P**latform **D**ata **S**et (**PDS) files contain firmware configuration values to match the hardware (I/O pinout) and the application (activating features/configuring the behavior).

PDS <tt>template.pds.in</tt>

template.pds.in lists all possible PDS sections and parameters which can be sent to WFx firmware. It contains inline documentation on PDS sections and parameters.

When looking for the latest information on PDS sections and parameters, refer to the PDS template.

When creating a custom PDS file, refer to the PDS template and copy required sections to your custom PDS file, using the inline documentation to select PDS parameter values.

PDS <tt>definitions.in</tt>

definitions.in defines values for all PDS sections and PDS parameters. It is referenced by custom PDS files and PDS files provided in the wfx-pds repository to obtain the final .pds file.

Hardware-specific PDS files

Hardware-specific PDS files are created based on the PDS template and PDS definitions files to match various boards.

Hardware-specific PDS files for Silicon Labs evaluation boards are stored in the wfx-pds repository.

PDS flow

PDS input files are like C header files while PDS output data uses a compressed format:

• For easy editing, PDS input files (.pds.in) are in a human-readable format, with inline documentation.
• To fit embedded applications, .pds.in files are compressed using the [pds_compress][PDS_CMP] (python3 script) tool to the .pds file format.

The PDS generation flow is:

• Edit
  • Copy/paste an existing PDS file or start from template.pds.in
  • In <custom>.pds.in, include definitions.in
  • Use the inline comments to define
    • The sections to use
    • The values to set
  • Remove unused sections
  • Add required sections from template.pds.in if starting from an existing PDS file
  • Set values (from definitions.in) to match the hardware and define the behavior
• Compress
  • compress your .pds.in file to .pds using [pds_compress][PDS_CMP]
• Store
  • Linux: copy the .pds file under /lib/firmware/wf200.pds
  • RTOS: recompile with the new PDS data
• Send (by the WFx driver)
  • During each start-up phase, the WFx driver sends the .pds file after FW download & FW start

Compressing PDS files

Use pds_compress [options] INPUT [OUTPUT] to compress a .pds.in file to a .pds file, ready to be sent to the WFX firmware.

Use pds_compress --help to display the help

Typical use:

• Linux: pds_compress <custom>.pds.in <custom>.pds
• RTOS: pds_compress --out=c <custom>.pds.in <custom>.h

Resulting .pds files should not be edited. It is recommended to always start from human-readable files such as .pds.in files