SPRSP93C November   2024  – December 2025 F29H850TU , F29H859TU-Q1

PRODUCTION DATA  

  1.   1
  2. 1 Features
  3. 2 Applications
  4. 3 Description
    1. 3.1 Functional Block Diagram
  5. 4 Device Comparison
    1. 4.1 Related Products
  6. 5 Pin Configuration and Functions
    1. 5.1 Pin Diagrams
    2. 5.2 Pin Attributes
    3. 5.3 Signal Descriptions
      1. 5.3.1 Analog Signals
      2. 5.3.2 Digital Signals
      3. 5.3.3 Test, JTAG, and Reset
    4. 5.4 Pins With Internal Pullup and Pulldown
    5. 5.5 Pin Multiplexing
      1. 5.5.1 GPIO Muxed Pins
    6. 5.6 Connections for Unused Pins
  7. 6 Specifications
    1. 6.1  Absolute Maximum Ratings
    2. 6.2  F29H85x ESD Ratings – Commercial
    3. 6.3  F29H85x ESD Ratings – Automotive
    4. 6.4  F29P58x ESD Ratings – Commercial
    5. 6.5  F29P58x ESD Ratings – Automotive
    6. 6.6  F29P32x ESD Ratings – Automotive
    7. 6.7  Recommended Operating Conditions
    8. 6.8  Power Consumption Summary
      1. 6.8.1 System Current Consumption VREG Disable - External Supply
      2. 6.8.2 System Current Consumption VREG Enabled
      3. 6.8.3 Operating Mode Test Description
      4. 6.8.4 Reducing Current Consumption
        1. 6.8.4.1 Typical Current Reduction per Disabled Peripheral
    9. 6.9  Electrical Characteristics
    10. 6.10 Special Considerations for 5V Fail-Safe Pins
    11. 6.11 Thermal Resistance Characteristics for ZEX Package
    12. 6.12 Thermal Resistance Characteristics for PTS Package
    13. 6.13 Thermal Resistance Characteristics for RFS Package
    14. 6.14 Thermal Resistance Characteristics for PZS Package
    15. 6.15 Thermal Design Considerations
    16. 6.16 System
      1. 6.16.1  Power Management Module (PMM)
        1. 6.16.1.1 Introduction
        2. 6.16.1.2 Overview
          1. 6.16.1.2.1 Power Rail Monitors
            1. 6.16.1.2.1.1 I/O POR (Power-On Reset) Monitor
            2. 6.16.1.2.1.2 I/O BOR (Brown-Out Reset) Monitor
            3. 6.16.1.2.1.3 VDD POR (Power-On Reset) Monitor
          2. 6.16.1.2.2 External Supervisor Usage
          3. 6.16.1.2.3 Delay Blocks
          4. 6.16.1.2.4 Internal VDD LDO Voltage Regulator (VREG)
          5. 6.16.1.2.5 VREGENZ
        3. 6.16.1.3 External Components
          1. 6.16.1.3.1 Decoupling Capacitors
            1. 6.16.1.3.1.1 VDDIO Decoupling
            2. 6.16.1.3.1.2 VDD Decoupling
        4. 6.16.1.4 Power Sequencing
          1. 6.16.1.4.1 Supply Pins Ganging
          2. 6.16.1.4.2 Signal Pins Power Sequence
          3. 6.16.1.4.3 Supply Pins Power Sequence
            1. 6.16.1.4.3.1 External VREG/VDD Mode Sequence
            2. 6.16.1.4.3.2 Internal VREG/VDD Mode Sequence
            3. 6.16.1.4.3.3 Supply Sequencing Summary and Effects of Violations
            4. 6.16.1.4.3.4 Supply Slew Rate
        5. 6.16.1.5 Power Management Module Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.16.1.5.1 Power Management Module Operating Conditions
          2. 6.16.1.5.2 Power Management Module Characteristics
      2. 6.16.2  Reset Timing
        1. 6.16.2.1 Reset Sources
        2. 6.16.2.2 Reset Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.16.2.2.1 Reset XRSn Timing Requirements
          2. 6.16.2.2.2 Reset XRSn Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.16.2.2.3 Reset Timing Diagrams
      3. 6.16.3  Clock Specifications
        1. 6.16.3.1 Clock Sources
