AN1484

AN1484
Recommended Usage of Microchip 23XX512/23XX1024 Serial SRAM Devices
Author:
There are a number of conditions which could
potentially result in non-standard operation. The most
important of them are discussed in this application
note. This application note is written for the 23XX512/
23XX1024 family of devices. For the 23XX256/
23XX640 please refer to AN1245.
Martin Bowman
Microchip Technology Inc.
INTRODUCTION
This application note provides assistance and
guidance with the use of Microchip advanced serial
SRAMs. These recommendations are not meant as
requirements, however, their adoption will lead to a
more robust overall design. This document should be
used along with the device data sheet. The following
topics are discussed:
Many embedded systems require some amount of
volatile storage for temporary data. This is increasingly
true when enabling the “Internet of things”. Because of
their small footprint, low I/O pin requirement, low-power
consumption and low cost, serial SRAMs are a popular
choice for volatile storage. Microchip Technology has
addressed this need by offering a line of serial SRAMs
using the industry standard SPI-based communication.
Serial SRAM devices are available in a number of
density offerings, operational voltage ranges and
packaging options. The serial SRAM products offer an
alternative to the traditional parallel architecture that
saves both board area and also I/O count on the MCU.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
In order to achieve a highly robust application when
utilizing serial SRAMs, the designer must consider
more than just the data sheet specifications.
TABLE 1:
Input Considerations
Power Supply
SPI/SDI and SQI High-Speed Serial Connections
MODE Register
HOLD Operation
Operating Modes
VBAT Operation
Not all of Microchip SRAM devices support all available
features. The features supported by each device are
summarized in the table below:
DEVICE FEATURES
Density
Voltage Range
Hold Pin
SPI
SDI
SQI
VBAT
Support
Pages
23A512
512K Bits
1.7-2.2 V
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
32B x 2048
23LC512
512K Bits
2.5-5.5 V
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
32B x 2048
23LCV512
512K Bits
2.5-5.5 V
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
32B x 2048
Device
23A1024
1024K Bits
1.7-2.2 V
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
32B x 4096
23LC1024
1024K Bits
2.5-5.5 V
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
32B x 4096
23LCV1024
1024K Bits
2.5-5.5 V
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
32B x 4096
RECOMMENDED CONNECTIONS
Figure 1 through Figure 3 show the recommended
connections for the serial SRAM device when using
SPI, SDI and SQI serial communications. The pin
designated as NU in the schematics is not used in the
referenced configuration and should be treated as
shown in the schematic.
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS01484A-page 1
AN1484
FIGURE 1:
RECOMMENDED CONNECTIONS FOR SPI OPERATION
VCC
CS
SO
NU
VSS
To Master
1
2
3
4
23Axxx
23LCxxx
VCC
8
7
6
5
VCC
HOLD
SCK
SI
To Master
SPI Mode – No VBAT
VCC
VCC
CS
SO
NU
VSS
1
2
3
4
23LCVxxx
To Master
8
7
6
5
Backup
VCC
Supply
VBAT
SCK
SI
To Master
SPI Mode – VBAT
Note :
A decoupling capacitor (typically 0.1 F) should be used on VCC.
Pull-up resistors should be chosen based on the application (10K Suggested).
FIGURE 2:
RECOMMENDED CONNECTIONS FOR SDI OPERATION
VCC
VCC
1
2
3
4
23Axxx
23LCxxx
CS
SIO1
NU
VSS
To Master
8
7
6
5
VCC
HOLD
SCK
SIO0
To Master
SDI Mode – No VBAT
CS
SIO1
NU
VSS
VCC
1
2
3
4
23LCVxxx
VCC
8
7
6
5
Backup
VCC
Supply
VBAT
SCK
SIO0
To Master
SDI Mode – VBAT
Note :
DS01484A-page 2
A decoupling capacitor (typically 0.1 F) should be used on VCC.
