Re: [alsa-devel] Query on Audio DMA using DMAEngine

[Mike Looijmans <mike.looijmans@topic.nl>]

On 07/03/2013 07:55 PM, Joel Fernandes wrote:
> Copying some more lists are we're also discussing the DMA controller in the
> SoCs. Thanks.
>
> On 07/03/2013 04:43 AM, Mark Brown wrote:
>> On Wed, Jul 03, 2013 at 11:09:22AM +0200, Lars-Peter Clausen wrote:
>>> On 07/02/2013 02:13 PM, Mark Brown wrote:
>>
>>>> This sort of cyclic thing tends to be best, ideally you don't need
>>>> interrupts at all (other than a timer).
>>
>>> Yes, this is usually how it is done. But I'm wondering maybe the EDMA
>>> controller only has a small total amount of slots available.
>>
>> Well, you don't need particularly many slots so long as you can cope
>> with a large period size.
>
> Hi Mark,
>
> When would it not be possible to cope with a large period size? Are there any
> guidelines on what to consider when fixing a period size?
>
> I see tegra and aux1x go upto .period_bytes_min = 1024
>
> About slots, following are no.of slots on some SoCs with EDMA:
>
> am1808 - 96 slots available + 32 taken up for channel but can be reused with
> some changes.
> am335x - 172 slots available + 64 taken up for channels
>
> On a slightly different note, about buffer_bytes_max, is there any drawback to
> setting it to a smaller value? Currently 128K is about what is used on davinci-pcm.
> My idea is to map to do the direct mapping to IRAM if the IRAM transfers are
> really what are preventing the under runs, but 128K will be too much for the
> buffer as we don't have that much IRAM infact it is just the boundary on am33xx
> (128K)

In any case, using the IRAM directly might have some use, because you 
don't have to compete for the DDRRAM with other devices. But I never 
understood what the ping-ping via IRAM was supposed to accomplish, I 
don't see why McASP -> IRAM -> DDRRAM (or the other way around) would be 
better than just McASP -> DDRRAM. Especially since the McASP has a 
built-in 256 byte FIFO buffer on both channels. In all my measurements, 
using the IRAM ping-pong only made things worse in terms of overruns and 
underruns, not better.

Anyone who know why the ping-pong was implemented and what kind of usage 
it was intended for?

Mike.