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Watchdog - Simple WDG Timer

This project will be using this simple watchdog timer example to run on AMB23 to illustrate how the watchdog API is used.

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Watchdog Timer (WDT) is a hardware timer that is used to detect the occurrence of a software fault, then automatically generates a system reset or a watchdog interrupt on the expiry of a programmed period. In this example, we will use this simple watchdog timer example runs on the AmebaD RTL8722CSM/RTL8722DM/RTL8722DM MINI Board to illustrate how to use the watchdog API. Before we get into the details of the example, let’s briefly go through the definition of Watchdog as well as it’s working principles.

Ameba RTL8722DM is a low-power dual-band WLAN and Bluetooth Low Energy SoC by Realtek. The RTL8722DM also include memory for Wi-Fi protocol functions and application making it simple for anyone to develop various kind of IoT applications. At the same time it has a wide range of peripheral interfaces. With all these interfaces, it can connect to most of the electronics components like LEDs, temperature and humidity sensors, and so on.

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If you need additional technical documents or the source code for this project. Please visit the official websites and join the Facebook group and forum.

  • 1 × RTL8722DM (AMB23)

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    Setup

    If you have a dog in your home. You need to feed that dog at a regular interval. if you can’t feed one day, it will bite you! And likewise, this is the working logic behind the watchdog timer.

    In our example, we created 2 tasks that contain some loop that runs repeatedly, one is called “Small_Task” and the other is called “Big_Task”. We are enabling the watchdog timer is loaded with an initial value (5 seconds) greater than the total delay in the “Small_Task”, but shorter than the “Big_Task”.
    For the successful case, the watchdog is being refreshed/feed within 5 seconds, however, for the failed case, the loop is under processing and the watchdog is not being fresh after 5 seconds, which triggers the watchdog (dog barks), an interrupt is generated to reset the processor. Likewise, the watchdog timer protects the micro-controller from the hanging case.

    Then we move to the coding part for this example, for this example, you will only need the RTL8722CSM/RTL8722DM/RTL8722DM MINI Board itself.

    Firstly, make sure the correct Ameba development board is selected in Arduino IDE: “Tools” -> “Board” -> “RTL8722CSM/RTL8722DM” (or “RTL8722DM MINI”). Then open the “Watchdog Timer” example in “File” -> “Examples” -> “AmebaWatchdog” -> “Watchdog Timer”:

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  • 2
    Result

    Upon successfully upload the sample code, open the serial monitor, and press the reset button. You will find that the “Small_Task” can refresh the watchdog within the 5 seconds (initialized in the watchdog timer). However, the “Big_Task” will not be able to refresh the watchdog within 5 seconds, which the watchdog “barks” then the microcontroller reset.

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  • 3
    Result

    You can also set “#define RUN_CALLBACK_IF_WATCHDOG_BARKS (0)” value be “1”, for customized “my_watchdog_irq_handler”. Write the code inside the handler for execution after “barks”.

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