Pull-up resistors should be chosen based on the application (10K Suggested).
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN1484
FIGURE 3:
RECOMMENDED CONNECTIONS FOR SQI OPERATION
To Master
VCC
CS
SIO1
SIO2
VSS
1
2
3
4
23Axxx
23LCxxx
VCC
8
7
6
5
VCC
SIO3
SCK
SIO0
To Master
SQI Mode
Note :
A decoupling capacitor (typically 0.1 F) should be used on VCC.
Pull-up resistors should be chosen based on the application (10K Suggested).
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS01484A-page 3
AN1484
INPUT CONSIDERATIONS
It is never good practice to leave an input pin floating.
This can cause high standby current as well as
undesired functionality. If a pin is left floating, it can
either float low or high. Which direction the signal goes
is dependent upon a number of factors, including noise
in the system and capacitive coupling. Because of this,
the level seen by the input circuitry is relatively random
and likely to change during operation.
Such unpredictable input levels can have devastating
effects on device operation. For example, Microchip’s
SPI serial SRAMs feature a HOLD pin on some devices
which allows the user to suspend the clock mid-stream.
If this pin were to float low (active), the device would no
longer react to any clock pulses received, communication would be disrupted and data potentially lost or
corrupted.
Therefore, any unused input pins should always be tied
to a proper level, such as high for an active-low input.
Moreover, it is recommended that, if the microcontroller
has extra, tri-state I/O pins available, connections be
made to these unused inputs along with a pull-down/
pull-up resistor, as shown in Figure 1. This will allow for
the inputs to be used at a later date simply by modifying
firmware.
Although the CS pin should always be driven by the
microcontroller during normal operation, it has potential
for floating during power-down/power-up. As such, this
pin should also have a pull-up resistor to avoid
undesired commands due to noise during these
conditions.
POWER SUPPLY
Microchip SPI serial SRAMs feature a robust serial
communication protocol that helps to prevent
unintentional writes and data corruption while power is
within normal operating levels. But, certain
considerations should be made regarding power-up
and power-down conditions to ensure the same level of
protection during those times when power is not within
normal operating levels.
As shown in Figure 1, a decoupling capacitor (typically
0.1 F) should be used to help filter out small ripples on
VCC.
However, if VCC happens to fall below the minimum
retention voltage of the device (see data sheet DC
Characteristics), it is recommended that VCC be
brought down fully to 0V before returning to normal
operating level. This will help to ensure that the device
is reset properly.
Furthermore, if the microcontroller features a Brownout Reset with a threshold higher than that of the serial
SRAM, bringing VCC down to 0V will allow both devices
to be reset together. Otherwise, the microcontroller
may reset during communication while the SRAM is still
in an operational condition.
Power Failure During a Write
During the time that data is being written to the SRAM
VDD should remain above the minimum operating
voltage. If at any time VDD drops below this minimum
voltage but remains above the retention voltage, (as
specified in the product data sheet) care should be
taken to ensure that the data written to the device is
free from errors.
SPI OPERATION
During normal SPI operation the following pins are
used for device communication:
•
•
•
•
CS – Chip Select active low
SO – Data from the SRAM
SI – Data to the SRAM
SCK – Serial data clock
Pin 3 – SIO2 (available on 23AXXX and 23LCXXX
devices) is used for SQI mode of operation. As this is
an input pin, this should not be left floating. This pin
may be connected to either VSS or VCC. It is recommended that this pin be connected to VCC in the event
that the device enters SQI mode, as this pin will need
to be high to exit SQI.
For the 23LCVXXX devices, pin 3 is internally tied high,
so can be treated as a true No Connect.
SDI OPERATION
SDI operation uses the same physical pins as SPI,
however, both the SI and SO pins become SIO0 and
SIO1.
Power-Up
On power-up, VCC should always begin at 0V and rise
straight to its normal operating level to ensure a proper
Power-on Reset. VCC should not remain at an
ambiguous level (i.e., below the minimum operating
voltage).
