what is the Fan Power Header

[thankyouforyourreply]

hello everybody, i am reading the arria 10 fpga development kit user guide to find a port that can show real-time power consumption of the fpga. i found a physical pin called Fan Power Header(J19) but there seems to be no introduction of it. i wonder if it can be connected to the oscilliscope to show the real-time consumption, or is there any other ways to do it? the thanks.hello everybody, i am reading the arria 10 fpga development kit user guide to find a port that can show real-time power consumption of the fpga. i found a physical pin called Fan Power Header(J19) but there seems to be no introduction of it. i wonder if it can be connected to the oscilliscope to show the real-time consumption, or is there any other ways to do it? the thanks.

[FvM]

Hi,
purpose of the header is to power a fan, typically on a heatsink attached to the FPGA. Arria 10 dev kit has features to measure FPGA power consumption, review user guide paragraph "Power Monitor". But there's no electrical output representing the measurement, it can be visualized in a software tool.

[FvM]

P.S.
I see that not all A10 dev kits have mentioned power monitoring feature with involves current measurement shunts and ADC connected to it. Check the user manual and schematic of your board.

[thankyouforyourreply]

Thank you for your help! I misunderstood the meaning of the name. I have some problem setting the monitoring software so I cannot know if it can save the real-time power consumption data, which I really want to know. Thanks again.

[Fakhrul]

Hi,

The Fan Power Header (J19) on the Arria 10 FPGA development kit is only intended for powering a fan, it's not designed for measuring or monitoring the board’s power consumption.

To monitor real-time FPGA power usage, your development kit includes onboard current and voltage sensors connected to the MAX V CPLD. You can access these readings using the Power Monitor feature, which is available through the Board Test System (BTS) software or as a standalone application (PowerMonitor.bat). This tool shows real-time current and power graphs for multiple power rails and can display minimum, maximum, and RMS values.

Note:

• Power data is only available through the software interface, there’s no dedicated pin or analog output that you can probe directly with an oscilloscope for total FPGA power.
• Some versions of the software may allow you to export or log power data. Check for any “export” or “log” options in the Power Monitor tool, or consider scripting with Intel’s System Console if you need automated logging.
• If you’re having trouble setting up the Power Monitor, please specify which software version you’re using and describe any error messages or issues.

For more details, see the user guide (Arria® 10 FPGA Development Kit User Guide) sections:

• 4.4.11 The Power Monitor (how to view power data)
• 6.9.2 Power Measurement (hardware details of power monitoring)

Regards,

Fakhrul

[thankyouforyourreply]

Thank you! I downloaded the software from the link in the user guide, and here is the error I met. I open the software after I started quartus and connected the fpga. And if this version cannot support exporting power data, where can I download a version that can do it? Thanks again. 

[Fakhrul]

Hi thankyouforyourreply,

The error cannot execute binary file: Exec format error means the program you’re trying to run isn’t compatible with your system’s architecture or OS. The Power Monitor software is designed to run on a Windows PC, not directly on the FPGA board or on Linux.

Please run the Power Monitor tool on a Windows machine. You may refer to the following thread:

https://community.intel.com/t5/Intel-Quartus-Prime-Software/Downloaded-Quartus-Lite-22-1-but-keep-getting-an-error/m-p/1544438

Regards,

Fakhrul

[Fakhrul]

As we haven't received a response to our previous notification, this thread will be transitioned to community support. We hope all your concerns have been addressed. If you have any new questions, please feel free to open a new thread to receive support from Intel experts. Otherwise, community users will continue to assist you here. Thank you.