I think you hit the nail on the head... the "12V Marketing Plan" !!!
Sheesh.
Next, someone will find a "warranty" chip (RTC) that blows the board after 12 months...
Shhhhh! you are not supposed to mention the "W" chip, weren't you at the secret meeting when it was proposed, accepted, implemented, and the minutes of the meeting "lost"?
BTW, we had some teething problems because some of the W chips were implemented with the same W chip technology. Even we can't win them all. Shhhh!
Next, someone will find a "warranty" chip (RTC) that blows the board after 12 months...
They already have that... it is a standard in a certain store's name brand appliances. An "open air" fusible link sandwiched between circuit boards that last exactly one year and three days in the controller board. I have had to replace four of them in five years. Last time I buy a K*nm*re. Planned obsolescence. The modern way to be sure you have a new customer every year.
Edit to add: I have been waiting quietly and reading. Waiting for the first time I hit "download" and blink an LED on the Prop II. My only concern is when I can get a board in my hands, I will let the rest of you worry about the details. I just hope the details don't cloud the true goal... getting one in MY hands.
The pinout of the Prop 2 was made so that there are never power and ground pins adjacent to each other. There are always at least two signal pins between them:
I think those DE0-Nano boards are a good deal and safe to get started with. The DE2-115 is for the high-rollers.
Chip, Daniel is sending you his board tomorrow BUT you have to send that damaged one back to me so I can return it to them. I'm about to order five boards and I can do an exchange with your damaged board. UPS, FedEx, walnut tractor...just get it on it's way.
The pinout of the Prop 2 was made so that there are never power and ground pins adjacent to each other. There are always at least two signal pins between them:
I think those DE0-Nano boards are a good deal and safe to get started with. The DE2-115 is for the high-rollers.
Have You looked on my proposal on DE0-NANO __ AD-on Boards mods to Yours one.
If You like that one --- I can even made layout to it.
Yes, it looks good, but I think it's a lot of extra connectors for just 13 more pins. I know you like the idea of having a whole 32 pins, but I don't think it matters enough to suffer all the connectors for.
If you build that board, some people might want to buy it. I just want to make something simple and quick, myself.
On this one I proposed it is only one more connector (2x13) that Yours have.
I don't have money to produce and distribute that boards - And even if I produce that one IT need support in Yours software for that.
So I think it is Dual work.
For my needs I work on another PCB to DE0_NANO -- for all types of experiments.
With much more connectors that that one You made.
That have both support for TFT_LCD and Propeller I as Driver for it on same board
Have already most of components for it -->
Now need only save some money to produce that one.
Yes, it looks good, but I think it's a lot of extra connectors for just 13 more pins. I know you like the idea of having a whole 32 pins, but I don't think it matters enough to suffer all the connectors for.
If you build that board, some people might want to buy it. I just want to make something simple and quick, myself.
It will not be soft-core that You can add to Yours own system.
It will be Config-binary file that give You closed Propeller II system that You can't modify
Only use as emulator for Learn/testing Yours programming skills
Ah, I remembered now. I thought they are sharing the VHDL/Verilog file, which is strictly confidential. Thanks for clearing that up.
Are the other 8 cogs synchronized yet? Or the testing is only on one cog for now?
Anyway, keep going, the results are very fantastic! Liked the progress every moment.
The biggest FPGA board I've got (same number of LE's as the Terasic DE2-115) can only handle 6 cogs. We won't see the full eight until we get the chip back from the foundry.
Okay, I'm new to this. I have the DE0-Nano board and I loaded your programming file into their Programmer application and plugged in my board. The diagram displayed shows two Altera FPGA chips and a configuration memory but my Nano board only has one FPGA chip on it. If I select the "auto detect" option I get a new diagram with only a single FPGA chip and no configuration memory but then when I load your configuration file I'm back to the diagram with the two FPGA chips. What am I doing wrong? Or do I have an older version of the Nano that won't work with your file?
Any chance you could give a step-by-step description of how to program the Nano with your configuration file using the Quartus programmer?
