Software-Based Memory Testing

by Michael Barr

If ever there was a piece of embedded software ripe for reuse it is the memory test. This article shows how to test for the most common memory problems with a set of three efficient, portable, public-domain memory test functions.

[ Introduction | Common Problems | Test Strategy | Data Bus | Address Bus | Device | Put it together ]

Data Bus Test

The first thing we want to test is the data bus wiring. We need to confirm that any value placed on the data bus by the processor is correctly received by the memory device at the other end. The most obvious way to test that is to write all possible data values and verify that the memory device stores each one successfully. However, that is not the most efficient test available. A faster method is to test the bus one bit at a time. The data bus passes the test if each data bit can be set to 0 and 1, independently of the other data bits.

A good way to test each bit independently is to perform the so-called "walking 1's test." Table 1 shows the data patterns used in an 8-bit version of this test. The name of this test, walking 1's, comes from the fact that a single data bit is set to 1 and "walked" through the entire data word. The number of data values to test is the same as the width of the data bus. This reduces the number of test patterns from 2ⁿ to n, where n is the width of the data bus.

Since we are testing only the data bus at this point, all of the data values can be written to the same address. Any address within the memory device will do. However, if the data bus splits as it makes its way to more than one memory chip, you will need to perform the data bus test at multiple addresses, one within each chip.

To perform the walking 1's test, simply write the first data value in the table, verify it by reading it back, write the second value, verify, etc. When you reach the end of the table, the test is complete. It is okay to do the read immediately after the corresponding write this time because we are not yet looking for missing chips. In fact, this test provides meaningful results even if the memory chips are not installed!

The function memTestDataBus(), in Listing 1, shows how to implement the walking 1's test in C. It assumes that the caller will select the test address, and tests the entire set of data values at that address. If the data bus is working properly, the function will return 0. Otherwise it will return the data value for which the test failed. The bit that is set in the returned value corresponds to the first faulty data line, if any.

typedef unsigned char datum;     /* Set the data bus width to 8 bits. */

/**********************************************************************
 *
 * Function:    memTestDataBus()
 *
 * Description: Test the data bus wiring in a memory region by
 *              performing a walking 1's test at a fixed address
 *              within that region.  The address (and hence the
 *              memory region) is selected by the caller.
 *
 * Notes:       
 *
 * Returns:     0 if the test succeeds.  
 *              A non-zero result is the first pattern that failed.
 *
 **********************************************************************/
datum
memTestDataBus(volatile datum * address)
{
    datum pattern;


    /*
     * Perform a walking 1's test at the given address.
     */
    for (pattern = 1; pattern != 0; pattern <<= 1)
    {
        /*
         * Write the test pattern.
         */
        *address = pattern;

        /*
         * Read it back (immediately is okay for this test).
         */
        if (*address != pattern) 
        {
            return (pattern);
        }
    }

    return (0);

}   /* memTestDataBus() */
   

[ Introduction | Common Problems | Test Strategy | Data Bus | Address Bus | Device | Put it together ]
Copyright (c) 2000 by Michael Barr

ESAcademy, 2000

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