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17268 Discussions

Use SMA ports as direct output without using ALTGX

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
1,524 Views

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this message, so if not please (re)move it. 

 

I am trying to interface my FPGA design with a PCB board using the SMA ports but Quartus keeps giving me error messages, either pointing out that the selected voltage is not allowed for the SMA ports (2.5V) or that the given configuration is only possible by using ALTGX Megafunction. 

 

I am using an Stratix IV, device EP4S100G2F40I2. 

 

PS: I was able to use the SMA pins without problems when using the fast transceivers, with the ALTGX function. The problem now is that I need to send only bit-messages, thus not requiring all the circuitry that comes along ALTGX. The image below shows a simple scenario that illustrates pretty much what I trying to do, in which each output port is one SMA pin on the board. 

 

Thanks in advance, 

 

http://www.alteraforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11050&stc=1
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
547 Views

The SMA pins should be connected to the dedicated transceiver reference clock input pins. This type of refclk pins can only be used for transceiver instances ie ALTGX. This would explain why the Fitter trigger error when connect the refclk pins to non-ALTGX instance.

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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Note that the dedicated transceiver pins in the Stratix IV can only be used for transceiver application but not as general purpose IO.

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