        2. 6.16.3.2 Clock Frequencies, Requirements, and Characteristics
          1. 6.16.3.2.1 Input Clock Frequency and Timing Requirements, PLL Lock Times
            1. 6.16.3.2.1.1 Input Clock Frequency
            2. 6.16.3.2.1.2 XTAL Oscillator Characteristics
            3. 6.16.3.2.1.3 X1 Input Level Characteristics When Using an External Clock Source Not a Crystal
            4. 6.16.3.2.1.4 X1 Timing Requirements
            5. 6.16.3.2.1.5 AUXCLKIN Timing Requirements
            6. 6.16.3.2.1.6 APLL Characteristics
            7. 6.16.3.2.1.7 XCLKOUT Switching Characteristics PLL Bypassed or Enabled
            8. 6.16.3.2.1.8 Internal Clock Frequencies
        3. 6.16.3.3 Input Clocks
        4. 6.16.3.4 XTAL Oscillator
          1. 6.16.3.4.1 Introduction
          2. 6.16.3.4.2 Overview
            1. 6.16.3.4.2.1 Electrical Oscillator
              1. 6.16.3.4.2.1.1 Modes of Operation
                1. 6.16.3.4.2.1.1.1 Crystal Mode of Operation
                2. 6.16.3.4.2.1.1.2 Single-Ended Mode of Operation
              2. 6.16.3.4.2.1.2 XTAL Output on XCLKOUT
            2. 6.16.3.4.2.2 Quartz Crystal
            3. 6.16.3.4.2.3 GPIO Modes of Operation
          3. 6.16.3.4.3 Functional Operation
            1. 6.16.3.4.3.1 ESR – Effective Series Resistance
            2. 6.16.3.4.3.2 Rneg – Negative Resistance
            3. 6.16.3.4.3.3 Start-up Time
            4. 6.16.3.4.3.4 DL – Drive Level
          4. 6.16.3.4.4 How to Choose a Crystal
          5. 6.16.3.4.5 Testing
          6. 6.16.3.4.6 Common Problems and Debug Tips
          7. 6.16.3.4.7 Crystal Oscillator Specifications
            1. 6.16.3.4.7.1 Crystal Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) Requirements
            2. 6.16.3.4.7.2 Crystal Oscillator Parameters
            3. 6.16.3.4.7.3 Crystal Oscillator Electrical Characteristics
        5. 6.16.3.5 Internal Oscillators
          1. 6.16.3.5.1 INTOSC Characteristics
      4. 6.16.4  Flash Parameters
        1. 6.16.4.1 C29 Flash Parameters 
        2. 6.16.4.2 HSM Flash Parameters 
      5. 6.16.5  Memory Subsystem (MEMSS)
        1. 6.16.5.1 Introduction
        2. 6.16.5.2 Features
        3. 6.16.5.3 RAM Specifications
      6. 6.16.6  Debug/JTAG
        1. 6.16.6.1 JTAG Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.16.6.1.1 DEBUGSS Timing Requirements
          2. 6.16.6.1.2 DEBUGSS Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.16.6.1.3 JTAG Timing Diagram
          4. 6.16.6.1.4 SWD Timing Diagram
      7. 6.16.7  GPIO Electrical Data and Timing
        1. 6.16.7.1 GPIO – Output Timing
          1. 6.16.7.1.1 General-Purpose Output Switching Characteristics
          2. 6.16.7.1.2 General-Purpose Output Timing Diagram
        2. 6.16.7.2 GPIO – Input Timing
          1. 6.16.7.2.1 General-Purpose Input Timing Requirements
          2. 6.16.7.2.2 Sampling Mode
        3. 6.16.7.3 Sampling Window Width for Input Signals
      8. 6.16.8  Real-Time Direct Memory Access (RTDMA)
        1. 6.16.8.1 Introduction
          1. 6.16.8.1.1 Features
          2. 6.16.8.1.2 Block Diagram
      9. 6.16.9  Low-Power Modes
        1. 6.16.9.1 Clock-Gating Low-Power Modes
        2. 6.16.9.2 Low-Power Mode Wake-up Timing
          1. 6.16.9.2.1 IDLE Mode Timing Requirements
          2. 6.16.9.2.2 IDLE Mode Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.16.9.2.3 IDLE Entry and Exit Timing Diagram
