Forum Discussion
New ContributorStratix III FPGA development kit
Hello!
I am currently facing an unusual issue when trying to use the Stratix III FPGA Development Kit. After installing Quartus II 13.1 Subscription Edition (the last version supporting the Stratix III family) along with the respective device files (.qdz) for Cyclone, Arria, and Stratix III, and properly configuring the license on Windows 11, the Stratix III family does not appear in the device selection wizard. Interestingly, the Quartus Device Installer states that the family is already installed, but it remains hidden inside the software.
To isolate the issue, I have tested multiple operating systems and Quartus versions, but the problem persists:
1) Windows 11 & Windows 7 (Quartus II 13.1, 13.0, and 12.1 Subscription): Arria and Cyclone families work perfectly. Stratix III shows as installed in the device manager but is unavailable inside Quartus.
2) Windows 7 (Quartus II 9.0 Web Edition): The Stratix III family appears in the family selection menu in Quartus, but our specific device (EP3SL150F1152) is listed as unsupported.
3) Ubuntu 12.04 (Quartus II 13.1 Subscription): Same behavior as Windows; the installer claims it is there, but Quartus does not show it.
Given these cross-platform results, I suspect the root cause might be:
1) A corrupted or flawed Stratix III device installer file (.qdz).
2) A licensing restriction, where our current license might need a specific feature enabled for the Stratix III family, even though the software allows the installation.
I have already tried renaming the device installation file, but the Quartus 13.1 device installer does not accept any name other than "stratixiv-13.1.0.162.qdz". When I use this default name, a window appears with the checkboxes ticked for the Stratix III family (indicating it is already installed). I cannot uncheck these boxes to uninstall only this specific family. I was also careful to place the .qdz file inside a folder with a simple name—without spaces or special characters—as I am aware of this classic Quartus 13.1 bug. Even so, nothing seems to solve the problem, and I am truly at a loss as to what might be going wrong. I am happy to make my machine available for you to take a closer look at the issue using TeamViewer, AnyDesk, or any other remote access tool.
Could you please guide me on how to get this Stratix III Development Kit operational (which features the EP3SL150F1152 device)?"
Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your guidance.
Best regards!
7 Replies
- RichardT_altera
Super Contributor
Have you tried restarting the computer? I have seen a case where the device family appeared after a system restart, although this may or may not resolve your issue.
I believe you are installing using the individual device files (.qdz) instead of the complete installation package (.tar), correct? For legacy Quartus versions, using the complete installation package is generally more reliable.
If the Stratix III device still does not appear, you may consider performing a clean reinstall:
- Uninstall Quartus completely
- Ensure there are no residual files left in the installation directory
- Reinstall Quartus using administrative privileges
- Verify that the installation package (.tar) is not corrupted (for example, by checking its checksum)After installation, create a new project and check whether Stratix III appears in the device selection list.
If not, try restarting the system again and confirm if the issue persists.
Regards,
Richard Tan
bsnevesPlease, Richard, give me a little more time to run these additional tests.
- bsneves
I believe I have clearly identified the problem. The problem is the license! I performed a clean installation of Quartus 13.1 subscription edition on a new machine running Windows 7 (I repeated the same procedure with Windows 10 and 11). After installing Quartus and all the devices included in the full package, the installer launched Quartus and I am presented with the options for license handling. When I choose 'Run for 30 days without a license' (evaluation), the Stratix III family appears perfectly among the selectable families for the project. However, when I select the option 'Specify valid license file' and provide the path to the license file generated via SSL, the Stratix family no longer appears among the selectable options for the project. I am generating the license using the 'Sign up for Evaluation or No-Cost Licenses' option available in the SSLC and I have been selecting the options 'Discontinued – Quartus® II Software (License: SW-QUARTUS-WE-FIX)' and 'Discontinued - Nios® II/f Processor FPGA IP (License: IP-NIOS)', because I use Nios II in my undergraduate courses. I did not find any specific option to specify that the target family is Stratix III, so I believe this might be the problem. I also tried to generate a license using the 'Find and Generate License by Activation Code' option available in the SSL, but when I enter the Activation Code, the tool reports 'Error: License Generation Not Allowed When Web Display Flag Is False.'
How should I proceed in this case, since Stratix III only runs on Quartus 13.1 subscription, and therefore I need a license that activates Quartus but does not block the use of the Stratix III family?
- bsneves
I believe I have clearly identified the problem. The problem is the license! I performed a clean installation of Quartus 13.1 subscription edition on a new machine running Windows 7 (I repeated the same procedure with Windows 10 and 11). After installing Quartus and all the devices included in the full package, the installer launched Quartus and I am presented with the options for license handling. When I choose 'Run for 30 days without a license' (evaluation), the Stratix III family appears perfectly among the selectable families for the project. However, when I select the option 'Specify valid license file' and provide the path to the license file generated via SSL, the Stratix family no longer appears among the selectable options for the project. I am generating the license using the 'Sign up for Evaluation or No-Cost Licenses' option available in the SSLC and I have been selecting the options 'Discontinued – Quartus® II Software (License: SW-QUARTUS-WE-FIX)' and 'Discontinued - Nios® II/f Processor FPGA IP (License: IP-NIOS)', because I use Nios II in my undergraduate courses. I did not find any specific option to specify that the target family is Stratix III, so I believe this might be the problem. I also tried to generate a license using the 'Find and Generate License by Activation Code' option available in the SSL, but when I enter the Activation Code, the tool reports 'Error: License Generation Not Allowed When Web Display Flag Is False.'
How should I proceed in this case, since Stratix III only runs on Quartus 13.1 subscription, and therefore I need a license that activates Quartus but does not block the use of the Stratix III family?
- RichardT_altera
Thanks for debugging and identifying the root cause.
Do you have a valid license file for the Quartus Prime Standard or Pro Edition Software?
If so, have you use the respective license file to setup for Quartus II 13.1 Subscription Edition?
If the issue still persists, could you share the license file with me for further investigation?
You may send it to me via private message instead of posting it publicly.
Regards,
Richard Tan- RichardT_altera
bsneves
I think you might have miss my latest response.
Could you help check the above inquiries?
Regards,
Richard Tan
- RichardT_altera
Hi bsneves
Have you seen my latest response?
Could you help check the inquiries below?
Do you have a valid license file for the Quartus Prime Standard or Pro Edition Software?
If so, have you use the license file for Quartus II 13.1 Subscription Edition?If the issue still persists, could you share the license file with me for further investigation?
You may send it to me via private message instead of posting it publicly.
Regards,
Richard Tan
