Compact Flash Problem

[Altera_Forum]

Hi: 

 I am evaluating the Compact Flash IP Core using the Altera Nios Develoment Kit Cyclone 1C20 Edition and I cannot properly access the CF card.  I modified the "standard" design example to instantiate the CF core and wired it to the CF connector through the "proto1" bus and the few dedicated CF pins in the standard design.  1) Is there an example *.bdf file which shows the connection of the Nios cpu with the CF core to the "proto1" bus / CF connector? I would like to compare it to mine.  2) I am running the "ideutils" example project code that came with the core. (The Compact Flash Test Utilities template) Can this software be built and run as a Nios C / C++ project?  Nick

[Altera_Forum]

Hi nipri, 

 We are packaging this core with Nios in the next release. It will be compatible with the core Microtronix did and put on the forum, but with your choice of Verilog or VHDL. I will be posting some updated example designs (just some revised HW example files with pin-outs, and an updated version of the ideutils to handle hot-swapping better and with improved comment) here on the forum for people to use shortly. If you would like I can email you a design, please contact me personally.. let me know which development board you're using.  About your question with the IDE: Absolutely. Just create a default project... "empty project" or "hello world" and copy in the IDE files. If you start with hello world, be sure to delete the hello_world.c file from the project lest you have two "main()" routines.  Everyone else: In a week or two I'll post some designs here on the forum.

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Jesse: 

 Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I still cannot get the Compact Flash core to work properly on the Cyclone 1C20 eval board. I am not yet sure whether it is a problem with the core or the wiring between the FPGA nad CF socket.  Nick

[Altera_Forum]

Just wondering: 

 Has this core been tested on the Nios cyclone 1C20 eval. board?  Which design was used to verify the core? I tried both the standard and full-featured designs and I get the same results for both.

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Nipri 

 I've had some experience with the CF card. What CF card are you using ? Is this the one supplied with the evaluation board or another one ? If it's another one, what's its size ?  Nir

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Nir! 

 I've tried the CF supplied with the 1C20 eval board (15.2MB) and an off-the-shelf SanDisk part (64 MB)  I also have a SanDisk USB programmer which I can use to test / format the CF cards on my workstation.  Nick

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Jesse, 

 I use the 1C20 eval board also and I would have a design compact_flash in vhdl. The only supply is the compact_flash in verilog. And I wait also for your designs on the forum.  Lucien

[Altera_Forum]

All, 

 I have uploaded the updated Compact Flash HW & SW examples. You can download a .zip from the "Tested IP" forum.

[Altera_Forum]

Hello All 

 I am posting here since I can't reply to the posted IP message. I have downloaded the examples there and built them as directd in the readme file. However, I get errors in the beginning when the cpu tries to write and then read values in the SECTOR register. Sometimes it reads always 0 and sometomes it reads 0x80 (instead of what it's suposed to read). However, when stepping through that code in debug mode, all the reads are ok. Has anyone come accross this problem before ?  Nir

[Altera_Forum]

Nir, 

 Did this card work at all with the previous CF component in an older Nios design, or when attached to a PC with CF card reader? If so we have a problem that was not caught! If you have an older design to try that it works on, I would be interested in seeing it for comparison sake (you have my email address).  Also, what kind of card is it? Do you know which PIO mode?  Back to your question at hand... no, in my tests I haven't come across a card that worked while stepping (debug) but then failed when you just ran it.