one byte-level memory port
between spi_engine's WRITE_RAM/READ_RAM and neuron_memory's own
X/W/bias reads during a run.
- rtl/spi_neuron_top.v: full integration -- spi_slave -> spi_engine
-> mem_arbiter -> a single shared int8_memory_access ->
memory_interface -> psram_controller -> PSRAM pins. neuron_memory's
rst is global rst OR'd with the RESET opcode's soft-reset pulse.
The host has no direct electrical path to the RAM, only through
this chain.
Testing:
- sim/spi_engine_tb.v: 10 tests (one per opcode + WRITE_RAM/READ_RAM,
START idle-vs-busy, STATUS sticky/clear-on-read, extra-MOSI-bytes-
ignored, back-to-back transactions) against a synthetic 2-cycle-
latency RAM model, isolating the opcode FSM from PSRAM timing.
Found and fixed two testbench-only bugs (RTL needed no change):
the same delta-zero clock-edge race as spi_slave_tb.v (blocking
`nm_done=1` landing on the same sim time as a posedge -- fixed via
negedge-based pulsing) and a missing RAM sentinel initialization.
- sim/spi_neuron_top_tb.v: end-to-end test against the **real**
psram_model.v (not a mock) -- RESET/READ_CONFIG/WRITE_RAM/
READ_RAM/SET_BASE/START/STATUS/READ_OUTPUT all driven purely over
simulated SPI. 3/3 scenarios (sum, saturation, ReLU) pass on the
first attempt; confirms the arbiter and shared byte<->word bridge
are correct against real PSRAM timing, not just a synthetic mock.
Real-toolchain verification (Yosys + nextpnr-ecp5 + ecppack):
spi_slave.v and spi_engine.v synthesize clean and comfortably clear
80 MHz in isolation (403 MHz / 191 MHz, no DSP usage). The full
spi_neuron_top.v integration, however, does NOT meet 80 MHz
(~52-56 MHz depending on PARALLEL) -- the critical path is entirely
inside neuron_parallel.v's existing saturation comparator (no
contribution from the new SPI/arbiter logic), but its routed delay
is ~57% worse than in the isolated benchmark due to placement/
routing congestion once SPI + PSRAM logic shares the fabric with
it, not resource exhaustion (2% DSP usage). Documented as a Phase
4/7 finding in docs/FPGA-NeuralNetwork-Engine.md -- a floorplanning/
pipelining problem for Phase 7, not a functional-correctness issue
(verified independently in simulation against real PSRAM timing).
Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01WQV3vS9TXaGDJ5cRfnfidt
micheleandClaude Sonnet 5