Thanks!!!
David
Edit: Never mind. I see there is a pictoral description of how to do this. I'll have to go through it and find out what I'm doing wrong. Sorry for the false alarm!!!!
Okay, I'm new to this. I have the DE0-Nano board and I loaded your programming file into their Programmer application and plugged in my board. The diagram displayed shows two Altera FPGA chips and a configuration memory but my Nano board only has one FPGA chip on it. If I select the "auto detect" option I get a new diagram with only a single FPGA chip and no configuration memory but then when I load your configuration file I'm back to the diagram with the two FPGA chips. What am I doing wrong? Or do I have an older version of the Nano that won't work with your file?
Any chance you could give a step-by-step description of how to program the Nano with your configuration file using the Quartus programmer?
Thanks!!!
David
Edit: Never mind. I see there is a pictoral description of how to do this. I'll have to go through it and find out what I'm doing wrong. Sorry for the false alarm!!!!
Okay, I got my board configured. I'm now trying to run PNut.exe but it seems to only allow COM1-9 and my PropPlug got assigned COM17. How do I handle that?
The biggest FPGA board I've got (same number of LE's as the Terasic DE2-115) can only handle 6 cogs. We won't see the full eight until we get the chip back from the foundry.
Hmm that's pretty cool. I can't wait to play with just one cog, but I do not have a DE0 right now, so I have to wait until the final product comes out.
Okay, I got my board configured. I'm now trying to run PNut.exe but it seems to only allow COM1-9 and my PropPlug got assigned COM17. How do I handle that?
Okay, I remapped COM17 to COM1 even though Windows claimed COM1 was already in use and I was able to download the sample into the DE0 board. I guess I need to get out a scope to find out if it's really running though. Are any of the pins connected to an LED?
Damn, now I have to spend $80. I have to have that!
Call me greedy but as we only have one COG in there is it possible for it to make use of all of the available RAM chip attached as HUB memory?
That FPGA could only support a 32KB main memory. It wouldn't do 64KB, anyway. Someone said it could do 48KB, but that's not a power of 2 and I'm too tired to think, anymore. I've been up all night and now I'm falling asleep in my chair and waking up with a sore neck, dry mouth, and drool.
David Betz, I don't remember what all I did, but I followed Chapter 9's instructions in the DE0-Nano manual to get the thing programmed. You only need to do the last part, as the .jic file is already prepared. Preparing the file was 99% of the work. Never mind all those diagrams on the programmer screen. They come and go without explanation.
Okay, I remapped COM17 to COM1 even though Windows claimed COM1 was already in use and I was able to download the sample into the DE0 board. I guess I need to get out a scope to find out if it's really running though. Are any of the pins connected to an LED?
The LEDs are indicating which cogs are running. You can start up phantom cogs from the ROM Monitor.
Try running the monitor. Just reset the thing and have a serial terminal open. I like "PuTTY" a lot (www.putty.org). When you hit <space> it will calibrate and send you a prompt. You can explore the memory that way and exercise pins.
Comments
Shhhhh! you are not supposed to mention the "W" chip, weren't you at the secret meeting when it was proposed, accepted, implemented, and the minutes of the meeting "lost"?
BTW, we had some teething problems because some of the W chips were implemented with the same W chip technology. Even we can't win them all. Shhhh!
They already have that... it is a standard in a certain store's name brand appliances. An "open air" fusible link sandwiched between circuit boards that last exactly one year and three days in the controller board. I have had to replace four of them in five years. Last time I buy a K*nm*re. Planned obsolescence. The modern way to be sure you have a new customer every year.
Edit to add: I have been waiting quietly and reading. Waiting for the first time I hit "download" and blink an LED on the Prop II. My only concern is when I can get a board in my hands, I will let the rest of you worry about the details. I just hope the details don't cloud the true goal... getting one in MY hands.
the true goal is getting one in MY hands...
Enjoy!
