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- Generic PWM Device API
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- February 1, 2010
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- Bill Gatliff
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- <[email protected]>
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-
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-The code in drivers/pwm and include/linux/pwm/ implements an API for
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-applications involving pulse-width-modulation signals. This document
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-describes how the API implementation facilitates both PWM-generating
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-devices, and users of those devices.
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-Motivation
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-
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-The primary goals for implementing the "generic PWM API" are to
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-consolidate the various PWM implementations within a consistent and
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-redundancy-reducing framework, and to facilitate the use of
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-hotpluggable PWM devices.
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-
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-Previous PWM-related implementations within the Linux kernel achieved
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-their consistency via cut-and-paste, but did not need to (and didn't)
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-facilitate more than one PWM-generating device within the system---
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-hotplug or otherwise. The Generic PWM Device API might be most
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-appropriately viewed as an update to those implementations, rather
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-than a complete rewrite.
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-
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-Challenges
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-
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-One of the difficulties in implementing a generic PWM framework is the
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-fact that pulse-width-modulation applications involve real-world
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-signals, which often must be carefully managed to prevent destruction
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-of hardware that is linked to those signals. A DC motor that
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-experiences a brief interruption in the PWM signal controlling it
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-might destructively overheat; it could suddenly change speed, losing
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-synchronization with a sensor; it could even suddenly change direction
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-or torque, breaking the mechanical device connected to it.
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-
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-(A generic PWM device framework is not directly responsible for
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-preventing the above scenarios: that responsibility lies with the
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-hardware designer, and the application and driver authors. But it
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-must to the greatest extent possible make it easy to avoid such
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-problems).
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-
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-A generic PWM device framework must accommodate the substantial
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-differences between available PWM-generating hardware devices, without
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-becoming sub-optimal for any of them.
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-
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-Finally, a generic PWM device framework must be relatively
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-lightweight, computationally speaking. Some PWM users demand
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-high-speed outputs, plus the ability to regulate those outputs
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-quickly. A device framework must be able to "keep up" with such
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-hardware, while still leaving time to do real work.
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-
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-The Generic PWM Device API is an attempt to meet all of the above
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-requirements. At its initial publication, the API was already in use
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-managing small DC motors, sensors and solenoids through a
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-custom-designed, optically-isolated H-bridge driver.
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-Functional Overview
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-
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-The Generic PWM Device API framework is implemented in
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-include/linux/pwm/pwm.h and drivers/pwm/pwm.c. The functions therein
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-use information from pwm_device, pwm_channel and pwm_channel_config
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-structures to invoke services in PWM peripheral device drivers.
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-Consult drivers/pwm/atmel-pwm.c for an example driver.
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-
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-There are two classes of adopters of the PWM framework:
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- "Users" -- those wishing to employ the API merely to produce PWM
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- signals; once they have identified the appropriate physical output
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- on the platform in question, they don't care about the details of
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- the underlying hardware
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-
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- "Driver authors" -- those wishing to bind devices that can generate
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- PWM signals to the Generic PWM Device API, so that the services of
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- those devices become available to users. Assuming the hardware can
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- support the needs of a user, driver authors don't care about the
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- details of the user's application
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-
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-Generally speaking, users will first invoke pwm_request() to obtain a
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-handle to a PWM device. They will then pass that handle to functions
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-like pwm_duty_ns() and pwm_period_ns() to set the duty cycle and
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-period of the PWM signal, respectively. They will also invoke
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-pwm_start() and pwm_stop() to turn the signal on and off.
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-
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-The Generic PWM API framework also provides a sysfs interface to PWM
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-devices, which is adequate for basic application needs and testing.
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-
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-Driver authors fill out a pwm_device structure, which describes the
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-capabilities of the PWM hardware being constructed--- including the
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-number of distinct output "channels" the peripheral offers. They then
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-invoke pwm_register() (usually from within their device's probe()
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-handler) to make the PWM API aware of their device. The framework
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-will call back to the methods described in the pwm_device structure as
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-users begin to configure and utilize the hardware.
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-
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-Note that PWM signals can be produced by a variety of peripherals,
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-beyond the true "PWM hardware" offered by many system-on-chip devices.
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-Other possibilities include timer/counters with compare-match
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-capabilities, carefully-programmed synchronous serial ports
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-(e.g. SPI), and GPIO pins driven by kernel interval timers. With a
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-proper pwm_device structure, these devices and pseudo-devices can all
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-be accommodated by the Generic PWM Device API framework.
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-
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-
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-
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-Using the API to Generate PWM Signals -- Basic Functions for Users
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-
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-pwm_request() -- Returns a pwm_channel pointer, which is subsequently
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-passed to the other user-related PWM functions. Once requested, a PWM
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-channel is marked as in-use and subsequent requests prior to
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-pwm_free() will fail.
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-
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-The names used to refer to PWM devices are defined by driver authors.
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-Typically they are platform device bus identifiers, and this
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-convention is encouraged for consistency.
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-
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-pwm_free() -- Marks a PWM channel as no longer in use. The PWM device
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-is stopped before it is released by the API.
