[alsa-devel] [PATCH 0/3] ASoC: Enable a new IC master mode: bcm2835<=>IC<=>cs42xx8

[Matt Flax]

On 27/02/17 01:49, Matthias Reichl wrote:
> On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 09:13:09AM +1100, Matt Flax wrote:
>> On 26/02/17 00:39, Matthias Reichl wrote:
>>> On Sat, Feb 25, 2017 at 04:03:11PM +1100, Matt Flax wrote:
>>>> This patch set lets the ASoC system specify that an IC between the SoC and codec
>>>> is master. This is intended to put both the SoC and Codec into slave modes.
>>>>
>>>> By default un-patched SoC and Codec drivers will return -EINVAL if they aren't
>>>> enabled and tested for this mode.
>>>>
>>>> soc-dia.h has the new SND_SOC_DAIFMT_IBM_IFM definition set as :
>>>> #define SND_SOC_DAIFMT_IBM_IFM		(5 << 12) /* IC clk & FRM master */
>>>>
>>>> The cs42xx8 codec driver is enabled for this mode and so too is the BCM2835
>>>> SoC driver. This forms a chain : bcm2835<=>IC<=>cs42xx8
>>>> where the IC is bit and frame master.
>>> Model your IC as a codec. No need to add patches to random drivers
>>> and add a flag with the rather meaningless semantics "someone else is
>>> automagically setting up clocks for me".
>>>
>>>
>> My last patch, used the two codec approach, however it was pointed out that
>> the
>> bcm2835 was run in DSP mode with a codec master (rather then IC master) and
>> that
>> the patch doesn't work. Which is clearly true and a problem, it can only
>> work with an
>> intermediate non-codec master.
>>
>> I think you summed it up well with your statement :
>>
>> On 25/02/17 Matthias Reichl wrote:
>> If the clock timing adheres to DSP mode A timing and you add code
>> to the the CPU DAI driver so it can operate in DSP mode A then
>> that should also work. If not, it's broken.
> Your bcm2835 patch doesn't configure the bcm2835 to DSP mode A,
> it's still setup for I2S (slave) mode. You are just adding code
> to pretend it's running in DSP mode A. Don't do that, it's wrong.

All configuration is done in a machine driver, which I haven't submitted.
The machine driver's dai_fmt is as follows :

.dai_fmt = SND_SOC_DAIFMT_IBM_IFM|SND_SOC_DAIFMT_DSP_A|SND_SOC_DAIFMT_NB_NF,

>> This patch set fixes the problem of a daisy chain of three possible masters
>> (CPU <=> IC <=> codec) where only the IC can be master. In fact, when retro
>> fitting DSP mode to old silicon, the CPU can specify which of the three can
>> be masters
>> and there is no chance that someone can fire the system up with the wrong
>> master
>> (which we know produces bit offset and random channel swapping when a codec
>> is
>> master).
> Please follow the advice I gave you about 3 weeks ago and model your
> setup properly.
>
> | So you have bcm2835 I2S <-> FPGA <-> codec - IOW a standard codec<->codec
> | link.
> |
> | What you seem to be missing is just a method to transfer your 8-channel
> | data via a 2-channel link - userspace want's to see an 8-channel PCM,
> | but the hardware link (bcm2835-i2s) is only 2-channel.
> |
> | And that's where IMO as userspace plugin looks like a very good solution.
> | It's basically the counterpart of your FPGA and contains the code that's
> | neccessary to encapsulate/pack/whatever the 8-channel data into a 2-channel
> | stream so it can then be unpacked to 8-channel by the FPGA.
> |
> | If you go this route your hardware and machine driver will work with
> | other I2S codecs as well, and IMO that's a far better solution than
> | adding very ugly hacks to a single I2S driver.
>
> If you add an active hardware component (your "IC"/FPGA) you also
> have to model that in software.
>
> If that component is acting as a clock master it probably has some
> method to setup clocks. Even if you don't have that, eg if you
> are running at some fixed rate you'll have to store that information
> somewhere.

Clocks are set up in the machine driver as well.

>
> The place to do that is in a codec driver. In your setup it'll look
> like this:
>
> That "IC" codec has 2 DAIs and operates as a clock master on both.
> You link one DAI in I2S mode to the bcm2835 and the other DAI
> in DSP (or whatever mode you are using) to the cs42xx8.
>
> If you model it this way you no longer work against ALSA and
> you can stop adding hacks to existing drivers.
>
>
Thanks, this is actually very constructive advice. Let me try to 
understand what
you are suggesting here... I am confused about how to set bit depth 
correctly for
the codec when I play to the IC chip in this setup... lets walk me 
through this one...

I implement a new codec which matches this IC. The IC can be setup to be 
master in
its dai fmt. The sound card shows up with two devices, only the IC 
device can be used to play
and record.

Say I use aplay to play to the first device (the IC chip) it does 
hw_params and clocks are set.
But the second device (the codec) never gets hw_params executed ? If I 
select 16 or 24 bits,
it never knows ... is that right ? If so, how do we solve this problem ?

thanks
Matt