DS01484A-page 4
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN1484
Pin 3 – SIO2 (available on 23AXXX and 23LCXXX
devices) is used for SQI mode of operation. As this is
an input pin, it should not be left floating. It may be
connected to either VSS or VCC. It is recommended that
this pin be connected to VCC in the event that the
device enters SQI mode, as this pin will need to be high
to exit SQI mode. The following pins are used in SDI
communication mode:
•
•
•
•
CS – Chip Select active low
SIO0 – Bidirectional data line (LSB)
SIO1 – Bidirectional data line (MSB)
SCK – Serial data clock
To enter SDI mode of operation the EDIO command
must be issued. Upon completion of this command, the
device will be expecting data and commands to be
issued in SDI mode. The device can return to SPI mode
by issuing the RSTIO command.
In SDI mode data is sent to the SRAM on the rising
edge of the clock, 2 bits per clock, with both the SIO0
and SIO1 pins being bidirectional. In this mode, the
data rate to and from the serial SRAM is 2x SPI mode.
As there is a finite time for both the SIO0 and SIO1 lines
to change from input to output when reading data from
the device, there is a dummy byte inserted between the
address and the first data byte clocked from the SRAM,
as shown in the product data sheet.
SQI OPERATION
SQI mode operates on the same principle as SDI, however, there are four bidirectional data lines. Because of
the extra data line, the HOLD function is disabled and
VBAT is not available when operating in SQI mode. The
following pins are used in SQI communication mode:
•
•
•
•
•
•
MODE REGISTER
Microchip SPI serial SRAMs feature a MODE register.
The MODE register is used to control features of the
device and is a read/write register. Bits within the
MODE register are used to control the operating mode:
• Byte mode
• Page mode
• Sequential mode
The MODE register is accessed through the Read
Mode Register (RDMR) and Write Mode Register (WRMR)
commands. Unused bits should always be written as
‘0’.
HOLD FEATURE
The HOLD feature is not available on devices with
VBAT support (23LCVXXX) or when SQI mode is
enabled.
OPERATING MODES
The Microchip serial SRAM has three operating
modes.
Byte Mode
Byte mode is selected when bits <7:6> in the STATUS
register are set to ‘00’. In this mode, all read and write
operations are limited to the byte that is addressed,
with the address clocked into the device after the
instruction. The user can read or write to the same byte
continuously until the CS line is brought high,
terminating the command. The internal Address
Pointer is not incremented.
CS – Chip Select active low
SIO0 – Bidirectional data line (LSB)
SIO1 – Bidirectional data line
SIO2 – Bidirectional data line
SIO3 – Bidirectional data line (MSB)
SCK – Serial data clock
To enter SQI mode of operation the EQIO command
must be issued. Upon completion of this command, the
device will be expecting data and commands to be
issued in SQI mode. The device can return to SPI
mode by issuing the RSTIO command.
In SQI mode data is sent to the SRAM on the rising
edge of the clock, 4 bits per clock, giving 4x the data
throughput of standard SPI mode.
As there is a finite time for the bidirectional data lines to
change from input to output when reading data from the
device, there is a dummy byte inserted between the
address and the first data byte clocked from the SRAM.
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS01484A-page 5
AN1484
Page Mode
Page mode is selected when bits <7:6> in the STATUS
register are set to ‘10’. In this mode, read and write
operations are limited to the current page that is addressed,
with the address following the instruction.
The serial SRAM has a page size of 32 bytes, with
either 2048 pages (23XXX512) or 4096 pages
(23XXX1024). In Page mode the user can either read
data from or write data to the current page. As the
internal Address Pointer is incremented, at the end of
the page boundary it will roll over to the beginning of the
current page. If a write is being executed, the data at
the beginning of the page will be overwritten. The
address sent after the instruction does not have to be
aligned to a page boundary.
