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I am working on porting a soft-core processor (JOP) on the StratixIII FPGA. The processor ‘listens’ for the program on the serial port. As this board does not have a serial port, is there an alternative of possibly using the FTDI - FT245BL chip and creating virtual serial port on the PC? If so, where can I find information on how this can be done?
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The Virtual Com Port (VCP) drivers supplied by FTDI give you serial port access under Windows. Just plug in the FT245BL to a PC USB port and it'll be recognized. Under Linux ftdi_sio gives you the same functionality. In either case, there is no work needed on the host OS side.
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I’ve tired looking for resources on how to use/interface with this chip or any design examples but have been unsuccessful. Where can I find information on how to use/interface with this chip?
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The FT245 data sheet has the timing; configure it in 8-bit FIFO mode and implement an Avalon-ST streaming data interface to and from the FPGA. You can then implement logic on top of that. For example, an Avalon-MM master interface.
Take a shot at implementing the logic, and when you have trouble, post your code along with a testbench for simulation in Modelsim, and I'll point out what you need to do.
Actually, I just took a look at the data sheet for the Stratix III kit. It just has HSMC headers, no 100-mil headers. Are you planning on adding an FT245BL to the board? If so, you'll need an HSMC-to-GPIO breakout board (Terasic has them), and a UM245R (that's an FTDI module with an FT245R device on it). If you were thinking of using the FT245 on the kit, you're not going to be able to, as that interface is part of the USB-Blaster logic and its not available for customization.
Cheers,
Dave
Honored Contributor
