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GIrip's avatar
GIrip
Icon for New Contributor rankNew Contributor
7 years ago

Aside from Altera configurators (like USB blaster II), what are the suggested programmer for production?

I have been working with two Cyclone IV devices. I have the availability of a JLink Segger but it does not support the mentioned FPGA family.

4 Replies

  • ak6dn's avatar
    ak6dn
    Icon for Regular Contributor rankRegular Contributor
    7 years ago

    Having put many FPGA designs into production, I find the most manufacturing friendly route is to have the devices pre-programmed prior to assembly. This obviates the need for any production line programming setup. For Altera/Intel (or even Xilinx) FPGA devices this means sourcing pre-programmed Flash EEPROM devices from a distributor, which is not hard to do. Companies like Arrow, etc are setup to do this (as well as many offshore distributors).

    If you go this route than you typically only need FPGA programming equipment at specific rework stations, not on the assembly line. It also saves production line time, as you no longer have the setup and programming time on the production line, or prior to final test and assembly.

    • GIrip's avatar
      GIrip
      Icon for New Contributor rankNew Contributor
      7 years ago

      Hi Jon,

      I'm really pleased for your response time.

      I'm used to have specific download cables for production, not using R&D-like cables for this task. Are there also external download cables you could suggest me?

      Thanks

      • ShafiqY_Intel's avatar
        ShafiqY_Intel
        Icon for Frequent Contributor rankFrequent Contributor
        7 years ago

        Hi Glrip,

        I usually used Intel FPGA Download Cable II for my project/design. However, it's depend on your device.

        For 10 series (max 10, cyclone 10 etc2) and above, I recommend you to use Intel FPGA Download Cable II

        For legacy device, Intel FPGA Download Cable I should be enough for you (Cyclone IV).

        Thanks.