Fix SPI bus contention crash on serial game upload
Serial uploader was crashing the Pico when launching games because it accessed SD card (SPI) while Core 1 was refreshing display (also SPI). Display and SD card share the same SPI bus and cannot be accessed simultaneously. Split game launch into prepare and execute phases: - prepare: Re-scan games directory (safe, SD access done immediately) - execute: Load Lua script from SD (deferred until display is idle) Main loop now checks !is_refresh_in_progress() before completing launch, preventing SPI conflicts. Also updated SD card best practices skill to document SPI bus contention as the #1 most critical issue to avoid. Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
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@@ -2,13 +2,99 @@
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This document captures critical best practices for working with SD card operations in this project, based on lessons learned during development.
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## 1. SPI Speed Management
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## 1. SPI Bus Contention (CRITICAL)
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### ⚠️ CRITICAL: Display and SD Card Share the Same SPI Bus
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**The display and SD card use the same SPI bus and CANNOT be accessed simultaneously.** Attempting to do so will cause the Pico to crash or behave unpredictably.
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### Real-World Example: Game Launch Crash
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The serial uploader originally crashed when launching games because:
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1. `SerialUploader::launch_game()` writes file to SD (SPI)
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2. Immediately calls `select_game_by_name()`
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3. `LuaGame::load_script()` reads from SD (SPI)
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4. **Meanwhile**, Core 1 is refreshing the display (also SPI)
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5. **CRASH** due to simultaneous SPI access
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### Solution: Wait for Display to Be Idle
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Before any SD card operation that isn't already protected, ensure no display refresh is in progress:
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```cpp
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// In main loop:
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if (serial_uploader.wants_to_launch_game() && !is_refresh_in_progress()) {
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// Safe to launch now - no SPI conflict with display
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bool game_launched = serial_uploader.complete_launch();
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// ...
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}
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```
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### Key Patterns for Avoiding Contention
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**Pattern 1: Check `is_refresh_in_progress()` before SD operations**
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```cpp
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if (!is_refresh_in_progress()) {
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uint prev_speed = sd_card_set_spi_speed();
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// SD card operations
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sd_card_restore_spi_speed(prev_speed);
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}
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```
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**Pattern 2: Split operations into "prepare" and "execute" phases**
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```cpp
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// Phase 1: Prepare (safe, no SD access)
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void prepare_operation() {
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state = READY_TO_EXECUTE;
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}
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// Phase 2: Execute (only when !is_refresh_in_progress())
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bool execute_operation() {
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uint prev_speed = sd_card_set_spi_speed();
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// SD card operations here
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sd_card_restore_spi_speed(prev_speed);
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}
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```
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**Pattern 3: Keep main loop responsive**
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```cpp
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while (1) {
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// Check if we need to do SD operation
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if (needs_sd_operation && !is_refresh_in_progress()) {
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perform_sd_operation();
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}
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// Don't sleep if waiting for SD operation window
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bool stay_awake = pending_refresh || needs_sd_operation;
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if (!stay_awake) {
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__wfi(); // Sleep until interrupt
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}
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}
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```
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### When This Matters Most
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- **Game loading**: Reading Lua scripts from SD during game launch
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- **Serial uploads**: Writing files and immediately loading them
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- **Save/load operations**: Writing game state to SD
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- **Directory scanning**: Re-scanning games while display is active
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### The Core Architecture
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This project uses **dual-core display refresh**:
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- **Core 0**: Main logic, input processing, game updates, SD card operations
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- **Core 1**: Display refresh (writes framebuffer to display via SPI)
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Core 1 runs asynchronously, so you must explicitly check `is_refresh_in_progress()` before SD operations.
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## 2. SPI Speed Management
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### Critical Rule: Always Set SD Card Speed Before Operations
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The display and SD card share the same SPI bus but operate at different speeds:
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- **Display**: 32 MHz
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- **SD Card**: 12.5 MHz
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- **Display**: 32 MHz (fast)
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- **SD Card**: 12.5 MHz (slower, more reliable)
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**ALWAYS wrap SD card operations with speed switching:**
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@@ -220,6 +306,29 @@ This isolates directory-related issues.
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## 6. Common Pitfalls
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### ❌ DON'T: Access SD Card During Display Refresh (MOST CRITICAL)
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```cpp
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// BAD - Will crash the Pico!
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void launch_game() {
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scan_games(); // Reads SD card
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selected_game = create_game(); // Reads Lua script from SD
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}
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// Called directly without checking if display is refreshing
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```
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### ✅ DO: Wait for Display to Be Idle
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```cpp
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// GOOD - Wait for safe window
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if (!is_refresh_in_progress()) {
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uint prev_speed = sd_card_set_spi_speed();
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scan_games();
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selected_game = create_game();
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sd_card_restore_spi_speed(prev_speed);
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}
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```
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### ❌ DON'T: Forget SPI Speed Management
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```cpp
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@@ -346,10 +455,11 @@ bool SerialUploader::write_file_to_sd() {
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}
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```
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## 8. Testing Checklist
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## 9. Testing Checklist
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When implementing new SD card functionality:
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- [ ] **SPI bus contention checked** - verify `!is_refresh_in_progress()` before SD operations
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- [ ] SPI speed switching is in place
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- [ ] All FatFS return codes are checked
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- [ ] Files are properly closed after operations
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@@ -363,11 +473,12 @@ When implementing new SD card functionality:
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## Summary
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The most important rules:
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1. **Always manage SPI speed** around FatFS operations
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2. **Poll for SD card responses** - don't assume immediate response
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3. **Check error codes** on every operation
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4. **Clean up memory** before creating new game instances
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5. **Write in chunks** for large files
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6. **Sync before closing** to ensure data is written
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1. **⚠️ CRITICAL: Avoid SPI bus contention** - Check `!is_refresh_in_progress()` before SD operations (display and SD share SPI bus)
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2. **Always manage SPI speed** around FatFS operations
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3. **Poll for SD card responses** - don't assume immediate response
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4. **Check error codes** on every operation
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5. **Clean up memory** before creating new game instances
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6. **Write in chunks** for large files
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7. **Sync before closing** to ensure data is written
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Following these practices will save hours of debugging SD card issues!
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