          4. 6.16.9.2.4 STANDBY Mode Timing Requirements
          5. 6.16.9.2.5 STANDBY Mode Switching Characteristics
          6. 6.16.9.2.6 STANDBY Entry and Exit Timing Diagram
      10. 6.16.10 External Memory Interface (EMIF)
        1. 6.16.10.1 Asynchronous Memory Support
        2. 6.16.10.2 Synchronous DRAM Support
        3. 6.16.10.3 EMIF Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.16.10.3.1 EMIF Synchronous Memory Timing Requirements
          2. 6.16.10.3.2 EMIF Synchronous Memory Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.16.10.3.3 EMIF Synchronous Memory Timing Diagrams
          4. 6.16.10.3.4 EMIF Asynchronous Memory Timing Requirements
          5. 6.16.10.3.5 EMIF Asynchronous Memory Switching Characteristics
          6. 6.16.10.3.6 EMIF Asynchronous Memory Timing Diagrams
    17. 6.17 C29x Analog Peripherals
      1. 6.17.1 Analog Subsystem
        1. 6.17.1.1 Features
        2. 6.17.1.2 Block Diagram
        3. 6.17.1.3 Analog Pin Connections
      2. 6.17.2 Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)
        1. 6.17.2.1 ADC Configurability
          1. 6.17.2.1.1 Signal Mode
        2. 6.17.2.2 ADC Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.17.2.2.1  ADC Operating Conditions 12-bit Single-Ended
          2. 6.17.2.2.2  ADC Operating Conditions 12-bit Differential
          3. 6.17.2.2.3  ADC Operating Conditions 16-bit Single-Ended
          4. 6.17.2.2.4  ADC Operating Conditions 16-bit Differential
          5. 6.17.2.2.5  ADC Timing Requirements
          6. 6.17.2.2.6  ADC Characteristics 12-bit Single-Ended
          7. 6.17.2.2.7  ADC Characteristics 12-bit Differential
          8. 6.17.2.2.8  ADC Characteristics 16-bit Single-Ended
          9. 6.17.2.2.9  ADC Characteristics 16-bit Differential
          10. 6.17.2.2.10 ADC INL and DNL
          11. 6.17.2.2.11 ADC Performance Per Pin
          12. 6.17.2.2.12 ADC Input Models
          13. 6.17.2.2.13 ADC Timing Diagrams
      3. 6.17.3 Temperature Sensor
        1. 6.17.3.1 Temperature Sensor Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.17.3.1.1 Temperature Sensor Characteristics
      4. 6.17.4 Comparator Subsystem (CMPSS)
        1. 6.17.4.1 CMPSS Connectivity Diagram
        2. 6.17.4.2 Block Diagram
        3. 6.17.4.3 CMPSS Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.17.4.3.1 Comparator Electrical Characteristics
          2.        CMPSS Comparator Input Referred Offset and Hysteresis
          3. 6.17.4.3.2 CMPSS DAC Static Electrical Characteristics
          4. 6.17.4.3.3 CMPSS Illustrative Graphs
      5. 6.17.5 Buffered Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC)
        1. 6.17.5.1 Buffered DAC Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.17.5.1.1 Buffered DAC Operating Conditions
          2. 6.17.5.1.2 Buffered DAC Electrical Characteristics
    18. 6.18 C29x Control Peripherals
      1. 6.18.1 Enhanced Capture (eCAP)
        1. 6.18.1.1 eCAP Block Diagram
        2. 6.18.1.2 eCAP Synchronization
        3. 6.18.1.3 eCAP Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.18.1.3.1 eCAP Timing Requirements
          2. 6.18.1.3.2 eCAP Switching Characteristics
      2. 6.18.2 High-Resolution Capture (HRCAP)
        1. 6.18.2.1 eCAP and HRCAP Block Diagram
        2. 6.18.2.2 HRCAP Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.18.2.2.1 HRCAP Switching Characteristics
