SPL/UBOOT sometimes hangs while tryning to load core fw

[Yoels]

Hello,

I'm working on a custom board with a SoCFPGA Altera Arria 10. I'm working in Altera Environment 20.1 and U-Boot 2020.04. I have a firmware file that includes periph and core . This file is stored on the QSPI flash. The SPL loads the periph part, initializes the DDR, loads the core, part and then loads the U-Boot. After that, the U-Boot loads a VxWorks image.

I have a strange error: every 10 times (give or take) that I turn on the board, there is one time that the SPL isn't able to load the core firmware, meaning the SPL just gets stuck or hangs while trying to load the core instead of displaying "Full Configuration Succeeded" and "FPGA: Enter User Mode". When it hangs, the terminal stops responding. This happens only sometimes and randomly.

Do you have any idea what can cause this and how to fix it?

Why would the load of the core be successful sometimes and unsuccessful other times?

I tried to load the core at the U-Boot part but I get the same result; it hangs while trying to load the core only once every few turn-ons of the board. 

My main problem is that I can't tell if the problem comes from the core fw part that I try to load or because of the SPL+UBOOT that weren't configured right.

In an earlier version we used UBOOT 2014.01 and Altera 17.1, there we didn't have SPL+UBOOT only UBOOT: maybe it's has to do with that?

I build my SPL+UBOOT using this doc on section  "Arria 10 SoC - Boot from QSPI"

https://www.rocketboards.org/foswiki/Documentation/BuildingBootloaderCycloneVAndArria10#Arria_10_SoC_45_Run_U_45Boot_from_Debugger

Maybe I need to switch from some reason to Altera 23.1 ? I'm not sure that it will solve the problem.

Thanks in advance, any help would be appreciated , 
Yoel

[aikeu]

Hi Yoels,

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in addressing your Forum queries. Due to an unexpected back-end issue in our system, your Forum cases, along with others, did not get through as intended. As a result, we have a backlog of cases that we are currently working through one by one.

May I know do you still require help on the issue?

From your descriptions, you are correct that all the latest build will need to go through the building bootloader steps from rocketboards:

https://www.rocketboards.org/foswiki/Documentation/BuildingBootloaderCycloneVAndArria10

Thanks.

Regards,

Aik Eu

[aikeu]

Hi Yoels,

As we do not receive any response from you on the previous question/reply/answer that we have provided. Please login to ‘https://supporttickets.intel.com/s/?language=en_US’, view details of the desire request, and post a feed/response within the next 15 days to allow me to continue to support you. After 15 days, this thread will be transitioned to community support. The community users will be able to help you on your follow-up questions.

Thanks.

Regards,

Aik Eu