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generating UFM programming file without recompile

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Hello, 

 

My company is planning to start producing hardware with MAX10 device on it and i want to store unique identifier in each one of them. I know how to achieve that with on chip flash IP, qsys and initialization file but i have to compile the whole design in order to generate programming file. For every board produced. Is it possible to generate only UFM programming file without compiling the whole design? 

 

Thank you, 

Martin
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Hi Martin, I don't see why you need to compile the whole design. Let's say you store your identifier at UFM location 0x10000. You could just flash the unit then update the identifier in UFM @0x10000 with a different NiosII through JTAG. You would need to recompile the NiosII C code since it has a different identifier . It should take about 10s of seconds to recompile just the ELF file for JTAG download.

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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Hi siliconvalley, 

Thank you for your reply but i don't think it is applicable in my situation. In my design, i'm not using Nios. Communication with on chip flash IP is realized through small state machine. But there must be some way to achieve this without soft processor as well.
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Hi Martin, the UFM stores the hex code for nios or your USER flash memory, and not the compiled project (it is stored in CFM). Create POF from SOF (for CFM) and your unique hex file with a unique identifier (for UFM) by "Convert Programming Files" or linking 2 files (in the final pof file, the addresses for cfm and ufm are fixed and specified by the manufacturer). 

Unless of course you want to store the ID in ufm and not in cfm. 

Vitaliy
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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Hi Vitalyi,  

i tried to use Convert Programming Files but without success. When i choose pof as an output programming file and internal configuration as a mode, only input i could add was one sof. Add Hex Data button was greyed out. Maybe my settings were wrong. Is there any documentation for Convert Programming Files utility? I can't find any. 

I'm not sure what do you mean by linking two files. I tried to found location of ID in final pof and edit it with hex editor, but then programmer complained that pof was corrupt so there must be some checksum. I can't find anything about that neither but i think it is because pof is not supposed be edited manually. 

Thank you, i appreciate your help. I'm new in Altera devices and tools so maybe i'm missing something obvious.
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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--- Quote Start ---  

Hi Vitalyi,  

i tried to use Convert Programming Files but without success. When i choose pof as an output programming file and internal configuration as a mode, only input i could add was one sof. Add Hex Data button was greyed out.  

 

--- Quote End ---  

 

in Convert Programming Files 

Mode "Internal Configuration" 

Pres "Option/Boot info..." 

in UFM source select "Load memory file" 

in File path add hex for UFM 

and next add SOF as you did 

 

 

--- Quote Start ---  

 

Maybe my settings were wrong. Is there any documentation for Convert Programming Files utility? I can't find any. 

 

--- Quote End ---  

 

I'll try to find a description, but perhaps this information is drawn from several sources 

 

Oh, find! 

http://www.terasic.com.tw/attachment/archive/956/max10neek_my_first_niosii.pdf 

or search "Max10Neek_My_First_NiosII" 

 

 

p.62 "3.3 Programming On-chip Flash" 

 

 

And in general this document is the best that I found to create the first project on nios for MAX10!
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
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http://www.terasic.com.tw/attachment/archive/956/max10neek_my_first_niosii.pdf 

or search "Max10Neek_My_First_NiosII" 

 

p.62 "3.3 Programming On-chip Flash" 

 

And in general this document is the best that I found to create the first project on nios for MAX10!
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
684 Views

in Convert Programming Files 

Mode "Internal Configuration" 

Pres "Option/Boot info..." 

in UFM source select "Load memory file" 

in File path add hex for UFM 

and next add SOF as you did 

 

//Maybe my settings were wrong. Is there any documentation for Convert Programming Files utility? I can't find any. 

 

http://www.terasic.com.tw/attachment...rst_niosii.pdf 

or search "Max10Neek_My_First_NiosII" 

 

p.62 "3.3 Programming On-chip Flash" 

 

And in general this document is the best that I found to create the first project on nios for MAX10!
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
684 Views

 

--- Quote Start ---  

Hi Vitalyi,  

i tried to use Convert Programming Files but without success. When i choose pof as an output programming file and internal configuration as a mode, only input i could add was one sof. Add Hex Data button was greyed out. Maybe my settings were wrong.  

 

--- Quote End ---  

 

in Convert Programming Files 

Mode "Internal Configuration" 

Pres "Option/Boot info..." 

in UFM source select "Load memory file" 

in File path add hex for UFM 

and next add SOF as you did 

 

 

--- Quote Start ---  

 

Is there any documentation for Convert Programming Files utility? I can't find any. 

 

--- Quote End ---  

 

 

search "Max10Neek_My_First_NiosII" 

 

p.62 "3.3 Programming On-chip Flash" 

 

And in general this document is the best that I found to create the first project on nios for MAX10!
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Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
684 Views

 

--- Quote Start ---  

in Convert Programming Files 

Mode "Internal Configuration" 

Pres "Option/Boot info..." 

in UFM source select "Load memory file" 

in File path add hex for UFM 

and next add SOF as you did 

--- Quote End ---  

 

 

Thank you very much. That is exactly what i need. I was in "Option/Boot info..." tab before and didn't notice UFM option. 

 

 

--- Quote Start ---  

 

search "Max10Neek_My_First_NiosII" 

 

p.62 "3.3 Programming On-chip Flash" 

 

And in general this document is the best that I found to create the first project on nios for MAX10! 

--- Quote End ---  

 

 

Thank you again. I will definitely read this.
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