arduino / arduino/ArduinoCore-sam
UDD_Send() (uotghs_device.c) has an unbounded busy-wait on TXINI — permanent MCU hang if host doesn't set it (native USB CDC line-state related)
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Description
## Summary
`UDD_Send()` in `system/libsam/source/uotghs_device.c` contains an unbounded busy-wait loop with **no timeout**, waiting for the `TXINI` (Transmit IN complete) flag on the target endpoint. If the host does not set this flag (e.g. around a USB line-state change such as DTR/RTS toggling on the native CDC port), the MCU hangs **permanently** in this loop, with interrupts still enabled and no way to recover except a full reset/power cycle.
```c
uint32_t UDD_Send(uint32_t ep, const void* data, uint32_t len)
{
const uint8_t *ptr_src = data;
uint8_t *ptr_dest = (uint8_t *) &udd_get_endpoint_fifo_access8(ep);
uint32_t i;
while( UOTGHS_DEVEPTISR_TXINI != (UOTGHS->UOTGHS_DEVEPTISR[ep] & UOTGHS_DEVEPTISR_TXINI )) {}
...
```
(https://github.com/arduino/ArduinoCore-sam/blob/master/system/libsam/source/uotghs_device.c)
This is called from `USBD_Send()` in `USBCore.cpp`, which is the underlying function used by every `SerialUSB.write()`/`println()` call (via `Serial_::write` in `CDC.cpp`), as well as HID reports.
Related but similarly unbounded waits exist elsewhere in the same file (`UDD_WaitIN`, `UDD_WaitOUT`, `UDD_WaitForINOrOUT`) — all are plain `while(...);` with no timeout or bail-out condition.
## How I found this
I have an Arduino Due (genuine, Rev3) that reliably hangs during extended native-USB operation on specific Windows 11 hosts (newer Intel xHCI controllers — Tiger Lake/Alder Lake generation). Full investigation history, including USB traffic capture (Wireshark/USBPcap) and elimination of third-party software as a cause, is documented here: https://github.com/arduino/ArduinoCore-sam/issues/71#issuecomment-5382181174
Using an ST-Link V2 + OpenOCD + GDB attached via the DEBUG (SWD) header, I was able to halt the MCU while it was hung (native USB unresponsive, but the rest of `loop()` — an independent LED blink — still running, i.e. not a full lockup: `DHCSR.S_LOCKUP` was `0`, core was in normal Thread mode with interrupts enabled).
Register/symbol dump at the hang:
```
pc = 0x00081b06 -> inside UDD_Send+18
lr = 0x00080e99 -> called from USBD_Send() at USBCore.cpp:204
xpsr = 0x01000000 -> Thread mode, not inside an ISR
primask/faultmask = 0 -> interrupts not disabled
```
`info line *0x00080e99` resolved cleanly to `USBCore.cpp:204` inside `USBD_Send`, confirming the call chain `Serial_::write → USBD_Send → UDD_Send`, stuck spinning on the `TXINI` wait with no way out.
## Reliable(-ish) repro
A minimal sketch (no HID/Joystick needed, plain CDC is enough):
```cpp
bool state;
uint32_t Tim;
uint32_t TimLog;
void setup() {
pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
delay(1000);
SerialUSB.println(1);
}
void loop() {
if (millis() - Tim >= 500) {
Tim = millis();
digitalWrite(13, state);
state = !state;
}
if (millis() - TimLog >= 5000) {
TimLog = millis();
SerialUSB.println(millis());
}
}
```
- Left running for ~15-25 minutes on an affected Windows 11 host: hangs organically.
- Faster/more reliable trigger: from the host, open the native CDC COM port via .NET `System.IO.Ports.SerialPort` **without** setting `DtrEnable`/`RtsEnable` to `true` before `.Open()` — this toggles the CDC line state in a way that reliably triggers the hang within seconds in my testing.
- Does not reproduce on Linux or in Windows Safe Mode on the same physical hardware — consistent with the theory that it's a host-timing-dependent race on whether `TXINI` gets set before the firmware's next attempt to send.
## Suggested direction for a fix
At minimum, every unbounded `while(...)` wait in `uotghs_device.c` (`UDD_Send`, `UDD_WaitIN`, `UDD_WaitOUT`, `UDD_WaitForINOrOUT`) should have a bounded timeout (e.g. based on `millis()` or a cycle counter) and return an error/abort the transfer instead of spinning forever when the expected hardware flag never arrives. I understand this changes the function signatures/call sites (currently `void`/unconditional `uint32_t` return used as byte count, not status) — happy to discuss/help test a patch if a maintainer can advise on the preferred approach (e.g. optional timeout parameter, or a global "USB write timeout" behavior similar to how other Serial implementations use `setTimeout()`).
## Environment
- Board: Arduino Due (genuine, Rev3, native USB port)
- Core: Arduino SAM Boards (32-bit ARM Cortex-M3), package version installed via Boards Manager — 1.6.12
- Debug setup: ST-Link V2 (clone) via the onboard 4-pin SWD DEBUG header, OpenOCD 0.12.0, arm-none-eabi-gdb 4.8.3 (bundled with Arduino IDE's SAM toolchain)
- Host: Windows 11 (build 26100), Intel USB 3.10/3.20 xHCI controllers (`PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_51ED`, `PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_461E`)
Happy to provide more register dumps, the `.elf`/`.map` files, or the full Wireshark capture if useful.
Contributor guide
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Research direction
Start in system/libsam/source/uotghs_device.c by reading UDD_Send, UDD_WaitIN, UDD_WaitOUT, and UDD_WaitForINOrOUT, then trace their callers through USBCore.cpp and CDC.cpp. Reproduce the native CDC hang with the provided sketch and host setup; done means a missing USB flag no longer spins forever and the affected send/wait paths report or abort the transfer consistently.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- c, cpp
- Domain
- embedded-iot
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 52/100