How are locations in FLASH memory addressed?

Question

There is an external FLASH memory (W25Q80DV) that I want to use with the Arduino. This memory has 4096 pages of 256 bytes each.

I want to make multiple writes per page to use memory evenly and erase less.

Test code:

#include <SPI.h>

#define readStatusReg_1 0x05
#define readArrayReg 0x0B
#define writeEnableReg 0x06
#define pageProgramStatusReg 0x02

#define FLASH_SELECT_CHIP 33

// # Select / Unselect chip
void selectChip(bool state) {
  switch (state) {
    case true:
     digitalWrite(FLASH_SELECT_CHIP, HIGH);
     digitalWrite(FLASH_SELECT_CHIP, LOW);
      break;
    case false:
     digitalWrite(FLASH_SELECT_CHIP, HIGH);
      break;
  }
}

// # Wait flash ready state
void notBusy() {
  uint16_t whileCounter;
  selectChip(true);
  SPI.transfer(readStatusReg_1);
  while((SPI.transfer(0) & 1) && whileCounter < 45000) { whileCounter++; }
  selectChip(false);
}

// # Send command and address
void sendCommandAndAddress(const byte command, const unsigned long address) {
  SPI.transfer(command);
  SPI.transfer((address >> 16) & 0xFF);
  SPI.transfer((address >> 8) & 0xFF);
  SPI.transfer(address & 0xFF);
}

// # Write enable
void writeEnable() {
  notBusy();
  selectChip(true);
  SPI.transfer(writeEnableReg);
  selectChip(false);
}

// # Write FLASH page
bool writeFlashData(const unsigned long address, byte * data) {
  writeEnable();
  selectChip(true);
  sendCommandAndAddress(pageProgramStatusReg, address);
  uint16_t len = sizeof(data);
  for(uint16_t i = 0; i < len; i++) {
    SPI.transfer(*data++);
  }
  selectChip(false);
  notBusy();
  return true;
}

void setup() {
  // SPI
  pinMode(FLASH_SELECT_CHIP, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(FLASH_SELECT_CHIP, HIGH);
  SPI.begin();
  SPI.setDataMode(0);
  SPI.setBitOrder(MSBFIRST);
  
  // Write FLASH
  #define TESTADDRESS 0x1000
  byte msgData[] = "Hi all!";
  writeFlashData(TESTADDRESS, msgData);
}

void loop() {}

Here, the address #define TESTADDRESS 0x1000 (4096) is specified for writing data.

I'm not clear if this is the page address or the byte address from which I will start recording?

I would like to actually split one page into multiple blocks and write data for them separately.

Answer 1

I'm not clear if this is the page address or the byte address from which I will start recording?

That is the byte address. As the data sheet in section 8.5.13 says:

If an entire 256 byte page is to be programmed, the last address byte (the 8 least significant address bits) should be set to 0. If the last address byte is not zero, and the number of clocks exceed the remaining page length, the addressing will wrap to the beginning of the page.

In other words: if you want to write an entire page then start at the beginning of the page. If you don't and you write more than there is room left in the page you will wrap round back to the beginning of the page again.

So if you write two bytes starting with address 0x10FF you will actually write one at 0x10FF and the second at 0x1000, not 0x1100, since you wrap at the page boundary.