DE2-70 problem

[Altera_Forum]

Hi, 

 I have DE2-70 with quartus/Nios 7.2, when I try to use a control panel the error "Fail to connect FPGA Board" appears.  How to fix it?, please :)

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Hi,   I have DE2-70 with quartus/Nios 7.2, when I try to use a control panel the error "Fail to connect FPGA Board" appears.   How to fix it?, please :)  --- Quote End ---     Please give more details about your error. Are you saying you get this error when you try to download your design? Is it an error in the programmer or IDE?

[Altera_Forum]

Hi vizziee 

 Error description:   SO: Windows XP SP2 Driver: USB Blaster Altera 2.0.0.0 Software: Quartus II/Niso 7.2 with lisence Development kit DE2-70 Terasic Control Panel 1.0.0/1.1.0 same error   First Attached: In control panel, try to conect and try to download code Second Attached: NiosDownloadBatch.bat executed

[Altera_Forum]

Hi LeanardoB, 

 Try downloading bitstream (.sof file in control panel directory ) with Quartus to your FPGA. After that run niosdownloadbatch.bat than you can use your control panel utility.  I have experienced the same problem. it worked for me.

[Altera_Forum]

my DE2 Board doesn't see programming cable (USB Blaster). USB Blaster is embedded in DE2 Board. my other Altera board works fine. Quartus recognize the USB Blaster as soon as I connect to the board. Same cable is connected to DE2. But it doesn't show anything. It used to work. Is there anything to do with swithches. SW19 I set it to both RUN and PROG. But in either case, it fails to recognize USB BLASTER.

[Altera_Forum]

I have been dealing with this bug as well. The problem is in the NiosDownloadBatch.bat file. It looks for and creates env variables based on quartus 7.1 and 7.2. I am running quartus 9.0.  

 The sopc_kit_nios2 env variable gets created when you run the nios ide the first time. But I have no clue how or what creates the sopc_builder_path for version 9.0 of quartus. I even tried installing quartus and nios II v7.2 and that just messed up my env variables more.   Seems the only way to make this work would be to completed uninstall ALL Quartus and Nios IDE's. Then intall a clean copy of Quartus and NiosII v7.2. Which seems LAME to me!  I tried loading the the .sof file directly using the quartus ii programmer and usb-blaster but for the life of me I cannot upload the nios II processer because I cannot get the damn NiosDownloadBatch.bat to run.   It is really frustrating as hell and terasic has not been very helpful. In fact they sent me a reply that said in effect "For some reason nearly half the boards we ship have this problem running the control panel and we do not know the reason".   Well it took me 15 minutes to discover the reason (the damn thing is hard written to only work on systems that have ONLY quartus 7.2 and niosII 7.2 installed). It needs to be updated to support the latest versions of quartus and niosii ide or some kind of instratuction on how to det it up manually. I love when I have to learn how to do other peoples jobs to get products they sell me to work!

[Altera_Forum]

To the poster have usb-blaster problems... 

 1. the driver is in the c/altera/<quartus II>/drivers folder.  ****NOTE***** this is VERY import. If you have loaded more then one version of quartus and try to program using a lower version there is a chance the usb-blaster driver will not show up!!!  ex: I have quartus II 9.0 and installed the usb-blaster driver from that installations driver folder. I also have quartus ii 7.2 installed.  I can see the usb-blaster from the quartus ii 9.0 programmer but NOT the quartus ii 7.2 programmer. I suspect the reason is there was a change in the 9.0 driver and since that is the one I installed the 7.2 programmer does not see it.

[Altera_Forum]

THIS QUESTION IS VERY EASY TO SOLVE. 

YOU SHOULD JUST OPEN "NiosDownloadBatch"FILE IN THE DIRECTORY . AFTER THAT,WHEN YOU OPEN "DE2_70_Control_Panel.EXE" AGAIN, YOU WILL AMAZINGLY FIND THE STATE IS "CONNECTTED."

[Altera_Forum]

ADD: 

YOU SHOULD USE MY VERSION "DE2-70ControlPanel+v1.2.0(support+QII+v+9.0)" IN ATTACHMENT,AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.

[Altera_Forum]

I still have problems in this ..  

 It still doesnt work..

[Altera_Forum]

OH~ Thank you !! 

1. I download the file: DE2-70ControlPanel+v1.2.0(support+QII+v+9.0)  2. and I put it in C:\altera\91 (I use the version Quartus II 9.1)  3. Then I click the DE2_70_Control_Panel.exe   4. I click the Download code ( It show the error )  5. Don't care about that , try "Connect"  I sucess !!

[Altera_Forum]

Hi Ctbram, 

 I had exactly the same problem as you described, but instead using 10.0 version. I would like to find out what you have to do in order to run the control_panel for the DE2-70. I just wanted to learn by following the users manual but ran into this problem. Can you share?