          2. 6.18.2.2.2 HRCAP Figure and Graph
      3. 6.18.3 Enhanced Pulse Width Modulator (ePWM)
        1. 6.18.3.1 Control Peripherals Synchronization
        2. 6.18.3.2 ePWM Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.18.3.2.1 ePWM Timing Requirements
          2. 6.18.3.2.2 ePWM Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.18.3.2.3 Trip-Zone Input Timing
            1. 6.18.3.2.3.1 PWM Hi-Z Characteristics Timing Diagram
      4. 6.18.4 External ADC Start-of-Conversion Electrical Data and Timing
        1. 6.18.4.1 External ADC Start-of-Conversion Switching Characteristics
        2. 6.18.4.2 ADCSOCAO or ADCSOCBO Timing Diagram
      5. 6.18.5 High-Resolution Pulse Width Modulator (HRPWM)
        1. 6.18.5.1 HRPWM Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.18.5.1.1 High-Resolution PWM Characteristics
      6. 6.18.6 Enhanced Quadrature Encoder Pulse (eQEP)
        1. 6.18.6.1 eQEP Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.18.6.1.1 eQEP Timing Requirements
          2. 6.18.6.1.2 eQEP Switching Characteristics
      7. 6.18.7 Sigma-Delta Filter Module (SDFM)
        1. 6.18.7.1 SDFM Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.18.7.1.1 SDFM Electrical Data and Timing (Synchronized GPIO)
          2. 6.18.7.1.2 SDFM Electrical Data and Timing (Using ASYNC)
            1. 6.18.7.1.2.1 SDFM Timing Requirements When Using Asynchronous GPIO ASYNC Option
            2. 6.18.7.1.2.2 SDFM Timing Requirements When Using Synchronous GPIO SYNC Option
          3. 6.18.7.1.3 SDFM Timing Diagram
    19. 6.19 C29x Communications Peripherals
      1. 6.19.1 Modular Controller Area Network (MCAN)
      2. 6.19.2 Fast Serial Interface (FSI)
        1. 6.19.2.1 FSI Transmitter
          1. 6.19.2.1.1 FSITX Electrical Data and Timing
            1. 6.19.2.1.1.1 FSITX Switching Characteristics
            2. 6.19.2.1.1.2 FSITX Timings
        2. 6.19.2.2 FSI Receiver
          1. 6.19.2.2.1 FSIRX Electrical Data and Timing
            1. 6.19.2.2.1.1 FSIRX Timing Requirements
            2. 6.19.2.2.1.2 FSIRX Switching Characteristics
            3. 6.19.2.2.1.3 FSIRX Timings
        3. 6.19.2.3 FSI SPI Compatibility Mode
          1. 6.19.2.3.1 FSITX SPI Signaling Mode Electrical Data and Timing
            1. 6.19.2.3.1.1 FSITX SPI Signaling Mode Switching Characteristics
            2. 6.19.2.3.1.2 FSITX SPI Signaling Mode Timings
      3. 6.19.3 Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C)
        1. 6.19.3.1 I2C Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.19.3.1.1 I2C Timing Requirements
          2. 6.19.3.1.2 I2C Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.19.3.1.3 I2C Timing Diagram
      4. 6.19.4 Power Management Bus (PMBus) Interface
        1. 6.19.4.1 PMBus Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.19.4.1.1 PMBus Electrical Characteristics
          2. 6.19.4.1.2 PMBus Fast Mode Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.19.4.1.3 PMBus Standard Mode Switching Characteristics
      5. 6.19.5 Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
        1. 6.19.5.1 SPI Controller Mode Timings
          1. 6.19.5.1.1 SPI Controller Mode Switching Characteristics Clock Phase 0
          2. 6.19.5.1.2 SPI Controller Mode Switching Characteristics Clock Phase 1
          3. 6.19.5.1.3 SPI Controller Mode Timing Requirements
