MCU Hardware Revisons

[Ingineer]

I've pretty much had all systems apart in cars from 2013 to 2015. If anyone wants to know anything in particular, LMK.

Here's some particulars: (2015 with VIN > 100000)

/proc/cpuinfo:

Processor    : ARMv7 Processor rev 9 (v7l)
processor    : 0
BogoMIPS    : 1795.68

processor    : 1
BogoMIPS    : 1795.68

processor    : 2
BogoMIPS    : 1795.68

processor    : 3
BogoMIPS    : 1795.68

Features    : swp half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 
CPU implementer    : 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant    : 0x2
CPU part    : 0xc09
CPU revision    : 9

Hardware    : p1852
Revision    : 80703

Kernel ring buffer:

[    0.000000] Initializing cgroup subsys cpu
[    0.000000] Linux version 2.6.36.3-pdk25.023-Tesla-20140430 (tomcat7@ci-slave9) (gcc version 4.5.2 (GCC) ) #see_/etc/commit SMP PREEMPT 1202798460
[    0.000000] CPU: ARMv7 Processor [412fc099] revision 9 (ARMv7), cr=10c5387f
[    0.000000] CPU: VIPT nonaliasing data cache, VIPT aliasing instruction cache
[    0.000000] Machine: p1852
[    0.000000] DMA: 16MiB DMA coherent/WC memory allocated at 0xfef00000 phys
[    0.000000] Tegra reserved memory:
[    0.000000] LP0:                    00000000 - 00000000
[    0.000000] Bootloader framebuffer: 00000000 - 00000000
[    0.000000] Framebuffer:            fe700000 - feefffff
[    0.000000] 2nd Framebuffer:        00000000 - 00000000
[    0.000000] Carveout:               00000000 - 00000000
[    0.000000] Memory policy: ECC disabled, Data cache writealloc
[    0.000000] On node 0 totalpages: 517888
[    0.000000] free_area_init_node: node 0, pgdat c0a45e60, node_mem_map c0a8a000
[    0.000000]   Normal zone: 1280 pages used for memmap
[    0.000000]   Normal zone: 0 pages reserved
[    0.000000]   Normal zone: 162560 pages, LIFO batch:31
[    0.000000]   HighMem zone: 2814 pages used for memmap
[    0.000000]   HighMem zone: 351234 pages, LIFO batch:31
[    0.000000] PERCPU: Embedded 7 pages/cpu @c1a99000 s4736 r8192 d15744 u65536
[    0.000000] pcpu-alloc: s4736 r8192 d15744 u65536 alloc=16*4096
[    0.000000] pcpu-alloc: [0] 0 [0] 1 [0] 2 [0] 3 
[    0.000000] Built 1 zonelists in Zone order, mobility grouping on.  Total pages: 513794
[    0.000000] Kernel command line: qbcommit=2c8b46d tegraid=30.1.3.0.0 mem=2047M@2048M vmalloc=256M video=tegrafb debug_uartport=lsport usbcore.old_scheme_first=1 core_edp_mv=1250 smsc95xx.mac_addr=usb0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx nvsku=699-61852-0008-704 SkuVer=C  ProdInfo=900-61852-4508-310 ProdVer=C  boardrev=x06 qbp=aiw-604f60a qbbootpart=11 mtdbootpart=10 envpart=7 envval=xx  qbconsole=console=ttyS0,115200n8   thispartid=10 rdinit=/sbin/init-stage-0.sh  loglevel=1 lpj=8978432 security=apparmor apparmor=1 crossplex ip=off rw console=ttyS0,115200n8 mtdparts=tegra-nor:65536K@0K(whole_device),262144@0(bct),131072@262144(pt),1966080@393216(stage1_recovery),1048576@2359296(stage2_recovery),1966080@3407872(stage1_primary),1048576@5373952(stage2_primary),393216@6422528(env),5242880@6815744(recovery),27525120@12058624(kernel_a),27525120@39583744(kernel_b) ehci3=eth smsc95xx.mac_addr=toucan:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is_e1888=0 
[    0.000000] 
[    0.000000] PID hash table entries: 4096 (order: 2, 16384 bytes)
[    0.000000] Dentry cache hash table entries: 131072 (order: 7, 524288 bytes)
[    0.000000] Inode-cache hash table entries: 65536 (order: 6, 262144 bytes)
[    0.000000] Memory: 2023MB = 2023MB total
[    0.000000] Memory: 2043412k/2043412k available, 52716k reserved, 1416192K highmem
[    0.000000] Virtual kernel memory layout:
[    0.000000]     vector  : 0xffff0000 - 0xffff1000   (   4 kB)
[    0.000000]     fixmap  : 0xfff00000 - 0xfffe0000   ( 896 kB)
[    0.000000]     DMA     : 0xff000000 - 0xffe00000   (  14 MB)
[    0.000000]     vmalloc : 0xe8800000 - 0xf8000000   ( 248 MB)
[    0.000000]     lowmem  : 0xc0000000 - 0xe8000000   ( 640 MB)
[    0.000000]     pkmap   : 0xbfe00000 - 0xc0000000   (   2 MB)
[    0.000000]     modules : 0xbf000000 - 0xbfe00000   (  14 MB)
[    0.000000]       .init : 0xc0008000 - 0xc045b000   (4428 kB)
[    0.000000]       .text : 0xc045b000 - 0xc09f2000   (5724 kB)
[    0.000000]       .data : 0xc09f2000 - 0xc0a46820   ( 339 kB)
[    0.000000] Hierarchical RCU implementation.
[    0.000000]  RCU-based detection of stalled CPUs is disabled.
[    0.000000]  Verbose stalled-CPUs detection is disabled.
[    0.000000] NR_IRQS:800
[    0.000000] Console: colour dummy device 80x30
[    1.706319] Calibrating delay loop (skipped) preset value.. 1795.68 BogoMIPS (lpj=8978432)
[    1.706341] pid_max: default: 32768 minimum: 301
[    1.706478] Security Framework initialized
[    1.706527] AppArmor: AppArmor initialized
[    1.706607] Mount-cache hash table entries: 512
[    1.707098] Initializing cgroup subsys debug
[    1.707117] Initializing cgroup subsys cpuacct
[    1.707134] Initializing cgroup subsys freezer
[    1.707223] CPU: Testing write buffer coherency: ok
[    1.707449] Calibrating local timer... 449.71MHz, setting to 4.00MHz.
[    1.796523] CPU1: Booted secondary processor
[    1.806556] CPU2: Booted secondary processor
[    1.816589] CPU3: Booted secondary processor
[    1.816720] Brought up 4 CPUs
[    1.816739] SMP: Total of 4 processors activated (7182.74 BogoMIPS).
[    1.822619] regulator: core version 0.5
[    1.822889] NET: Registered protocol family 16
[    1.823698] host1x bus init
[    1.824082] Tegra3: CPU Speedo ID 9, Soc Speedo ID 3
[    1.824099] Tegra Revision: A03 SKU: 0xb0 CPU Process: 2 Core Process: 0

