SpiNNaker Project - Support.

SpiNNaker Application Notes

A datasheet for the SpiNNaker chip and a number of short application notes, which cover various Spinnaker-related topics, have been produced. There are currently 10 notes and it is expected that more will be produced over time. If you feel that a particular aspect of Spinnaker could be documented in this way please suggest it or even write it yourself!

SpiNNaker Datasheet - This datasheet describes in detail all the hardware resources on the SpiNNaker chip (pdf file).
1. Application note 1: SpiNN-3 Development Board - The SpiNN-3 board contains 4 SpiNNaker chips and a number of interfaces. This note describes the hardware, how to power it and how to bring it into service (pdf file).
2. Application note 2: Using ARM and GNU Tools - provides a description of how to use ARM and GNU software tools for developing code in C and assembly language (pdf file).
3. Application note 3: APLX File Format - describes the APLX file format which is simple binary file format for loading applications and data onto SpiNNaker systems (pdf file).
4. Application note 4: SDP Specification - The SpiNNaker Datagram Protocol which is a packet format for transferring data between nodes in a Spinnaker system and/or the Internet. This note provides the protocol specification (pdf file).
5. Application note 5: SCP Specification - describes the SpiNNaker Command Protocol which is a data format imposed on SDP packets and which is used to convey commands and data to and from SpiNNaker nodes (pdf file).
6. Application note 6: Serial ROM Notes - SpiNNaker chips can load code and data from an attached serial ROM when they bootstrap. This note describes the format of data in the ROM and how it is processed by SpiNNaker (pdf file).
7. Application note 7: SpiNNaker Links - This note describes the electrical characteristics of the links on SpiNNaker chips as well as the protocol and packet format that they use (pdf file).
8. Application note 8: SpiNNaker-AER interface - This note describes the implementation of an interface between Address-Event Representation (AER) devices and the SpiNNaker system using an FPGA (pdf file).
9. Application note 9: SpiNN-5 Board Quick Start Guide - The SpiNN-5 board contains 48 SpiNNaker chips, a board management processor (BMP), and a number of interfaces. This note describes the hardware, how to power it and how to bring it into service (pdf file).
10. Short note: SpiNNaker Programmable CRC - This short note describes how to configure the SpiNNaker CRC matrix in the DMA controller (pdf file).