Programmable Devices
CPLDs, FPGAs, SoC FPGAs, Configuration, and Transceivers
20736 Discussions

how to config fpga with flash?

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
1,726 Views

hi , i am Tig , a starter . 

 

and my board is Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition. 

 

the flash device is cfi_16M. 

 

i want to know how to use flash config the fpga 

 

i have read the document "using Parallel Flash Loader " 

 

but i am confused by the relationship between the fpga & cpld 

 

actually , i don't know how to assign the pins 

 

i tried to convert .sof to .jic , however , the board doesn't support EPCS 

 

so ,  

 

thanks all
0 Kudos
9 Replies
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

Hi, 

 

There are two types of Parallel Flash Loader(PFL). One is implemented to MAX II or other CPLD. It writes data from JTAG to Flash and loads data from Flash to any FPGA device. A function writing data from JTAG is called programmer, and one loading to FPGA is called loader. 

Another is implemented to FPGA. It writes data from JTAG to Flash and is programmer only. Loader? Only the Cyclone III FPGA has dedicated loader circuit to load from Flash, and this must be the way to configure FPGA in your board. It is described in AN-478. 

Probably you can use the "Factory Default PFL", so you just convert sof to pof instead of jic. All the pins for PFL are dedicated in the Cyclone III, so you don't need to assign them. 

 

Thanks,
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

You have to convert the programming file in active parallel setting to file type *.pof.

0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

thank u a lot. 

 

can i use the Signaltap II to detect the signals  

after programming the *.pof into flash device? 

 

:)
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

Not for debugging the configuration process.

0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

so , that means the Singnaltap is disabled ? 

 

thanks
0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

SignalTap can start operation at the earliest with start of user mode (with Power-Up Trigger), cause it's part of the design. But you didn't exactly tell, what you are trying to achieve with SignalTap.

0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

i want to get the timing of the DDR on the board .

0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

OK, that isn't conflicting with flash configuration anyhow. But you have the restriction that you can't capture signals directly at double data rate pins (DDIO registers) respectively with double data rate general. So you can't see the particular DDR timing, but you can see of course the sequences of control signals and addresses, and indirectly the RAM read and write data at the demultiplexed "slow" side of DDIO.

0 Kudos
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor II
479 Views

yes ,  

 

i just want to see the control singals , addresses & data. 

 

they can let me know if the design is right . 

 

thanks a lot  

 

:)
0 Kudos
Reply