Quartus Programmer SW, 2 SW versions on the same PC

[IoanFlorucza]

We have an test system PC installed into the out MFG floor, which use Altera Blaster download cable (PL-USB-BLASTER-RCN) to program the FPGA of the products. On this test system PC is installed and use the CLI application of the Quartus 2 32-bit Version 13.0.1 Build 232 06/12/2013 SJ in order to program the FPGAs.

On the same test system PC we will need to program the FPGA of an new product which have an Cyclone 10 FPGA. It seems that the Quartus 2 32-bit Version 13.0.1 Build 232 06/12/2013 SJ does not have in the list Cyclone 10 when I want to create the .CDF file.

So, I installed the latest Programming application which is Quartus Prime Version 20.1.1 Build 720 11/11/2020 SJ, and with this I see in the list Cyclone 10, and I able to create the .CDF and program successfully the FPGA of the board.

But now because on the same test system PC we have two programming SW installed I have an issue:

for example when in the old Quartus SW (13.0.1) is selected the Altera blaster programmer, then in the latest Quartus SW (20.1.1), the programmer is not detected.

In order to solve this problem, first I have to select to "no hardware" in one of the Quartus SW  and only after that the programmer can be detected in the other Quartus SW. So this is not a good solution, is time consuming and require higher level of technical support during production...

It is not allowed to uninstall the old Quartus SW (13.0.1) because is heavily used in production.

My questions are:

1. can be add somehow in the old Quartus SW  (13.0.1) to be able to program the Cyclone 10 FPGA? if yes how?

2. If I purchase the Alter Blaster 2 (PL-USB2-BLASTER) download cable and used only with the latest Quartus SW (20.1.1) still i will have the same issue?

3. Do you have any other idea how to solve this issue?

Thank you.

[sstrell]

What are the old devices that you still need to program?  You should be able to do everything in the new programmer as long as you have existing programming files for the old devices and the devices are detected in the new Programmer, which they should be over JTAG.

When connected to the old devices, in the new Programmer, select the cable (USB Blaster?) and click Auto Detect.  If you can see the devices, you can use the new Programmer for everything.  That way you don't need two copies of Programmer (open at the same time?).

[IoanFlorucza]

The old devices are Cyclone 2 FPGA (EP2C20F484, EP2C35F484,...) and the new device is Cyclone 10 (10CL080YF484I7G) FPGA.

The idea is that to not do any modification for the test SW which are for the old devices and is working with the old Quartus Programmer SW because there are several test flow SW which then will require to update the path of the CLI app (quartus_pgm.exe) of the Quartus Programmer SW to point the new Quartus Programmer SW and than also we will need to re-validate the test system in the manufacturing line.

So I have to find an alternative solution for this issue.

If we purchase an Alter Blaster 2 (PL-USB2-BLASTER) download cable and used only with the latest Quartus SW (20.1.1), then still I will have the same issue?

[sstrell]

The cable has nothing to do with it.  That's just a JTAG bridge.  The newer cable supports USB 2.0.

So you're saying the old Programmer doesn't see the C10 device on the JTAG chain, even after you click Auto Detect?  If it doesn't, and you can't switch to the newer version of the Programmer, then there's not much you can do.

[YuanLi_S_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hi

Please find my response below:

1. can be add somehow in the old Quartus SW (13.0.1) to be able to

program the Cyclone 10 FPGA? if yes how?

No

2. If I purchase the Alter Blaster 2 (PL-USB2-BLASTER) download cable

and used only with the latest Quartus SW (20.1.1) still i will have the

same issue?

I think this a good idea. The reason is blaster 2 and blaster 1 have different driver and they are not the same.

Regards,

Bruce