[PATCH v4] Input: ads7846 - don't use scratch for tx_buf when clearing register

[PATCH v4] Input: ads7846 - don't use scratch for tx_buf when clearing register

[Kris Bahnsen]

The workaround for XPT2046 clears the command register, giving the
touchscreen controller a NOP. The change incorrectly re-uses the
req->scratch variable which is used as rx_buf for xfer[5], so by
the time xfer[6] occurs, the contents of req->scratch may not be
0. It was found that the touchscreen controller can end up in
a completely unresponsive state due to it being given a command
the driver does not expect.

Instead, rely on the spi_transfer behavior of tx_buf being NULL to
transmit all 0 bits and use the scratch variable for the rx_buf for
both the 1 byte command to and 2 byte response from the controller.

Also relocates the scratch member of struct ser_req to force it
into a different cache line to prevent any potential issues of
DMA stepping on unrelated data in other struct members due to
sharing the same cache line.

This change was tested on real TSC2046 and ADS7843 controllers,
but not the XPT2046 the workaround was originally created for.
Confirming that the original modification to clear the command
register does not impact either real controller.

Fixes: 781a07da9bb94 ("Input: ads7846 - add dummy command register clearing cycle")
Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
Co-developed-by: Mark Featherston <mark@embeddedTS.com>
Signed-off-by: Mark Featherston <mark@embeddedTS.com>
Signed-off-by: Kris Bahnsen <kris@embeddedTS.com>
---

V1 -> V2: Don't use rx_buf when clearing command reg
V2 -> V3: Modify original 2 xfer command to eliminate dev_err()
          output on xfer with len and NULL buffers
V3 -> V4: Move scratch to end of ser_req to force it to a new
          cache line.

V4 Note:  Change to moving scratch was tested against an SPI
          controller without DMA. We do not currently have a
          platform using this controller on an SPI bus supporting
          DMA.

 drivers/input/touchscreen/ads7846.c | 5 ++---
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/input/touchscreen/ads7846.c b/drivers/input/touchscreen/ads7846.c
index 4b39f7212d35..1ae1ae42582a 100644
--- a/drivers/input/touchscreen/ads7846.c
+++ b/drivers/input/touchscreen/ads7846.c
@@ -325,7 +325,6 @@ struct ser_req {
 	u8			ref_on;
 	u8			command;
 	u8			ref_off;
-	u16			scratch;
 	struct spi_message	msg;
 	struct spi_transfer	xfer[8];
 	/*
@@ -333,6 +332,7 @@ struct ser_req {
 	 * transfer buffers to live in their own cache lines.
 	 */
 	__be16 sample ____cacheline_aligned;
+	u16			scratch;
 };
 
 struct ads7845_ser_req {
@@ -403,8 +403,7 @@ static int ads7846_read12_ser(struct device *dev, unsigned command)
 	spi_message_add_tail(&req->xfer[5], &req->msg);
 
 	/* clear the command register */
-	req->scratch = 0;
-	req->xfer[6].tx_buf = &req->scratch;
+	req->xfer[6].rx_buf = &req->scratch;
 	req->xfer[6].len = 1;
 	spi_message_add_tail(&req->xfer[6], &req->msg);
 

base-commit: dd6c438c3e64a5ff0b5d7e78f7f9be547803ef1b
-- 
2.34.1

Re: [PATCH v4] Input: ads7846 - don't use scratch for tx_buf when clearing register

[Dmitry Torokhov]

On Thu, May 07, 2026 at 04:49:43PM +0000, Kris Bahnsen wrote:
> The workaround for XPT2046 clears the command register, giving the
> touchscreen controller a NOP. The change incorrectly re-uses the
> req->scratch variable which is used as rx_buf for xfer[5], so by
> the time xfer[6] occurs, the contents of req->scratch may not be
> 0. It was found that the touchscreen controller can end up in
> a completely unresponsive state due to it being given a command
> the driver does not expect.
> 
> Instead, rely on the spi_transfer behavior of tx_buf being NULL to
> transmit all 0 bits and use the scratch variable for the rx_buf for
> both the 1 byte command to and 2 byte response from the controller.
> 
> Also relocates the scratch member of struct ser_req to force it
> into a different cache line to prevent any potential issues of
> DMA stepping on unrelated data in other struct members due to
> sharing the same cache line.
> 
> This change was tested on real TSC2046 and ADS7843 controllers,
> but not the XPT2046 the workaround was originally created for.
> Confirming that the original modification to clear the command
> register does not impact either real controller.
> 
> Fixes: 781a07da9bb94 ("Input: ads7846 - add dummy command register clearing cycle")
> Cc: stable@vger.kernel.org
> Co-developed-by: Mark Featherston <mark@embeddedTS.com>
> Signed-off-by: Mark Featherston <mark@embeddedTS.com>
> Signed-off-by: Kris Bahnsen <kris@embeddedTS.com>
> ---
> 
> V1 -> V2: Don't use rx_buf when clearing command reg
> V2 -> V3: Modify original 2 xfer command to eliminate dev_err()
>           output on xfer with len and NULL buffers
> V3 -> V4: Move scratch to end of ser_req to force it to a new
>           cache line.
> 
> V4 Note:  Change to moving scratch was tested against an SPI
>           controller without DMA. We do not currently have a
>           platform using this controller on an SPI bus supporting
>           DMA.


Marek, any chance you could give it a quick spin?

Thanks!

-- 
Dmitry