If there is any doubt what CPU is present, see the last few lines above.

 

[neroden]

Computer systems do not "degrade" like batteries. They tend to work forever and at the same speed. If it works now, it will work forever.

More accurately, they work perfectly until they fail catastrophically. When it goes bad, you'll *know*. Either everything electronic in the car will go haywire with all kinds of intermittent and bizarre faults, or the car will just go black.

 

[CSFTN]

That's assuming the software never changes. Tesla keeps adding features, so the software is getting larger and the CPU and memory footprint is growing.

This point needs to be considered again, as Tesla/Elon have blogged that the new AP in 8.0 makes a 4D target cloud in software. This has to take up a lot of processor cycles, no?

 

[chillaban]

This point needs to be considered again, as Tesla/Elon have blogged that the new AP in 8.0 makes a 4D target cloud in software. This has to take up a lot of processor cycles, no?

Actually, it probably doesn't. The Bosch radar antenna uses a far far less capable processor than the MCU. If anything, it's vision processing (since it's literally megapixels of data per second) that requires special compute hardware and a deeply integrated image processing pipeline.

 

[Ingineer]

The MCU is not used for any real-time processing for AP. All that takes place in the MobilEye EyeQ3 processor. The only function whatsoever the MCU has on the AP it to serve (and record) the fleet learning data to the AP.

 

[CSFTN]

Where does the EyeQ3 live? Is it up by the camera, or buried somewhere else in the car?

 

[Ingineer]

On the S it's integral with the camera. There's only a few major parts, it's very cost optimized:

 

[chillaban]

On the S it's integral with the camera. There's only a few major parts, it's very cost optimized:

Ah, there looks like a pretty large stereotypical automotive Freescale chip to the right of the EyeQ3 chip. I presume this is where Tesla's in-house sauce is stored.

I was thinking they were reprogramming the MIPS cores in the MobilEye chip, and thinking from an EE/software engineer perspective that is a really really odd way to go if they're planning on breaking free of MobilEye. Their silicon architecture is a bit weird to say the least.

