[Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please

Sat Oct 28 23:10:17 EDT 2017

Just FYI.  The problems are definitely related to buggy software/drivers.  I have used the same flash chip (as used on the DE-1) with an Altera FPGA and the programming of the chip works flawlessly with custom software.  I send out updates to units in the field with guys that have no idea what an FPGA is.  They follow the instructions I give them and the automated update process works the first time every time.

Dave

> On Oct 28, 2017, at 4:35 PM, Bill Pierce via Coco <coco at maltedmedia.com> wrote:
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> James, I have programmed the pof and flash randomly (as far as order) many times and it doesn't seem to make a difference, BUT... if you search through the messages on the Coco3FPGA group, you'll find that many people have had to program the unit several times before it takes. I have had to do this myself at times. I don't know if it's the programming software or the FPGA that's at fault, but it does happen. I know someone (can't remember who) had to program theirs several times before it finally worked.
> As I stated on the group posts, the guide Kip wrote that's in the Coco3FPGA group files has the most current steps for programming the unit. Brian's guide is good, but outdated. It also doesn't include programming for the analog boards.
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> Bill Pierce
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Ross <jrosslist at outlook.com>
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Sent: Sat, Oct 28, 2017 4:21 pm
> Subject: Re: [Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please
> 
> Interesting Tim.  Thanks for the*.sof advice, I did see a blurb about that in the manual.  Wikipedia talks about most flash devices lasting ~ 100,000 cycles – but I’ve seen other places state as low as 10,000 … Hopefully these DE1's are closer to the 100k!   Thanks for your previous answer on the programming order.  I am going to play around w/ it soon and see if I can confirm your statement that it does not matter.   I have no idea what was making my first 3 or 4 tries fail.  I am fairly certain that the guide at http://www.brianholman.com/retrocompute/files/coco3fpga.html if followed verbatim does NOT result in a working system.Thanks again for the info. James________________________________________From: Coco <coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com> on behalf of tim franklinlabs.com <tim at franklinlabs.com>Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2017 7:56 PMTo: CoCoList for Color Computer EnthusiastsSubject: Re: [Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please   ...Oh one more thing... Pay close attention on the number of times you   program the flash *POF or ROM). Flash has a limit on the number of   times you can write to it before it dies. It's write capability is very   large but it does have a limit. Use SOF files if you are experimenting.   Most flash cards do whats called "wear leveling" to increase the write   cycles. I'm not sure if the DE1 flash supports wear leveling.   -Tim     On October 28, 2017 at 1:58 PM James Ross wrote:     Hey Tim,     Thanks for this clarification. Nice to know!!     Since the day I got my DE1 to boot up to the 3 amigos, I have not   had time to play w/ it again. However, I really want to get the     process down pat, since I want to go back-and-forth re-programming     it with tutorials and the CoCo3FPGA.     Here is my question: does the order in which you program DE1 matter?     For example, the last few messages on the Yahoo group a couple of us     in that thread have determined that you must:     1) First program the FLASH w/ the ROMS     2) Next program the CoCo3 FPGA *.pof file     Since if you rever
> se that order, programming the FLASH second, it     will clobber the *.pof file?     Since apparently to program the FLASH, regardless which control     panel you use, the process must load a *.pof file -- w/ the older     control panel you have to do it manually, w/ the newer control panel     it does it automatically.     *OR* am I/we incorrect in that assessment?     James     ________________________________________     From: Coco on behalf of tim franklinlabs.com     Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 9:58 PM     To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts     Subject: Re: [Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please     The PROG/RUN switch enabled the write capabilities of the on board     FPGA     flash device. NOT the FLASH RAM. The FPGA doesn't retain anything     when     power is removed. You can send the progtam directly to the FPGA     (.sof)     file and run it using the programming tool. When power is removed,     the     FPGA forgets the program. There's a "Config Flash" chip connected to     the FPGA that programs the FPGA automatically at power up. This     flash     is programed by placing the RUN/PROG switch in PROG mode and sending     the POF file the same way you send the SOF file This is done with     the     programmer tool (not the control panel).     The control panel allows you to write to the on board external     flash. A     totally seperate chip. This chip is NOT connected to the RUN/PROG switch therefore the switch has no affect on writing to it.     On October 24, 2017 at 4:22 PM rcrislip wrote:     Trying to follow the various procedures to flash/program the DE-1 is     a     little confusing for me. An answer to this question will clear the     fog     tremendously. When using the Control Panel, is the "prog/run" switch     set to prog or run, likewise when using Quartus, what position is     the     switch to be in? I think I know, but conformation from you folks     will help a lot. TIA     RECrislip     --    Coco mailing list     [1][1]Coco at maltedmedia.com     [2][2]https://pairlist5.pair
> .net/mailman/listinfo/coco     References     1. mailto:[3]Coco at maltedmedia.com 2.     [4]https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco     --     Coco mailing list     [5]Coco at maltedmedia.com     [6]https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco     --     Coco mailing list     [7]Coco at maltedmedia.com     [8]https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/cocoReferences   1. mailto:Coco at maltedmedia.com   2. https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco   3. mailto:Coco at maltedmedia.com   4. https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco   5. mailto:Coco at maltedmedia.com   6. https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco   7. mailto:Coco at maltedmedia.com   8. https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco--Coco mailing listCoco at maltedmedia.comhttps://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco-- Coco mailing listCoco at maltedmedia.comhttps://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
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