When using a backup supply based around a Super
Cap, the following schematic shows the recommended
external connections. D1 and D2 are used to both limit
the maximum voltage to the Super Cap and the VBAT
pin. R1 is used to limit the current to the Super Cap.
FIGURE 4:
SUPER CAP SCHEMATIC
VCC
1
2
3
4
8
7
6
5
VCC
VBAT
SCK
SI
D1
D
2
R1
SuperCap
Sequential Mode (Default)
Sequential mode is selected when bits <7:6> in the
STATUS register are set to ‘01’. In this mode, read and
write operations can be performed on the whole array.
The address sent after the instruction is the first array
location that will be read from or written to. With each
subsequent data byte, the internal Address Pointer is
incremented. At any point, the read or write sequence
can be terminated by raising CS. At the end of the
SRAM array, the internal Address Pointer will roll-over
to 0x00000 (23XXX1024) or 0x0000 (23XXX512).
Note :
A decoupling capacitor (typically
0.1µF should be used on VCC.
Additional care should be exercised when using a
backup supply that is designed to be recharged, such
as a NiCad backup battery. In this case, care must be
taken to ensure that the battery cannot be over
charged. The above circuit (Figure 4) can be used for a
NiCad battery if the resistor R1 is chosen so that the
charge current is within the allowable limits of the
battery.
VBAT OPERATION
This section details special considerations for using the
VBAT mode of operation. The internal VBAT switch
allows the data stored in the SRAM array to be retained
when VCC is no longer available. Care should be taken
to ensure that the VBAT voltage specification is not
exceeded.
The SRAM array is powered from the external VBAT
supply when the VCC voltage drops below the VTRIP
level (see data sheet specification). During this time the
SRAM will not respond to any communications over the
SPI/SDI bus.
The current required to maintain the SRAM contents is
significantly lower than the VCC current, allowing the
use of a backup battery with a low capacity.
Recommended backup supply examples are detailed
below – this is not an exhaustive list as other options
exist.
The recommended electrical connections for an
external primary (non-rechargeable) battery are shown
in Figure 1 and Figure 2 for both SPI and SDI operation. No additional components are required for VBAT
operation with a primary battery such as a coin cell.
DS01484A-page 6
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
AN1484
SUMMARY
This application note illustrates recommended
techniques for increasing design robustness when
using Microchip advanced SPI serial SRAMs. These
recommendations fall directly in line with how
Microchip designs, manufactures, qualifies and tests its
serial SRAMs, and will allow the devices to operate
within the data sheet parameters. It also serves to
explain in detail some of the features of the device and
makes the user aware of any potential pitfalls that they
may fall into.
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
DS01484A-page 7
AN1484
NOTES:
DS01484A-page 8
 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
Note the following details of the code protection feature on Microchip devices:
•
Microchip products meet the specification contained in their particular Microchip Data Sheet.
•
Microchip believes that its family of products is one of the most secure families of its kind on the market today, when used in the
intended manner and under normal conditions.
•
There are dishonest and possibly illegal methods used to breach the code protection feature. All of these methods, to our
knowledge, require using the Microchip products in a manner outside the operating specifications contained in Microchip’s Data
Sheets. Most likely, the person doing so is engaged in theft of intellectual property.
•
Microchip is willing to work with the customer who is concerned about the integrity of their code.
•
Neither Microchip nor any other semiconductor manufacturer can guarantee the security of their code. Code protection does not
mean that we are guaranteeing the product as “unbreakable.”
Code protection is constantly evolving. We at Microchip are committed to continuously improving the code protection features of our
products. Attempts to break Microchip’s code protection feature may be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. If such acts
allow unauthorized access to your software or other copyrighted work, you may have a right to sue for relief under that Act.
Information contained in this publication regarding device
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and may be superseded by updates. It is your responsibility to
ensure that your application meets with your specifications.
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ISBN: 9781620766880
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 2012 Microchip Technology Inc.
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DS01484A-page 9
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