 

[Ingineer]

No, Tesla's code runs in the EyeQ3. The Freescale MCU is a supervisory controller that interfaces to the rest of the car's systems. I suspect it has all the sanity checking code as well.

 

[verygreen]

I've pretty much had all systems apart in cars from 2013 to 2015. If anyone wants to know anything in particular, LMK.

For whatever reason, cannot PM you, but did you see what are the bootloaders on the boards? modified u-boot in both cases, something else?
Happen to have output from serial console from the bootloaders?

Thanks!

 

[DFibRL8R]

More accurately, they work perfectly until they fail catastrophically. When it goes bad, you'll *know*. Either everything electronic in the car will go haywire with all kinds of intermittent and bizarre faults, or the car will just go black.

Sadly I just discover the answer. Had the center touch screen freeze up while driving (no big deal just reset on the fly with the scroll buttons). Reset resulted in black screen and loss of all touch screen functions. Apparently several other features you can typically access through the steering wheel controls also don't work including climate control (sucks in July!), sunroof, audio, phone pairing, Wh/mile calculator. Outside temp and odometer are also not displaying on the instrument panel. The car is very slow to start up (takes about 90sec) but once it does fortunately seems to drive fine. I also can supercharge but can't charge with the UMC off of AC power (major bummer since All of this went down on a family road trip to the Outer Banks, NC where there aren't many options anyway).

 

[SucreTease]

Does anyone have any information as to whether the CPU in the MCU has been updated recently (e.g. AP2.5 or otherwise) to make the MCU in the Model S/X as responsive as it is in the Model 3 (especially in lieu of Elon's promise that the Model S/X will always be more technologically advanced than the Model 3)? Or do current Model S/X vehicles still use the Tegra 3?

 

[jaguar36]

Does anyone have any information as to whether the CPU in the MCU has been updated recently (e.g. AP2.5 or otherwise) to make the MCU in the Model S/X as responsive as it is in the Model 3 (especially in lieu of Elon's promise that the Model S/X will always be more technologically advanced than the Model 3)? Or do current Model S/X vehicles still use the Tegra 3?

They still use the Tegra 3. The AP updates haven't changed the MCU.

 

[dennis_d]

Does anyone have any information as to whether the CPU in the MCU has been updated recently (e.g. AP2.5 or otherwise) to make the MCU in the Model S/X as responsive as it is in the Model 3 (especially in lieu of Elon's promise that the Model S/X will always be more technologically advanced than the Model 3)? Or do current Model S/X vehicles still use the Tegra 3?

Model 3 uses x86 not Tegra that's why it's faster

 

[BigD0g]

Model 3 uses x86 not Tegra that's why it's faster

Not to mention the Tegra is like 4 yr old tech

 

[stopcrazypp]

Model 3 uses x86 not Tegra that's why it's faster

I think it has more to do with how old the Tegra 3 is. I bet Tegra X2/Parker or Xavier is a ton faster.

 

[chillaban]

I think it has more to do with how old the Tegra 3 is. I bet Tegra X2/Parker or Xavier is a ton faster.

Exactly. A Gordon Peak / Apollo lake Intel is no faster than the typical ARM64 smartphone chip. These are over glorified automotive Atoms, not gaming rigs.

 

[lunitiks]

@Ingineer, this may or may not be a dumb (or hard) question; When do you think we have to see some more processing power in S/X? I mean given current pace of SW rollouts, When will enough be enough?
(As you mentioned, SW gets more memory demanding.) Curious about your thoughts on this

 

[wedge07]

Funny story. My MCU (2014 Model S) was spontaneously rebooting about once an hour. The service center replaced. When I got in I noticed it now read LTE for the cellular service. An unexpected (welcome) surprise. When I went through the invoice it said 1458829-00-B (revision B?) was installed. I have yet to find information on it. Would LOVE to know what is under the hood. It seems faster (slightly) and certainly clearer (you can’t see the capacitive touch layer in full sun anymore).


Thoughts?

 

[BigD0g]

Funny story. My MCU (2014 Model S) was spontaneously rebooting about once an hour. The service center replaced. When I got in I noticed it now read LTE for the cellular service. An unexpected (welcome) surprise. When I went through the invoice it said 1458829-00-B (revision B?) was installed. I have yet to find information on it. Would LOVE to know what is under the hood. It seems faster (slightly) and certainly clearer (you can’t see the capacitive touch layer in full sun anymore).


Thoughts?

This is standard Tesla IMHO, the cellular chipset is part of the MCU, so when they replaced the MCU with the new revision you get the upgraded cellular for free. They same will be true of MCU2 if your MCU1 fails after they have no more MCU1's around to update them with.