Upgrade Altera MAX10m08 over SPI

[Nabeel1]

Trying to upgrade an Altera MAX10m08 over SPI that would put the new image in CFM1/2.

1. Are there any example design files that will allow Max10m08 to talk over SPI to a microcontroller, and be able to upgrade CFM1/2 ?

2. What protocol does the microcontroller need to use to talk over SPI to the FPGA? Is this something that the user defines himself, or do we need to follow some predefined protocol like Avalon?

[FvM]

Hi,
remote upgrade connects at least to on-chip flash IP and for full featured design also to dual configuration IP core. Both have AVMM interface, but essentially exposes a set of registers that can be accessed through any protocol of your choice. Intel has published I2C and UART examples, but SPI can be of course used as well.

[Nabeel1]

Thanks for the response

So while trying to put the IP cores on the FPGA ... we realized that the part we are using is 10M08SCU169A7G. The SC means that it's the compact version. So when we tried to put the Dual Configuration IP into it, it did not allow it as it was not supported for the compact version. 

1. Is there still a way to upgrade this 10M08 Compact version? (without the use of the Dual Boot configuration IP Core)

2.  Can the config_sel pin still be used to select which flash page the device boots from?

[NurAiman_M_Intel]

Hi,

As mention in Max 10 configuration userguide(refer page 13),

There are two methods to access remote system upgrade in Intel MAX 10 devices:

• Dual Configuration Intel FPGA IP core

• User interface 

Kindly refer to below userguide for more information:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/docs/programmable/683865/current/fpga-configuration-overview.html

Regards,

Aiman

[Nabeel1]

Hi Aiman, 

After looking at the document you have provided, this is the conclusion I have reached. 

The FPGA part we are using (Max10M08 Compact) does not support the remote system upgrade. The two options you provided (Dual Configuration) and User Interface will not work.

The part we are using is Compact, and from the above snippet from the datasheet, there are no RSU option for Compact.

Another part of the document also verifies this that compact does not have remote system upgrade capability. Moreover, from the above table, since the compact only has a single configuration image, I don't see how we can do remote upgrade to the internal flash. 

It looks like the only option we have left is to upgrade this part over JTAG. Please let me know if I have stated incorrect information or I have missed something that might allow me to do remote system upgrade on this part. 

Thanks

Nabeel