Reusable Modules

A collection of reusable, intercompatible modules which can be used to flexibly connect peripherals, hosts, and SpiNNaker boards together.

Common Interface

SpiNNaker speaks 'SpiNNaker Packets' which are described in the SpiNNaker datasheet. As a result, all attempts to interface with SpiNNaker must be able to sensibly express and expose themselves in this form. Higher-level protocols built on top of SpiNNaker packets are also available such as the SpiNNaker Datagram Protocol (SDP) if required, but ultimately everything ends up just being SpiNNaker packets. As a result, all modules in this library share the following common interface designed to communicate SpiNNaker packets.

To send packets from A to B, the following interface is used:

    ,--------,             ,--------,
    |        | data[71:0]  |        |
    |        |======/=====>|        |
    |        |             |        |
    |    A   |     vld     |    B   |
    |        |------------>|        |
    |        |             |        |
    |        |     rdy     |        |
    |   /\   |<------------|   /\   |
    '--'--`--'             '--'--`--'
        |                       |
clk ----+-----------------------'

The data bus is 72-bits wide, the width of a SpiNNaker packet with a payload. Devices which never produce packets with payloads may tie the upper 32 bits to any value (but not be left floating). Devices that cannot consume packets with payloads may safely ignore these upper 32 bits.

If the vld signal is asserted then the data that A wishes to transfer is on the data bus. The rdy signal is asserted whenever B is capable of accepting new data. If rdy and vld are asserted in the same cycle, the value on the data bus is captured by B. In the next cycle, if both signals are still asserted then the new data on the bus is considered transferred.

The vld/rdy handshake must follow the following rules:

• The source device must not wait for an asserted rdy to assert vld.
• Once the vld signal has been asserted it must not be deasserted until rdy has gone high (i.e. until the value is transferred).