The AVH_FVP software pack delivers comprehensive developer resources, examples, and reference implementations for Arm Fixed Virtual Platforms (FVP) with Virtual Interfaces.
FVP simulation models of Arm Cortex-M reference platforms run directly on your host system (Windows or Linux), providing accurate virtual hardware targets for firmware validation. FVP simulation models are included in Keil MDK and integrate seamlessly with Keil Studio, command-line environments, and CI/CD workflows.
Virtual Interfaces bridge your firmware's I/O with host system resources, enabling powerful test automation and flexible development workflows:
- VIO - Virtual I/O for LEDs, switches, and simple peripheral controls.
- VSI - Virtual Streaming Interface for high-throughput data streaming.
- VSocket - BSD socket connectivity for network protocol testing.
The Virtual Streaming Interface (VSI) provides 8 independent channels (VSI0 - VSI7) for flexible data streaming between firmware and host system. Each channel connects to a Python script that implements the host-side peripheral behavior. The AVH-FVP software pack contains reference implementations for firmware drivers (using the CMSIS-Driver vStream API) and corresponding Python scripts.
- VSI0-1: Audio streaming (input/output) with support for multiple formats and sample rates.
- VSI2: Sensor data streaming (accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature, and more).
- VSI3: Used in SDS Framework for data streaming.
- VSI4-7: Video streaming channels supporting various color formats and frame rates.
The Python-based peripheral scripts enable rapid prototyping and testing without physical hardware. Applications can use multiple VSI channels simultaneously to simulate complex multi-peripheral systems, making it ideal for ML model validation, sensor fusion testing, and signal processing application development.
The AVH-FVP pack includes ready-to-run examples:
- FVP_Hello - Simple application that demonstrates FVP setup and debug output. Ideal starting point for new projects.
- FVP_Audio - Audio streaming demonstration using vStream API for audio input/output (VSI0-1). Captures audio samples and streams them through the audio output with configurable sample rates, bit depths, and channels.
- FVP_Video - Video streaming demonstration using vStream API for video input/output (VSI4-5). Captures video frames and displays them with configurable resolution and color formats.
These examples are configured for the FVP Corstone platforms (SSE-300, SSE-310, SSE-315, SSE-320) and work out-of-the-box with pre-configured FVP simulation settings. They can be built using CMSIS-Toolbox or Keil Studio. The FVP_Audio and FVP_Video examples use Python scripts to access data files on the host system. With configuration options, the host system peripherals can also be used for I/O.
By adding a compatible Software Layer: Board, the examples can be tested on FVP simulation models or physical hardware boards. To run these examples on a physical board, you may use the Reference Application workflow, where Keil Studio adds a compatible board layer from a BSP.
- Install the pack: Add the pack
ARM::AVH_FVPto your development environment. - Run Hello example: Build and run the FVP_Hello example on your chosen FVP Corstone platform to verify setup.
- Explore vStream examples: Try FVP_Audio or FVP_Video example to experience Virtual Interfaces in action.