          4. 6.19.5.1.4 SPI Controller Mode Timing Diagrams
        2. 6.19.5.2 SPI Peripheral Mode Timings
          1. 6.19.5.2.1 SPI Peripheral Mode Switching Characteristics
          2. 6.19.5.2.2 SPI Peripheral Mode Timing Requirements
          3. 6.19.5.2.3 SPI Peripheral Mode Timing Diagrams
      6. 6.19.6 Single Edge Nibble Transmission (SENT)
        1. 6.19.6.1 Introduction
        2. 6.19.6.2 Features
      7. 6.19.7 Local Interconnect Network (LIN)
      8. 6.19.8 EtherCAT SubordinateDevice Controller (ESC)
        1. 6.19.8.1 ESC Features
        2. 6.19.8.2 ESC Subsystem Integrated Features
        3. 6.19.8.3 EtherCAT IP Block Diagram
        4. 6.19.8.4 EtherCAT Electrical Data and Timing
          1. 6.19.8.4.1 EtherCAT Timing Requirements
          2. 6.19.8.4.2 EtherCAT Switching Characteristics
          3. 6.19.8.4.3 EtherCAT Timing Diagrams
      9. 6.19.9 Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART)
  8. 7 Detailed Description
    1. 7.1  Overview
    2. 7.2  Functional Block Diagram
    3. 7.3  Error Signaling Module (ESM_C29)
      1. 7.3.1 Introduction
      2. 7.3.2 ESM Subsystem
      3. 7.3.3 System ESM
    4. 7.4  Error Aggregator
      1. 7.4.1 Error Aggregator Modules
      2. 7.4.2 Error Aggregator Interface
    5. 7.5  Memory
      1. 7.5.1 C29x Memory Map
      2. 7.5.2 Flash Memory Map
        1. 7.5.2.1 Flash MAIN Region Address Map (F29H85x, 4MB)
        2. 7.5.2.2 Flash MAIN Region Address Map (F29H85x, 2MB)
        3. 7.5.2.3 Flash MAIN Region Address Map (F29P58x, 4MB)
        4. 7.5.2.4 Flash MAIN Region Address Map (F29P58x, F29P32x 2MB)
        5. 7.5.2.5 Flash MAIN Region Address MAP (F29P329x, 1MB)
        6. 7.5.2.6 Flash Data Bank Address Map (128KB)
        7. 7.5.2.7 Flash Data Bank Address Map (256KB)
        8. 7.5.2.8 Flash BANKMGMT Region Address Map
        9. 7.5.2.9 Flash SECCFG Region Address Map
      3. 7.5.3 Peripheral Registers Memory Map
    6. 7.6  Identification
    7. 7.7  Boot ROM
      1. 7.7.1 Device Boot Sequence
      2. 7.7.2 Device Boot Modes
        1. 7.7.2.1 Default Boot Modes
        2. 7.7.2.2 Custom Boot Modes
      3. 7.7.3 Device Boot Configurations
        1. 7.7.3.1 Configuring Boot Mode Pins
        2. 7.7.3.2 Configuring Boot Mode Table Options
      4. 7.7.4 Device Boot Flow Diagrams
        1. 7.7.4.1 Device Boot Flow
        2. 7.7.4.2 CPU1 Boot Flow
        3. 7.7.4.3 Emulation Boot Flow
        4. 7.7.4.4 Stand-alone Boot Flow
      5. 7.7.5 GPIO Assignments
    8. 7.8  Security Modules and Cryptographic Accelerators
      1. 7.8.1 Security Modules
        1. 7.8.1.1 Hardware Security Module (HSM)
        2. 7.8.1.2 Cryptographic Accelerators
      2. 7.8.2 Safety and Security Unit (SSU)
        1. 7.8.2.1 System View
    9. 7.9  C29x Subsystem
      1. 7.9.1 C29 CPU Architecture
      2. 7.9.2 Peripheral Interrupt Priority and Expansion (PIPE)
        1. 7.9.2.1 Introduction
          1. 7.9.2.1.1 Features
          2. 7.9.2.1.2 Interrupt Concepts
        2. 7.9.2.2 Interrupt Controller Architecture
          1. 7.9.2.2.1 Dynamic Priority Arbitration Block
          2. 7.9.2.2.2 Post Processing Block
          3. 7.9.2.2.3 Memory-Mapped Registers
        3. 7.9.2.3 Interrupt Propagation
      3. 7.9.3 Data Logging and Trace (DLT)
        1. 7.9.3.1 Introduction
          1. 7.9.3.1.1 Features
            1. 7.9.3.1.1.1 Block Diagram