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-pwm_period_ns() -- Specifies the PWM signal's period, in nanoseconds.
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-pwm_duty_ns() -- Specifies the PWM signal's active duration, in nanoseconds.
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-pwm_duty_percent() -- Specifies the PWM signal's active duration, as a
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-percentage of the current period of the signal. NOTE: this value is
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-not recalculated if the period of the signal is subsequently changed.
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-
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-
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-pwm_start(), pwm_stop() -- Turns the PWM signal on and off. Except
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-where stated otherwise by a driver author, signals are stopped at the
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-end of the current period, at which time the output is set to its
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-inactive state.
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-
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-pwm_polarity() -- Defines whether the PWM signal output's active
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-region is "1" or "0". A 10% duty-cycle, polarity=1 signal will
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-conventionally be at 5V (or 3.3V, or 1000V, or whatever the platform
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-hardware does) for 10% of the period. The same configuration of a
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-polarity=0 signal will be at 5V (or 3.3V, or ...) for 90% of the
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-period.
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-Using the API to Generate PWM Signals -- Advanced Functions
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-pwm_config() -- Passes a pwm_channel_config structure to the
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-associated device driver. This function is invoked by pwm_start(),
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-pwm_duty_ns(), etc. and is one of two main entry points to the PWM
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-driver for the hardware being used. The configuration change is
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-guaranteed atomic if multiple configuration changes are specified.
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-This function might sleep, depending on what the device driver has to
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-do to satisfy the request. All PWM device drivers must support this
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-entry point.
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-
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-pwm_config_nosleep() -- Passes a pwm_channel_config structure to the
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-associated device driver. If the driver must sleep in order to
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-implement the requested configuration change, -EWOULDBLOCK is
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-returned. Users may call this function from interrupt handlers, for
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-example. This is the other main entry point into the PWM hardware
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-driver, but not all device drivers support this entry point.
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-
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-
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-pwm_synchronize(), pwm_unsynchronize() -- "Synchronizes" two or more
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-PWM channels, if the underlying hardware permits. (If it doesn't, the
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-framework facilitates emulating this capability but it is not yet
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-implemented). Synchronized channels will start and stop
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-simultaneously when any single channel in the group is started or
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-stopped. Use pwm_unsynchronize(..., NULL) to completely detach a
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-channel from any other synchronized channels. By default, all PWM
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-channels are unsynchronized.
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-
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-
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-pwm_set_handler() -- Defines an end-of-period callback. The indicated
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-function will be invoked in a worker thread at the end of each PWM
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-period, and can subsequently invoke pwm_config(), etc. Must be used
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-with extreme care for high-speed PWM outputs. Set the handler
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-function to NULL to un-set the handler.
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-
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-Implementing a PWM Device API Driver -- Functions for Driver Authors
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-
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-
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-Fill out the appropriate fields in a pwm_device structure, and submit
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-to pwm_register():
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-
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-
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-bus_id -- the plain-text name of the device. Users will bind to a
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-channel on the device using this name plus the channel number. For
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-example, the Atmel PWMC's bus_id is "atmel_pwmc", the same as used by
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-the platform device driver (recommended). The first device registered
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-thereby receives bus_id "atmel_pwmc.0", which is what you put in
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-pwm_device.bus_id. Channels are then named "atmel_pwmc.0:[0-3]".
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-(Hint: just use pdev->dev.bus_id in your probe() method).
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-
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-
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-nchan -- the number of distinct output channels provided by the device.
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-
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-
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-request -- (optional) Invoked each time a user requests a channel.
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-Use to turn on clocks, clean up register states, etc. The framework
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-takes care of device locking/unlocking; you will see only successful
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-requests.
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-
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-
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-free -- (optional) Callback for each time a user relinquishes a
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-channel. The framework will have already stopped, unsynchronized and
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-un-handled the channel. Use to turn off clocks, etc. as necessary.
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-
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-
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-synchronize, unsynchronize -- (optional) Callbacks to
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-synchronize/unsynchronize channels. Some devices provide this
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-capability in hardware; for others, it can be emulated (see
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-atmel_pwmc.c's sync_mask for an example).
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-
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-
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-set_callback -- (optional) Invoked when a user requests a handler. If
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-the hardware supports an end-of-period interrupt, invoke the function
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-indicated during your interrupt handler. The callback function itself
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-is always internal to the API, and does not map directly to the user's
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-callback function.
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-
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-
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-config -- Invoked to change the device configuration, always from a
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-sleep-capable context. All the changes indicated must be performed
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-atomically, ideally synchronized to an end-of-period event (so that
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-you avoid short or long output pulses). You may sleep, etc. as
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-necessary within this function.
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-
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-
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-config_nosleep -- (optional) Invoked to change device configuration
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-from within a context that is not allowed to sleep. If you cannot
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-perform the requested configuration changes without sleeping, return
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--EWOULDBLOCK.
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-Acknowledgements
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-The author expresses his gratitude to the countless developers who
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-have reviewed and submitted feedback on the various versions of the
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-Generic PWM Device API code, and those who have submitted drivers and
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-applications that use the framework. You know who you are. ;)
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-
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