BeMicro FPGA-based MCU Evaluation Board

[Altera_Forum]

This is the new BeMicro FPGA-based MCU Evaluation Board thread. Please post your questions and comments within this thread. Documentation and purchasing information can be found at www.arrow.com/bemicro (http://www.arrow.com/bemicro).

[Altera_Forum]

Well considered, it must work.

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  who can give me the linux driver of bemicro and schematic ? thanks!  --- Quote End ---    I am also very interested in this, i know that linux or even win7 is not currently supported by the bemicro but will it be?. i do all my development in linux, i hate to have to install windows in a virtualbox to get the bemicro to work.. my DE2 card works like a dream in linux...

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  I looked it up. A18 on a 512x16 part is the same as CE2 on the existing part. You should be able to drop in a 512x16 with no board modifications - but use the pin assigned to CE2 in the manual as A18 instead.  I was looking at this part: http://www.issi.com/pdf/61-64wv51216.pdf but I believe that is part of the JEDEC spec.  --- Quote End ---    Hi,jshamlet. Thank you for your help! But,I didn't find any information in the manual,which pin be used assigned to A18 from the FPGA chip. pds123

[Altera_Forum]

The said pin is actually named cs2 in the manual.

[Altera_Forum]

hi all 

 I'm using this thread to ask if anyone has the Bemicro schematics?  all I got from Altera was some ref designs and some installation guide. if anyone found something please let me know!

[Altera_Forum]

I fear, it hasn't been published yet. What's the particular detail you need to know?

[Altera_Forum]

I'm interested in the FT2232 connections. I have the board so I can test the connections using DVM but that's awkward. 

 besides that, I believe that every company selling an evaluation board should supply all the information about it, if for example I'd like to use the IO connector in a Quartus project, I don't have the pin out!  this is an evaluation board, not a commercial product.

[Altera_Forum]

I generally agree. A special point is, that BeMicro has been designed by Hitex, using a form factor they had introduced for other evaluation boards (e.g. NXP ARM) before. I don't know, if it's an Altera contract development at all. 

 The I/O connector mapping is completely documented in the BeMicro manual, for the FT2232 connection I have posted my findings in another thread: http://www.alteraforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20490  In addition, here are the FT2232 connections AD0 TCK AD1 TDI AD2 TDO AD3 TMS AD4 NCONFIG AD5 NSTATUS AD6 CONF_DONE AC0 4052 Sel A AC1 4052 Sel B  The 4052 is multiplexing the FT2232 JTAG pins according to Sel A/B as follows:  0 1 2 3 TMS NC IO NC R404/TMS TDO NC IO NC R406/TDO TDI NC IO DATA R403/TDI TCK NC IO R402/DCLK R401/TCK  I didn't have a need to trace the FPGA I/O pins connected in Select 1 mode. Select 3 is the default mode used for JTAG configuration.

[Altera_Forum]

Hi I was wondering if anyone here that's been using their bemicro has made any use of the 80 pin edge connector? Would you know of an 80 pin connector that would slip onto the end of the bemicro from which I could run wires from? I would like to run pwr and assorted inputs to the brd through this connector and run control signals out. Thanks... Mike

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Hi I was wondering if anyone here that's been using their bemicro has made any use of the 80 pin edge connector? Would you know of an 80 pin connector that would slip onto the end of the bemicro from which I could run wires from? I would like to run pwr and assorted inputs to the brd through this connector and run control signals out. Thanks... Mike  --- Quote End ---    The mating connector for the card-edge on the BeMicro is the MEC6 series from Samtec: http://www.samtec.com/productinformation/technicalspecifications/overview.aspx?series=mec6-ra  You can also buy a prototyping board from Hitex for the BeMicro: http://www.ehitex.de/p_info.php?products_id=311  Jake

[Altera_Forum]

Thanks jako, I order a sample one. I have another question. Is there any plans to offer windows 7 drivers in the near future. I now have multiple windows 7 laptops and iMacs. I afraid, that I may be out of luck using this and my DE2 brd for awhile.

