Cyclone 10 LP Evaluation kit not booting NIOS from EPCQ flash

Hello,

Thank you for the information in the post from above. I am having issues running the boot copier directly from EPCQ64 using the Cyclone 10LP FPGA Kit .
Following this post and attached zip folder C10LP_NIOS2.zip I have completed the following steps:

STEP 1: SET PARAMETERS WITHIN PLATFORM DESIGNER

1) Using Nios II/e

RESET VECTOR PARAMETERS:

• Reset Vector Memory : PERIPHERALS_EPCQ64.avl_mem
• Reset Vector offset : 0x 0008 0000 (.SOF Image size - 0x0003 B162)
• Reset Vector : 0x 0088 0000

EXCEPTION VECTOR PARAMETERS:

• Exception Vector Memory: PERIPHERALS_OCRAM.s1
• Exception Vector offset: 0x 0000 0020
• Exception Vector : 0x 0101 0020

2) Within the PERIPHERALS QSYS FILE:

OCRAM (On Chip RAM)

• s1 Data width : 32
• Total Memory Size : 40,500 bytes
• Initialize Memory Content - (Check marked - ENABLED - also tried with this option disabled)

Serial Flash Controller II Intel FPGA IP

• EPCQ64

STEP 2: Quartus Prime compile (re-attach SYSTEM.qip)

STEP 3: Start Eclipse IDE (setup project, import files from zip folder)

STEP 4: Start the BSP Editor

• Main Tab: hal.linker (ALL UNCHECKED)
  • allow code at reset
  • enable alt load
  • enable alt load copy rodata
  • enable alt load copy rwdata
  • enable alt load copy exceptions
• Linker Script Tab
  • Set all to OCRAM (.bss, .exceptions, .heap, .rodata, .rwdata, .stack, .text)
  • .entry : only linker section set to EPCQ64_AVL_MEM
• CLICK GENERATE

STEP 5: Build Project ( successful compile)

STEP 6: Click Programmer, download .sof only (LED's now are illuminated on the board)

STEP 7: Run the Debug from Eclipse IDE

• LEDs are now toggling live
• NIOS II Console now showing hello world strings
• Successfully running

STEP 8: If reset pressed, SOF file erased, confirmed

STEP 9: Generate .HEX Files

• Make Target -> Build -> mem_init_generate -> Click Build (Generates the below)
  • PERIPHERALS_EPCQ64.hex
  • SYSTEM_PERIPHERALS_OCRAM.hex

STEP 10: Load .JIC using the Application Note (AN-736)

• TEST JIC with only .SOF and Flash loader
  • Flash loader : 10CL025Y
  • SOF Data Properties
    
    • Page 0
    • Select Start
    • Start Address : 0x0
  • SOF File Properties
    • Compression checked (ENABLED)

STEP 11: Click Programmer, download .jic

STEP 12: Click on reset button on board - (LED's now are illuminated on the Cyclone 10LP Kit)

STEP 13: Run Program on Eclipse, Power Cycle, run program on Eclipse again to verify SOF is loaded properly

• program ran with no issues

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Up to this point, the steps are clear. The next steps is where i see the issue where the code is not running upon reset. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the next steps, I am executing the following steps:

STEP 14: Add hex file to JIC, under the Convert Programming Files tab

• Absolute Addressing
• Big Endian Selected
• Select file: mem_init -> PERIPHERALS_EPCQ64.hex (size 9.06KiB)
• Click Generate
• output file generated successfully
• SOF File and Flash Loader, loaded from previous step

STEP 15: Click Programmer, download new .jic (LED's now are illuminated on the Cyclone 10LP Kit)

STEP 16: Click on reset button on board - (LED's now are illuminated on the Cyclone 10LP Kit)

Note that if the code was running we should see the LEDs toggling as it is when i run the project.

LEDs are not toggling. So when I recompile, and run the debug it is now working again.

Questions:

1) From the steps above, I would assume that my .SOF and .ELF are properly being generated and running, What is unclear is why is my program not automatically loading after reset.

2) Am I missing any options within the BSP editor?

3) Is there anything missing from Platform Designer?

Thank you for your time and help in advance.