Programming CSR Bluecore chip

Wireless & IoT
6

Hi there I will try to answer you quickly:

According to your information below I will give near the answers:

In my project , I guess I need to do the following:

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  1. Make the Bluecore4 Module as standalone without MCU so have to program the VM app to contain a OPP profiles app.

Answers1: Yes you need to program the Flash memory using the BlueLab.

From version BlueLab 4.1 you can use new firmwares where you can program in Native Mode. Which mean your application can run up x100 faster because the are will be in the same access level as the BlueStack and not in Virtual Mode, where your application is isolated.

And ofcause the advantages of Native Mode is that your application can be as much as you want. I mean that it can use all the available Flash Memory of it. Where in VM you have a lot of limitiation in space of Flash and SRAM.

  1. To extract the Firmware from the BlueCore4-Ext FLASH.

Answer2: You can extract the firmware from BlueCore4 but it will be in binary format. So how you will work with this data? I think this is wrong approach. You need to use BlueLab and the OEM firmware by CSR. Or at least the preloaded Casira Firmware which exist in BlueLab but I am not sure if it will work properly in pure chip which you will use in your design.

Because the preload firmware in BlueLab was decided specialy for Casira Development board. But for simple project probably will work even on single BlueCore4-External like Mitsumi WML-C46AHR. But I suggest you to manage to find the proper firmware.

So during your development and compiling and linking you will set in BlueLab the setting for merge the firmware with your application code. So it will create binary data firmware which you can load later on your chip. This is the right way.

  1. To edit and program the extracted Firmware (eg. LM layer)
Answer3: Read the Answer2.
  1. Reload back the VM app + Modified Firmware to BlueCore4-EXT flash.
Answer4: Read the Answer2.

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Questions:

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  • What is really stored inside the BlueCore4-EXT Flash (firmware) ? Does it contain the whole Stack including Link Controller (LC-baseband), Link Manager(LM), HCI or even higher layer like L2CAP/RFCOMM ?

Answer5: Yes it contain everything from HCI to upper layers and Profiles.

In the first version of BlueCore1 and maybe so other they had only HCI layers. But now they have complete Bluetooth Stack with RFCOMM, L2CAP and Profiles also.

  • If Yes, then can we extract it and modify especially the Link Manager (LM) layer code and reload back the whole assembled firmware back to the bluecore4-ext FLASH iC ?
Answer6: I dont know maybe you can if you know what to extract and how work with the binary data which you will have.

But you need to understant the think which you want to do is like hacking. And it will take to you a long time. Because not documentation is available on that area. Because this is No How of the company and their create their Bluetooth Stack for their hardware. Which already compiled in their internal application development and supply to customers. So only CSR can have access to this information and know exactly what and how is working. Do not try to find this information on internet because it only probaly available on the intranet of CSR company and only there.

  • I don’t know if I can use BlueLab or BlueSuite or need to get some other tools to do the above?
Answer7: If you can find the CSR internal development tools then you can do your job. But, as you understand you will need to design your software for that.
  • I am not supplied with any firmware from CSR, but the module should have preloaded bluecore4-ext firmware. Where can we get the firmware for BlueCore4-EXT beside from CSR?
Answer8: I know only one way: the CSR.

I have to ask you because CSR support won’t answer any technical question and won’t even allow us to access any CSR app notes,datasheet and reference unless we buy their $3000 Casira kit. How sad is it that we plan to use their IC in our project and that is the “NO-Support” level we got from them.

Answers9: And why you think that somebody need to answer to you when you are not their client? But I can tell you that if you will be their client, you will have their support 100% So, just look the reality. Every company have their strategy so you have two choices follow them or not.

Many many many Thanks to you and I really appreciate your help on this.

Hope this help you in some way.

Regards

Thanks.