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Hi I was wondering if anyone here that's been using their bemicro has made any use of the 80 pin edge connector? Would you know of an 80 pin connector that would slip onto the end of the bemicro from which I could run wires from? I would like to run pwr and assorted inputs to the brd through this connector and run control signals out. Thanks... Mike  --- Quote End ---     I've made a couple of boards for the BeMicro - a simple I2C adapter with onboard EEPROM and buffer, and a more complex board with optically isolated ADC's and digital I/O. The connector is a Samtec MEC6-140-02. You can get samples of it directly from them. The only trick is that the right-angle and vertical connectors have different alignment pin locations.

[Altera_Forum]

I bought my BeMicro some months ago and I did that tutorial lab from Arrow. But only now I got the time to try to develop something by myself. I am trying to learn programmable logic and how to use FPGAs by myself, but I am having a hard time finding material to start doing so with BeMicro. It seems to me that this is not a good choice for a complete newbie in this scene. 

 I tried following this tutorial now: http://www.altera.com/literature/tt/tt_my_first_fpga.pdf and I got stuck in the "Assign the Pins" step. Everything went just fine, but the pins I created just don't show up in the pin planner. But that doesn't seem to be the worst problem to me. Even if I can assign the pins, I'm not sure how I will adapt the button pin to the BeMicro. I thought about using the serial communication, but I don't know how I would do this.  I have only the BeMicro board, no connector, nor protoboard. Is it possibile to do something to learn how to use FPGAs only with this or if I should get at least the connector.  Thanks, Daniel Franch

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Daniel, 

  --- Quote Start ---   I have only the BeMicro board, no connector, nor protoboard. Is it possibile to do something to learn how to use FPGAs only with this or if I should get at least the connector.   --- Quote End ---  Do you have the BeMicro (red PCB, Cyclone III device, with an Arrow USB-Blaster) or the BeMicro-SDK (blue PCB, Cyclone IV device, with a USB-Blaster interface)? I have both, so can give you some example code.  What HDL language are you starting to learn? (I have examples in VHDL, but can help you convert them to Verilog).  The BeMicro has an FTDI FT2232 dual-channel USB-to-serial/parallel interface. The first channel is used for JTAG, the second can be used for serial. Under the device managed in the advanced properties for channel B, enable VCP (the virtual COM port). Then remove and reinsert the board. Channel B will then have a COM number assigned.  Now create a design with   tx <= rx;  Assign these two pins, tri-state all unused pins, and download it.  Bring up hyperterminal, turn off hardware and software handshaking, and type something in. The characters are echoed by the board.  Cool eh!  I can send you a UART-to-Avalon-MM master that you can drop into an SOPC system with a PIO component to toggle LEDs.  Cheers, Dave

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Hi Daniel, Do you have the BeMicro (red PCB, Cyclone III device, with an Arrow USB-Blaster) or the BeMicro-SDK (blue PCB, Cyclone IV device, with a USB-Blaster interface)? I have both, so can give you some example code.   --- Quote End ---    I have the BeMicro, just BeMicro... red PCB with Cyclone III and Arrow USB-Blaster. Some example code would be really great. :)    --- Quote Start ---   What HDL language are you starting to learn? (I have examples in VHDL, but can help you convert them to Verilog).   --- Quote End ---    Actually, VHDL is just fine for me. This is the language that will be used eventually in my engineering course and it is used in the Programmable Logic department in the company that I work.    --- Quote Start ---   The BeMicro has an FTDI FT2232 dual-channel USB-to-serial/parallel interface. The first channel is used for JTAG, the second can be used for serial. Under the device managed in the advanced properties for channel B, enable VCP (the virtual COM port). Then remove and reinsert the board. Channel B will then have a COM number assigned.  Now create a design with   tx <= rx;  Assign these two pins, tri-state all unused pins, and download it.  Bring up hyperterminal, turn off hardware and software handshaking, and type something in. The characters are echoed by the board.  Cool eh!   --- Quote End ---    It is exactly something like this I would like to do, since I don't have a connector to use something to communicate with the FPGA. I will probably have to learn how to addapt projects to use the serial communication and the hyperterminal instead of buttons.  But, following that tutorial I linked in my last post, I had a hard time assigning the pins with the Pin Planner. The pins I had designed didn't show up in the pin planner.    --- Quote Start ---   I can send you a UART-to-Avalon-MM master that you can drop into an SOPC system with a PIO component to toggle LEDs.   --- Quote End ---    That would also be great. Every help will be very much appreciated.  Thank you very much, Daniel Franch

