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21615 Discussions

Beginner question: FPGA and RS232

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
‎01-16-2014 02:49 PM
1,441 Views

Hi, this is the second time i ask question in this forum. and i am a very beginner of learning electronic devices 

 

I have bought FPGA with cyclone EP1C3T100C8N and downloaded quartus 2, however i only have rs232 cable. I wonder can i still program it with this setup? if so how? Thank you  

 

Sorry for asking suuch a simple question . THank you
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
‎01-16-2014 02:50 PM
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No, you cannot program it with RS232. You will need to find a USB blaster cable.

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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
‎01-16-2014 03:01 PM
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okay thx tricky, would you tell me the reason and explain a little bit? thank you.

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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
‎01-16-2014 03:51 PM
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RS232 is a communications protocol. The FPGA has no 232 connection unless you build one into it - and you would need a JTAG connection to do that.

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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
‎01-16-2014 05:13 PM
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Yes. Some of the newer development boards have the USB blaster built in. Some of the old ones used a "Byte Blaster" that was a parallel port cable to jtag interface. But most computers don't have parallel interfaces anymore. 

 

You can buy a usb blaster clone from TerAsic http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?language=english&categoryno=74 

for $50.00 (plus shipping) 

 

Or for a little more you can buy a DE0 Nano development board that has a usb blaster built into it. 

http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?language=english&categoryno=139&no=593 

 

Pete
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
‎01-17-2014 09:54 AM
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I am getting a USB blaster, i hope it will help . thank you all

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