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EP910's avatar
EP910
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2 years ago

Correct software for developing/modifying EP910 Design?

I'm resurrecting a design from 20+ years ago, as a customer wants a timing modification. This means developing a new program for an Altera EP910. Originally we used MAX+PLUS II Software for this. I'd like verification as to which software and license will be needed to accomplish this (I'd like to pull in previous design file (.max), and work in same evironment if possible. Can this be accomplished with Intel Quartus Lite free license? If not, do I need Quartus Standard or Prime version? (shown "supported devices" don't include Altera EP910, thus I'm a bit careful to just jump right in and order the products), plus there are 274 results in Intels' Download Center, so I want to ensure I get the right product!

7 Replies

  • _AK6DN_'s avatar
    _AK6DN_
    Icon for Frequent Contributor rankFrequent Contributor
    2 years ago

    Yikes EP910 is 1990s technology, like 30 years old. No version of Quartus ever supported it, only MaxPlusII which predated Quartus.

    MaxPlusII is no longer available for download, but internet archive search hits on some old versions that are still online:

    https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22maxplusII%22&sort=title

    Some of these may support EP910, you will have to download and see.

    However, most likely you will need a WinXP (or maybe Win7K 32b if you are lucky) to run the software.

    In reality you will be better off designing new hardware and replacing the EP910 with some current technology.

    Just my 2c.

    • EP910's avatar
      EP910
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      2 years ago

      Thanks for your reply!

      I probably should have mentioned that the application for this PLD is for an aerospace system which is critical to the aircrafts operation in certain flight conditions. While a redesign would certainly be possible, the cost of requalification would be prohibitive, and the customer would unlikely be willing to pay for the effort. We have the EP910 on several similar products, and while Altera stopped making them many years ago, the parts are still manufactured by Rochester Electronics.

      Intel's Software Licensing Page indicates: "You need a valid license to run the MAX+PLUS II software. MAX+PLUS II license is no longer available for purchase. You can either purchase the Intel Quartus Prime license that includes a full feature of MAX+PLUS II software or request a free license for MAX+PLUS II BASELINE software with limited feature. You can download the MAX+PLUS II Advanced Synthesis software from the Intel website."

      So I guess I was just looking for confirmation before purchasingthe Quarus Prime License, that this is indeed software which will suit my needs.

  • _AK6DN_'s avatar
    _AK6DN_
    Icon for Frequent Contributor rankFrequent Contributor
    2 years ago

    Yeah I figured it was either aerospace or military, or somebody really rich into old pinball machines.

    I would download and try the various versions that my prior link internet archive search yields before purchasing a $3K+ license.

    I believe you can run the old software for a short time in eval mode to see if (1) you can get an O/S that will run it, and (2) it supports the device(s) you need it to. You might even be able to get a free license from the Intel licensing site to run MaxPlusII:

    https://licensing.intel.com/psg/s/?language=en_US

    You just need to sign up to get access to it.

    Before Intel bought Altera, Altera kept all the old versions of software online on their site. Intel no longer does that, they only go back a few versions and removed the public availability of legacy software. That being said, I believe they still have the really old stuff internally, but you need to contact an Intel FAE and execute an NDA to get access to it.

  • RichardT_altera's avatar
    RichardT_altera
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    2 years ago

    Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the EP910 device, as it is a legacy device. Which device family is this?


    However, you can check out the following page to find the software that supports the corresponding device family:

    https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/programmable/support-resources/design-software/devices-support.html#legacydevices


    Best Regards,

    Richard Tan

    p/s: If you find any answers from the community or Intel Support to be helpful, we encourage you to mark them as the best answer or rate them 4/5 in the survey.


  • RichardT_altera's avatar
    RichardT_altera
    Icon for Super Contributor rankSuper Contributor
    2 years ago

    May I know if you need any further assistance regarding this case?


    Best Regards,

    Richard Tan


  • RichardT_altera's avatar
    RichardT_altera
    Icon for Super Contributor rankSuper Contributor
    2 years ago

    We noticed that we haven't received a response from you regarding the latest previous question/reply/answer, and will now transitioning your inquiry to our community support. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate your understanding. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let us know. Thank you for reaching out to us!


    Best Regards,

    Richard Tan


    p/s: If you find any answers from the community or Intel Support to be helpful, we encourage you to mark them as the best answer or rate them 4/5 in the survey.



  • binaryman's avatar
    binaryman
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    1 year ago

    9/16/2024

    Greetings from St Louis, Missouri, USA

    Hi this is Dan Ambrose C/C++ software engineer. For Altera EP910 programming you want to use CUPL by Logical devices. CUPL is a C like compiler . That is what I used for a an EP910 project in 1990s.

    I don't know if there are or were any other software tools made other then CUPL. I'm sure you can find an old copy of it that somebody uploaded the internet somewhere. It was an MSDOS APP compiler that you ran from an MSDOS prompt. You would use a text editor and write code in a C like language, then close it out and at the DOS prompt you would run the CUPL compiler.

    I was in my early 20s. I bought a copy of the software CUPL and a flash programmer from and an EPROM LAMP from JDR micro devices. For software development we bought erase able versions of the EP910. They had a glass window and you used UV light to erase the chip. The development hardware gets made with a 44 pin SMD socket so the dev chips can be plugged in and out. When you are done with changing the software. When you finally get the design finished then for production you buy the much cheaper EM910s that are not erase able (without the UV window).

    I was working on a Telcom project. It was a solid state DID interface trunk card that made me allot of money. Attached is a picture. Somewhere I have a floppy disk with the CUPL language source code file. CUPL is a C like language used to assign the net io pins.

    Dan Ambrose

    C/C++ Software Engineer

    Saint Louis, MO, USA