Hello everyone, I need to make a GUI that could communicate between pc and my De0 nano. I could make the GUI with QT but I don't know how the communication work. I am aware that every time I connect my fpga to my pc, there is always a new com show up in the device manager. Based on my past experience using microcontroller, it is possible to use serial communication via usb and display the data using hyperterminal. What is my option to send a packet of data from fpga to pc? Could it perform bidirectional communication? Thank you everyone.

--- Quote Start --- I need to make a GUI that could communicate between pc and my De0 nano. I could make the GUI with QT but I don't know how the communication work. --- Quote End --- The USB interface to the DE0-nano is a USB-Blaster. You can communicate from the host via a couple of mechanisms; 1) SLD Virtual JTAG core, and quartus_stp Tcl procedures 2) JTAG-to-Avalon-MM master and SystemConsole 3) Direct access via FTDI drivers If you want to communicate via a QT GUI, then you could communicate with (1) and (2) via sockets. Unfortunately SystemConsole has broken fileevent, so servers there can not deal with multiple clients (you have to block on a client socket). Unfortunately Altera do not provide Avalon-MM access functions from quartus_stp, so you'd have to reverse engineer the protocol. (3) also requires reverse engineering the protocols. I think there is also the option of a JTAG-UART as well, and then communicating via nios2-terminal. However, since this is not a Virtual COM port, I think that solution would be a pain too. Option (1) is currently the best documented interface for custom communications via USB ... unfortunately, that is being generous (since the documentation has errors ...) If you are just starting out with FPGAs, then just go an buy an FTDI FT245BM module from Digikey for $20 and use that. The device appears as a Virtual COM port, and the interface logic is pretty easy to implement. Cheers, Dave

Thank you so much Dave for your quick reply. "then just go an buy an FTDI FT245BM module" (3)Actually De0 nano has already FTDI FT245BL. Should I still buy the FTDI FT245BM module although De0nano has already FTDI chip on board? Dave, could you also give me a good link or pdf regarding (1) and (3)? I just don't know where to start. Thank you again, Dave. Gunardi

--- Quote Start --- "then just go an buy an FTDI FT245BM module" Actually De0 nano has already FTDI FT245BL. Should I still buy the FTDI FT245BM module although De0nano has already FTDI chip on board? --- Quote End --- The USB-Blaster circuit is constructed using an FTDI FT245 plus a CPLD. The functionality of this circuit is not documented by Altera (but there are details on the web). I also see that Terasic has stopped publishing the circuit diagram in the schematic too, eg. there is nothing in the DE0-nano schematic. --- Quote Start --- could you also give me a good link or pdf regarding (1) and (3)? --- Quote End --- The SLD Virtual JTAG interface has a users guide: http://www.altera.com/literature/ug/ug_virtualjtag.pdf Everything else has to be reverse engineered using SignalTap II. I've been writing some tutorials on how to use these features. I'll try to finish them and post links. Cheers, Dave

Thanks Dave for your quick response. I will try to read up the pdf immediately. If it is not too much to ask, when will the tutorials be finished? Thank you Dave.

--- Quote Start --- If it is not too much to ask, when will the tutorials be finished? --- Quote End --- Whenever I get time :) Which one sounds the most interesting to you? Cheers, Dave

Communication PC-De0 Nano | Altera Community

33 Replies

Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
14 years ago
Hey Dave, thanks for the prompt reply.

Now the JTAG connection is making a lot more sense. It will take me a little bit to get going with this, but I'll report back after I'm successful :)

Best regards,
Chris
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
14 years ago
I went back to the start of this thread and the question was "How do I make a GUI which communicates with my hardware?"

What about using the JTAG Avalon Master and a SystemConsole dashboard GUI?

All you have to do in hardware is implement an Avalon MM Slave and instantiate it (and a couple of other components) in QSYS. In software you write some TCL to control your GUI.

There is a fairly new video tutorial about how to do this on the Altera website.
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
14 years ago
--- Quote Start ---

What about using the JTAG Avalon Master and a SystemConsole dashboard GUI?

--- Quote End ---

The dashboard components are fairly new (newer than this thread).

I personally prefer to be able to control my own software/hardware interface as it protects me from the whims of the Altera developers.

I could write a long list of complaints ... but I'll hold my tongue.

Cheers,
Dave

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Communication PC-De0 Nano

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