Files
rebbarb/gc_bba_test
Roflin 2458884160 Rework the EXI decoder to the real GC<->BBA protocol
Replaces the invented 2-byte header (addr split across both bytes, 2-bit
length field) with the protocol libogc and Swiss actually speak:

  command  (bit7=0, 6-bit reg)   [reg, 00, 00, data]  one 4-byte transfer
  register (bit7=1, 16-bit reg)  [0x80|w<<6, ah, al, 00] + data until CS

This was not an optimisation: the old decoder read Swiss's NWAYS read
(80 00 31 00) as 'write 0x31 to NCRA', and bit 0 of 0x31 is RESET, so every
register read would have reset the device.

Changes:
  * 16-bit address; no length field -- register reads and writes now stream
    until CS, like the SPRAM path already did
  * RHDR_LO starts the SPRAM fetch as soon as the address completes, using
    the trailing header byte as the prefetch window the protocol provides
  * command space serves EXI regs 0x02/0x03 (interrupt mask/status), the only
    two Swiss uses
  * EXI_GetID gets its own path: it offers just ONE header byte of warning, so
    the first ID byte is pushed the instant byte 0 identifies the query

Two timing subtleties, both found by simulation and commented in place:
  * MISO is driven LIVE from the tx FIFO head, so a byte pushed while the pad
    byte is on the wire appears in the pad slot.  A filler byte is parked
    there (MISO is don't-care through the header) so the first real response
    lands in data slot 0.
  * the prefetch must be one-shot; re-firing while waiting for the pad byte
    consumed the register stream early and shifted reads by a byte.

All testbenches updated to the real format and passing: bba_register_file
(7), bba_top (8 incl. the full W5100->SPRAM->GC loop and TX), exi_j4,
exi_capture, spi_mode3_slave, tx_frame_drain, spram_arbiter,
rx_frame_assembler, w5100_parallel_master.  gc_bba_test rebuilt against the
new protocol.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-10-03 11:58:52 +02:00
..

re-bba-rb — on-console test suite (GameCube)

A .dol you run from Swiss that drives the adapter in Serial Port 1 and reports pass/fail per test on the TV.

Build

Needs devkitPro's gamecube-dev group (devkitPPC + libogc). The devcontainer installs it — if DEVKITPPC is unset, rebuild the container, since the toolchain is added in .devcontainer/Dockerfile.

make            # -> gc_bba_test.dol

Copy the .dol to your SD card (SD Gecko / SD2SP2) and launch it from Swiss.

Controls

Button
D-pad up/down move
A open a suite / rerun the selected test
X run the selected suite
START run everything
Y clear all results
B back

What it tests

Suite Proves
Identity device enumerates: 04 02 02 00, HIPR, NWAYS
Registers PAR0–5, IMR writable and read back; IR is write-1-clear
Reset/control NCRA RESET self-clears, SR holds
EXI integrity 200 reads with no bit errors; which EXI clock indices work
Ethernet MAC readback, 60-byte ARP transmit (TI), frame receive (RWP/RI)
SPRAM/DMA ring descriptor is well-formed; reads ≥ 0x100 stream until CS

Things that will bite you

The device ID is a ONE-SHOT. Address 0 returns 04 02 02 00 only until the first NCRA reset clears id_phase in the gateware; after that it reads back NCRA. That is correct — it matches the GC's own init order — but it means the Identity test can only pass once per console power cycle. Run it before the Reset suite. On a re-run the app reports SKIP with an explanation rather than a misleading failure.

TI is not proof of transmission. It only means TXFrameDrain handed the frame to the W5100. A frame can set TI and never reach the wire. The TX test says so; to confirm the wire, capture on a PC or watch the RX test pick up a reply.

The RX test needs traffic. It waits ~2 s for any frame. On an isolated link with nothing talking it will fail legitimately — give the PC an address on the same subnet (the ARP the TX test sends is aimed at 10.0.0.50, so sudo ip addr add 10.0.0.50/24 dev <nic> makes the PC answer it and both tests pass together).

Never over-clock a register read. Asking for N bytes and clocking more leaves stale prefetched bytes queued and desynchronises the next transaction — a deterministic every-Nth-read corruption that looks like a signal-integrity fault. bba_read() clocks exactly len; don't "round up" for convenience.

TXDATA takes one byte per transaction. The register file's effective address auto-increments per data byte, so a 4-byte write to 0x48 would spill into 0x49–0x4B. bba_tx_bytes() does it correctly.

Build status

Builds clean (no warnings) with devkitPPC 16.1.0 / GCC 16 in the devcontainer: gc_bba_test.dol, ~172 KB, entry 0x80003100.

.gitignore excludes the build products — run make to produce the .dol.