Adding the Ethernet stack to the base firmware

[Anna_Anna]

I am working with the 3-Phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Control Development Kit with S32K396 MCSPTR2AK396. I installed the following stack:
S32DS_3.6.5_RFP_win32
S32K3_ETPU_SW_4.9_2.0.1_D2512
SW32K3_S32M27x_RTD_R23-11_7.0.0_QLP03_D2512
SW32K3_FreeMASTER_Driver_1.5.0_D2512
S32K3xx_AMMCLIB_RTM_1_1_45_BIN
MCSPTR2AK396_SW
GCC version 10.2.
SW32K3_FreeRTOS_11.1.0_0.8.0_CD1_D2603
SW32K3_TCPIP_STACK_4.0.0_D2512

I tested two projects separately. The basic motor control project (MCSPTR2AK396_PMSM_FOC_3Sh_SwRes_ll_M7_0_0) works perfectly. The example project with Ethernet (lwip_baremetal_s32k396) also works, and the board pings successfully.

Next, I wanted to combine these two projects so that while controlling the motor, I could transmit data over Ethernet. It sounds like a logical continuation, but I encountered some difficulties.

In the motor project, the POWER module is used, and when I add the Ethernet driver (Eth_43_GMAC), it starts requiring the Mcu module. When I add the Mcu, the configurator complains—Mcu and POWER cannot coexist.

Now I’m trying different approaches: I attempt to replace POWER with MCU, try to transfer clock settings, but this leads to a bunch of other errors. And it’s unclear how many more incompatibilities will arise.

So my main question is: Is this even feasible? Am I wasting my time, and are these fundamentally incompatible things? Or am I just thinking incorrectly and missing something?

If anyone has successfully run both the motor and Ethernet together on the S32K396, please share your experience. Maybe there’s a ready-made example or a proven configuration method. I would be very grateful for any information.

 

[PetrS]

Hi,

Please note that SW32K3_TCPIP_STACK_4.0.0_D2512 supports the GMAC HLD driver (Eth_43_GMAC), which is based on the MCAL Ethernet stack. The MCSPTR2AK396 example, however, is based on the IP driver layer.

Because of this architectural mismatch, integrating the TCP/IP stack into the existing MCSPTR2AK396 project is not a straightforward task. The TCP/IP stack does not interface directly with the IP-layer GMAC drivers.

The approach you tried could be feasible, using a mixed architecture where the motor-control peripherals remain on the IP driver layer while Ethernet uses the MCAL/HLD stack required by the TCP/IP solution. However, the feasibility of this approach must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on the specific drivers and overall software architecture used.

I am not aware of a ready-made demo combining both motor control and Ethernet on the S32K396.

However, HLD-based motor-control demos are available for other S32K3 derivatives, such as the S32K344:

https://community.nxp.com/t5/S32K-Knowledge-Base/S32K3-Motor-control-SW-examples/ta-p/1804577

These examples may provide useful guidance if you decide to move toward an HLD/MCAL-based architecture.

BR, Petr