Mike
Seems nuts to me. An adapter or extender, etc... without that +12 makes a whole lot of sense at this point.
Check with the manufacturer... there should be a lifetime warranty on that board;)
Rich
I think those DE0-Nano boards are a good deal and safe to get started with. The DE2-115 is for the high-rollers.
Have You looked on my proposal on DE0-NANO __ AD-on Boards mods to Yours one.
If You like that one --- I can even made layout to it.
Yes, it looks good, but I think it's a lot of extra connectors for just 13 more pins. I know you like the idea of having a whole 32 pins, but I don't think it matters enough to suffer all the connectors for.
If you build that board, some people might want to buy it. I just want to make something simple and quick, myself.
On this one I proposed it is only one more connector (2x13) that Yours have.
I don't have money to produce and distribute that boards - And even if I produce that one IT need support in Yours software for that.
So I think it is Dual work.
For my needs I work on another PCB to DE0_NANO -- for all types of experiments.
With much more connectors that that one You made.
That have both support for TFT_LCD and Propeller I as Driver for it on same board
Have already most of components for it -->
Now need only save some money to produce that one.
How is the instruction set documentation coming?
Ah, I remembered now. I thought they are sharing the VHDL/Verilog file, which is strictly confidential. Thanks for clearing that up.
If I interpret the schematic correctly, it will make possible testing:
- VGA (DAC0-DAC2)
- Component video (DAC0-DAC2)
- NTSC/PAL video at the same time as VGA/Component, using DAC3
- four NTSC/PAL videos using DAC0-DAC3
- IO0-28 29 digital IO's (too bad there were not enough IO's for IO0-31 in addition to the QSPI & serial signals)
- IO86-91 QSPI, TX, RX
It runs one cog at 60MHz (takes 85% of the FPGA). It doesn't need any special wiring - just plug a PropPlug into part of a header and give it power:
You get 32 I/O pins, plus the serial connection:
Here's a zip with everything you need, minus the 3TB Altera download:
DE0_Nano_Prop2_Emulator.zip
Anyway, keep going, the results are very fantastic! Liked the progress every moment.
Thanks.
The biggest FPGA board I've got (same number of LE's as the Terasic DE2-115) can only handle 6 cogs. We won't see the full eight until we get the chip back from the foundry.
Any chance you could give a step-by-step description of how to program the Nano with your configuration file using the Quartus programmer?
Thanks!!!
David
Edit: Never mind. I see there is a pictoral description of how to do this. I'll have to go through it and find out what I'm doing wrong. Sorry for the false alarm!!!!
Damn, now I have to spend $80. I have to have that!
Call me greedy but as we only have one COG in there is it possible for it to make use of all of the available RAM chip attached as HUB memory?
If You have installed Quartus correctly -- It will show You correct Config IC on DE0-NANO
I used -- Open with Quartus option and Programer show directly that as --- Picture attached.
Hmm that's pretty cool. I can't wait to play with just one cog, but I do not have a DE0 right now, so I have to wait until the final product comes out.
That FPGA could only support a 32KB main memory. It wouldn't do 64KB, anyway. Someone said it could do 48KB, but that's not a power of 2 and I'm too tired to think, anymore. I've been up all night and now I'm falling asleep in my chair and waking up with a sore neck, dry mouth, and drool.
David Betz, I don't remember what all I did, but I followed Chapter 9's instructions in the DE0-Nano manual to get the thing programmed. You only need to do the last part, as the .jic file is already prepared. Preparing the file was 99% of the work. Never mind all those diagrams on the programmer screen. They come and go without explanation.
Now we only need complete Instruction set of PASM code.
THANKS.
The LEDs are indicating which cogs are running. You can start up phantom cogs from the ROM Monitor.
Try running the monitor. Just reset the thing and have a serial terminal open. I like "PuTTY" a lot (www.putty.org). When you hit <space> it will calibrate and send you a prompt. You can explore the memory that way and exercise pins.
That's what I'm working on next. I should have a lot of documentation ready in a few days.
Have you tried the monitor?