[avrdude-dev] [bug #31699] ihex : unhandled ext. linear address records and unoptimized empty (0xff) space

[Georg Garrecht]

URL:
  <http://savannah.nongnu.org/bugs/?31699>

                 Summary: ihex : unhandled ext. linear address records and
unoptimized empty (0xff) space
                 Project: AVR Downloader/UploaDEr
            Submitted by: gg2410
            Submitted on: Thu 18 Nov 2010 06:14:42 PM GMT
                Category: None
                Severity: 3 - Normal
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: None
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: gg2410
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any

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Details:

I found a very strange problem, which makes it nearly impossible to write
e.g. a bootloader into an ATMEGA in a seriously short time.

For specialists, this should be easy to fix.


Version : 5.10

Following commandline:

avrdude -p m128 -c ponyser -P com1: -e -U flash:w:test55.hex


used with following sole hexfile content:

:20F0000011241FBECFEFD0E1DEBFCDBF11E0A0E0B1E0E6E3F6EF01E00BBF02C007900D92F3
:00000001FF


Problem #1:
===========
Although the flash memory is cleared, the software always tries to write full
61472 bytes into the Atmega. Most of this writing is unnecessary as the bytes
are all 0xFF after a flash erase.
This way, it takes minutes instead of 2-3 seconds to write a small portion of
code into the upper part of the flash.

It seems that it doesn't skip writing blocks of 0xFF starting at beginning of
the Flash memory up to the address where it is needed to write the first byte
!= 0.

even worse: Problem #2
======================
adding
  :020000040001F9  
as the first line of the hex file should relocate the writing process to
Flash address 0x1F000.

Instead, the software still tries to write only 61472 bytes.
The dump which I get when using cmd-line option "-n" shows this clearly.
This way, it is impossible to write a bootloader into the upper few KB's of
the 128K Flash. 

Is the AVRDUDE Software perhaps not able to write more than 64KB ?

Please look into this, as it is clearly not only of importance for me.

Many thanxxxxxxxxxx

Georg






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