      4. 7.9.4 Waveform Analyzer Diagnostics (WADI)
        1. 7.9.4.1 WADI Overview
          1. 7.9.4.1.1 Features
          2. 7.9.4.1.2 Block Diagram
          3. 7.9.4.1.3 Description
      5. 7.9.5 Embedded Real-Time Analysis and Diagnostic (ERAD)
      6. 7.9.6 Inter-Processor Communications (IPC)
        1. 7.9.6.1 Introduction
      7. 7.9.7 Watchdog
      8. 7.9.8 Dual-Clock Comparator (DCC)
        1. 7.9.8.1 Features
        2. 7.9.8.2 Mapping of DCCx Clock Source Inputs
      9. 7.9.9 Configurable Logic Block (CLB)
    10. 7.10 Lockstep Compare Module (LCM)
  9. 8 Applications, Implementation, and Layout
    1. 8.1 Reference Design
  10. 9 Device and Documentation Support
    1. 9.1 Device Nomenclature
    2. 9.2 Markings
    3. 9.3 Tools and Software
    4. 9.4 Documentation Support
    5. 9.5 Support Resources
    6. 9.6 Trademarks
    7. 9.7 Electrostatic Discharge Caution
    8. 9.8 Glossary
  11. 10Revision History
  12. 11Mechanical, Packaging, and Orderable Information
    1. 11.1 Packaging Information
    2.     TRAY

6.16.4.1 C29 Flash Parameters 

PARAMETER MIN TYP MAX UNIT
Program Time(1)  (on a data region) 128 data bits + 16 ECC bits 62.5 625 µs
2KB (Sector) 8 80 ms
Program Time(1)  (on a program region, interleaved) 256 data bits + 32 ECC bits 125 1250 µs
4KB (Sector) 16 160 ms
EraseTime(2)(3)  at < 25 cycles (on a data region) 2KB (Sector) 15 55 ms
64KB 17 61 ms
128KB 18 66 ms
256KB 21 78 ms
EraseTime(2)(3)  at < 25 cycles (on a program region, interleaved) 4KB (Sector) 30 110 ms
128KB 34 122 ms
256KB 36 132 ms
512KB 42 156 ms
1MB 52 178 ms
EraseTime(2)(3) at 1000 cycles 2KB (Sector) 25 130 ms
64KB 28 143 ms
128KB 30 157 ms
256KB 35 183 ms
512KB 39 199 ms
EraseTime(2)(3) at 2000 cycles 2KB (Sector) 30 221 ms
64KB 33 243 ms
128KB 36 265 ms
256KB 42 310 ms
512KB 49 335 ms
EraseTime(2)(3) at 20K cycles 2KB (Sector) 120 1003 ms
64KB 132 1102 ms
128KB 145 1205 ms
256KB 169 1410 ms
512KB 185 1560 ms
Nwec  Write/Erase Cycles per sector 20000 cycles
Nwec  Write/Erase Cycles for entire device (limited by flash pump endurance) 100000 cycles
tretention  Data retention duration at TJ = 85oC 20 years
Fclk 50 MHz
(1) Program time is at the maximum device frequency.  Program time includes overhead of the flash state machine but does not include the time to transfer the following into RAM:
• Code that uses flash API to program the flash        
• Flash API itself            
• Flash data to be programmed            
In other words, the time indicated in this table is applicable after all the required code/data is available in the device RAM, ready for
programming. The transfer time will significantly vary depending on the speed of the JTAG debug probe used.
Program time calculation is based on programming 144 bits at a time at the specified operating frequency. Program time includes
Program verify by the CPU. The program time does not degrade with write/erase (W/E) cycling, but the erase time does.
Erase time includes Erase verify by the CPU and does not involve any data transfer.
(2) Erase time includes Erase verify by the CPU.
(3) The on-chip flash memory is in an erased state when the device is shipped from TI. As such, erasing the flash memory is not required prior to programming, when programming the device for the first time. However, the erase operation is needed on all subsequent programming operations.