Forum Discussion
Cyclone IV E(EP4CE30) FPGA JTAG and USB-Blaster
Hi Team,
I am working with a Cyclone IV E FPGA(EP4CE30), where all my banks (Bank 1–8) have VCCIO = 3.3V. The FPGA core voltage is 1.2V, and the PLL supply is 2.5V. I am configuring the FPGA in Passive Serial (PS) mode.
My current doubt is regarding the pull-up voltage for JTAG and USB Blaster:
Should the pull-up resistors be tied to 2.5V or 3.3V? What should be the pullup voltage for MSEL Pin..?
As per the Hardware Design Guidelines, my understanding is that the pull-up supply should match the VCCIO of the respective bank. Please confirm if this is correct.
For your review, I have attached a snippet of the Configuration Pin Schematic. Kindly check and let me know if anything looks incorrect.
Additionally, for the 10-pin male header, what should be the voltage level for Pin 4 and Pin 6?
Please respond at the earliest. If you need any clarification, feel free to ask.
Thank you!
Hi,
Please connect to 2.5V VCCA even though the VCCIO of the banks where the configuration pins reside is 3.3V.
For more information, you can refer to this Knowledge Base article:
Regards,
Aqid
7 Replies
- FvM
Super Contributor
Hi,
device handbook suggests to use 2.5 V supply (VCCA) for JTAG interface (pull-ups and connector pin 4) with 3.3 V supplied JTAG IO bank.
Purpose is avoiding overshoot above maximum input voltage rating of 4.1 V.
Regards Frank
- AqidAyman_Altera
Regular Contributor
Hi,
This is the reference from the Cyclone IV Handbook for PS configuration mode using the download cable.

It shows the pull-up voltage for the USB blaster as well as the MSEL pin. It also shows the connection guideline for Pin 4 and 6 of the Male Header
For further information, you can refer to the handbook.
- YogeshaDG
New Contributor
Hi,
i have referred this Handbook for Cyclone 4E, my doubt is that, all my I/O banks VCC's are 3.3V and here they have given pullup voltage reference as VCCA. all these configurations pins are available in Bank 1 and Bank 6, and there respective VCCIO is 3.3V. if i gave pullup voltage VCCA of 2.5V to this lines, is there any problem occurs, or is it okay to provide any of the one (3.3V or 2.5v)..?
- AqidAyman_Altera
Regular Contributor
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Altera Technical Support- AqidAyman_Altera
Regular Contributor
Hi,
Please connect to 2.5V VCCA even though the VCCIO of the banks where the configuration pins reside is 3.3V.
For more information, you can refer to this Knowledge Base article:
Regards,
Aqid- YogeshaDG
New Contributor
Hi, thanks for the quick support.
I assume we will follow the same approach for the configuration pins as well. I am planning to configure the Cyclone IV E FPGA in Passive Serial (PS) mode using:
- Single-Device PS Configuration Using an External Host (as shown in Figure 8–13)
- PS Configuration Using a Download Cable (as shown in Figure 8–17)
I believe the pull-up resistor should be connected to VCCA (2.5 V). If you have any concerns or suggestions regarding this, please share your thoughts.
i have attached my draft schematic for your reference.