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Daniel, 

  --- Quote Start ---   Some example code would be really great. :) Actually, VHDL is just fine for me. This is the language that will be used eventually in my engineering course and it is used in the Programmable Logic department in the company that I work.   --- Quote End ---  Ok. I'm traveling this week and don't have my BeMicro with me. I'd like to check there are no synthesis warnings before I send you the code. Which version of Quartus are you using?    --- Quote Start ---    It is exactly something like this I would like to do, since I don't have a connector to use something to communicate with the FPGA. I will probably have to learn how to addapt projects to use the serial communication and the hyperterminal instead of buttons.   --- Quote End ---  Did you test the above procedure works for you? Can you get characters to echo? If so, you can create an SOPC system containing a NIOS processor and regular UART and connect that to the RX/TX pins.    --- Quote Start ---    But, following that tutorial I linked in my last post, I had a hard time assigning the pins with the Pin Planner. The pins I had designed didn't show up in the pin planner.   --- Quote End ---  Sounds like you might have had a logic error and your logic was synthesized away to nothing.  Try and implement the UART loopback and enable the VCP. That way you'll have made some progress.  Cheers, Dave

[Altera_Forum]

Hi, Dave 

   --- Quote Start ---  Hi Daniel, Ok. I'm traveling this week and don't have my BeMicro with me. I'd like to check there are no synthesis warnings before I send you the code. Which version of Quartus are you using?   --- Quote End ---    No problems, I'm not in a hurry with this. I'm using Quartus II 11.0.    --- Quote Start ---   Did you test the above procedure works for you? Can you get characters to echo? If so, you can create an SOPC system containing a NIOS processor and regular UART and connect that to the RX/TX pins.  Sounds like you might have had a logic error and your logic was synthesized away to nothing.  Try and implement the UART loopback and enable the VCP. That way you'll have made some progress.   --- Quote End ---    I haven't tried this yet. All I have done was that tutorial, up to that part. Later today I will test the procedure you described. I will be more alert to logic errors this time.   Thanks,  Daniel K. Franch

[Altera_Forum]

Hey Dave, 

 I just did that design you suggested to check the serial transmission, but I'm not sure it worked. Honestly, I'm not so familiar with HyperTerminal (shame on me). I am not sure if the characters I type on HyperTerminal are show to me also. So I don't know how this design will exactly work. For example, if I type "Hello World" on HyperTerminal I woul get "HHeelllloo WWoorrlldd"? Or what is shown in HyperTerminal is just what I am receiving? Because the second option is what I'm getting.

[Altera_Forum]

Hyperterminal is really self explanatory, I think. There are some setting like local echo of sent characters, that you have apparently checked. Getting typed characters doubled means you have local and remote echo (loopback) at the same time, so something is already working. I assume you checked in system control manager, that you actually connected with BeMicro UART channel, not another serial device possibly installed on your conputer.

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Daniel, 

  --- Quote Start ---   For example, if I type "Hello World" on HyperTerminal I woul get "HHeelllloo WWoorrlldd"? Or what is shown in HyperTerminal is just what I am receiving? Because the second option is what I'm getting.  --- Quote End ---    If you create a new Hyperterminal session, then the default is no echoing, so if you type characters and you see them in Hyperterminal, then they are coming from your hardware.  To get repeated characters, you can use File->Properties, Settings Tab, ASCII setup button, and then check 'Echo Typed Characters Locally'. This will help convince you that your hardware really is sending you characters.  Now you can implement a NIOS system with a UART and connect the RX/TX. You can also have that NIOS system connected to a JTAG UART. You can have the project use the JTAG UART for normal stdio, so that it displays in Eclipse, and write some code to generate a string on the hardware UART. Your hyperterminal session will then print out whatever message you are sending from the NIOS processor.  Cheers, Dave

[Altera_Forum]

I just tried another design I wrote (but I can't test it while my connector doesn't arrive) and the characters aren't echoed, so the other design is working. I can see what I type because it is being echoed. I always thought that HyperTerminal would be simple to use, but when I had to use it, I couldn't remember if the thing I type were shown there. 

But now everything is solved. Yay! Thank you all. :)