Forum Discussion

Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
Oliver_I_Sedlacek
Icon for Contributor rankContributor
3 years ago

Autostart NIOS from external SDRAM problem

So my NIOS code has outgrown the available on chip RAM and I've moved it to off chip SDRAM. Very slow, but I fire up Eclipse and I can get it to run. I need to get it to run automatically and I've found snippets of information by perusing the NIOSII software developers Handbook but can anyone point me to definitive documentation. I know I need to persuade the compiler to produce a ROM image that becomes a MIF, which I believe it does, and get something (maybe a bootloader) to do the initialisation, and somewhere I need to tell the tools to run that code.

Can anyone help with the blanks?

Configuration

36 Replies

Show More
    • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
      Oliver_I_Sedlacek
      Icon for Contributor rankContributor
      3 years ago

      Trying to go round the loop again and I'm stumped as the EPCQ isn't offered in the reset vectors memory drop down. I don't remember this as a problem earlier, but then that might just be my memory. Screenshot attached.

  • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
    Oliver_I_Sedlacek
    Icon for Contributor rankContributor
    3 years ago

    You seem to just have pointed me at the online version of the document that I was following anyway, so no progress.

  • EBERLAZARE_I_Intel's avatar
    EBERLAZARE_I_Intel
    Icon for Regular Contributor rankRegular Contributor
    3 years ago

    Hi,


    The link that I shared have the hardware design for Quartus for you to follow the steps, and shows you the connection that is needed to be made to have it as Reset Vector for Excecute In Place. Maybe you can try the pdf versions and check the 5.2.3.3 Chapter.


    • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
      Oliver_I_Sedlacek
      Icon for Contributor rankContributor
      3 years ago

      So two of us worked through it all again very carefully and slowly and got the same symptoms. The NIOS doesn't run and I can't connect to it with the debugger.

      Repeating the same experiment and expecting a different result is a sign of madness.

  • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
    Oliver_I_Sedlacek
    Icon for Contributor rankContributor
    3 years ago

    I'm so demoralised it's taking me some time to summon up the will to beat my head against a brick wall again. Anyway, I've switched to the serial flash controller II and I get different options on the NIOS vectors tab, so I'll give that a go.

    • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
      Oliver_I_Sedlacek
      Icon for Contributor rankContributor
      3 years ago

      I've followed the links and looked for an example project but can't find one. I don't know that I have the exact hardware to test it on. Besides, what would it prove if the example works? All I'm really asking for is a fault finding flow chart so I can narrow down which step is wrong.

  • EBERLAZARE_I_Intel's avatar
    EBERLAZARE_I_Intel
    Icon for Regular Contributor rankRegular Contributor
    3 years ago

    Hi,


    From the doc, there is a image on the "Hardware Design" shows the Platform Designer and the connections made of each IP. You can handpicked the IPs shown and connect them accordingly, which will get you the hardware design example.


    Then follow the steps for the "Nios® II Processor Application Copied from EPCQ Flash to RAM Using Boot Copier" section.


    I guess the first issue is to get the epcq controller to be your reset vector.


    Then, back to your original issue, to try this example and build it up until the .jic programming file and program it to your board and tests.


    With the .jic you can do a reset on your FPGA device using the reset button or power cycle.


    • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
      Oliver_I_Sedlacek
      Icon for Contributor rankContributor
      3 years ago

      Just to re-iterate, I got the EPQC reset option sorted when I used the Flash controller V2. Same symptoms though, the FPGA configures but the NIOS2 doesn't run and now I can't connect with the debugger. Going round the loop described in the handbook a dozen times and getting the same results isn't helping me debug my problem.

  • EBERLAZARE_I_Intel's avatar
    EBERLAZARE_I_Intel
    Icon for Regular Contributor rankRegular Contributor
    3 years ago

    Hi,


    The previous design you shared, you were able to run from debugger correct?


    So for the new one, you were not able to?


    If Quartus compilation have no issues, then the only thing I would check would be the Application & Programming part, on getting the .hex from Nios II eclipse without error.


    Then generating the proper programming files and program it successfully.


    • Oliver_I_Sedlacek's avatar
      Oliver_I_Sedlacek
      Icon for Contributor rankContributor
      3 years ago
      @EBERLAZARE_I_Intel wrote:

      If Quartus compilation have no issues, then the only thing I would check would be the Application & Programming part, on getting the .hex from Nios II eclipse without error.


      What can I check and how? This is the crux of my problem