EPCS Access Problem

Altera_Forum · ‎05-06-2005

We would like to use an RS-232 port to re-program an EPCS part on our board, both configuration and program code. We can program the EPCS4 using the FlashProgrammer utilty just fine. Our board boots up fine. If we are in the debugging environment and call the alt_flash_open_dev() function, it works fine. If we are running out of code that has been loaded from the EPCS4 part, we can never open the part. Its almost like the boot loader is preventing us from accesing the EPCS4.

George

Altera_Forum · ‎05-07-2005

So you have your hardware and software in the EPCS. You power up the board the hardware is sent to the FPGA, the Nios comes up and bootloader is run. The bootloader copies the program into the correct target memory. Then your application starts running but it can't access the EPCS (you are using the HAL to access it right?)

Here's a test:

-Program your hardware and the "memtest" software template into the EPCS

-Power cycle your board

-Connect to the JTAG UART without downloading software (in the Nios II SDK shell type "nios2-terminal" to do this)

-If the software actually booted you should have the menu from the application in front of you (data should be still buffered)

-Attempt a test of the EPCS device

Also can you give more specifics? Quartus version, Nios version, target board information, how are you trying to access the EPCS in software, etc....

Altera_Forum · ‎05-07-2005

This problem was reported in the forum a few months ago. An explanation and workaround is posted in this thread:

http://www.niosforum.com/forum/index.php?a...ct=st&f=2&t=850 (http://www.niosforum.com/forum/index.php?act=st&f=2&t=850)

The problem is fixed in Nios II 5.0.

Altera_Forum · ‎05-09-2005

That fixed it. Next time I'll look harder in previous posts. Thanks.

George