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Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
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14 years ago

programming DE1 kit using Quartus 2

Hey guys I was recently given an Altera DE1 kit.This is my first time using an FPGA kit.The kit included the Quartus 2 v6.0 web edition software.

After i have successfully installed the software,I have been using the software in the evaluation mode.The drawback is that im unable to program my DE1 board as this option has been disabled.

So how do i program my kit?......Should I download the latest version in Quartus 2 so that I could a license file for it?....Should I purchase the original software to run the programmer...??

6 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    14 years ago

    The web edition software should suffice for everything a beginner will need. later on if you're looking for a particular communication protocall than you may need to look around in places such as "opencores" or some other sites. But the subscription editions are about three grand a year which for most hobbiest and students is a bit pricey.

    I would suggest getting the student edition of Modelsim, the web edition of Quartus and a cheap book on Half.com or Amazon and just start playing with it.

    The DE1 board has a built in USB blaster and the programmer is included in Quartus II web edition software.

    The programmer is in the tools menu and you may need to install a driver once you pplug the board into your computer via USB. the driver files should be in the folder on the C drive where Quartus is installed

    Hope this helps
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    14 years ago

    Thanks for the reply......I have installed the USB blaster software in my computer...But the problem is im unable to program the kit....From my understanding Modelsim can be used to practice coding in VHDL/Verilog....But it does not feature a programmer...I did take up a book in VHDL by Charles J Roth to develop my understanding in VHDL and in FPGAs...

    So can u tell me how to go about in programming the DE1 kit.....Does Xilinx have a feature in programming Altera devices.....
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    14 years ago

    When you plug the DE1 device into your computer there should be a window that pops up looking for a driver. Search the c:\altera\<version>\quartus\drivers directory to find a driver. there should be one there. If this doesn't pan out contact altera's customer support. there should be someone who can help you. Though I've never tried It I doubt Xilinx drivers will work with altera's stuff. I have a DE2 for playing around with and above is how I got mine to program.

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    14 years ago

    Thanks for ur reply......I just followed up ur advice.....My computer has recognized the DE1 kit....Since I have downloaded the free Web edition version of Quartus 2 from the altera website and i have got no other alternative other then running it in the evaluation mode....By default the software has disabled the programmer feature in it.....

    So wht can i do now...should i purchase the license to run it just to run my DE1 kit.....is there any other free software which i can to run my DE1 kit
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    14 years ago

    Did you find and install the drivers? You don't need the subscription edition to program the DE1

    When you program your device. you should have the USB blaster selected, in JTAG mode and then go to file -> open -> the .sof .pof file. click on them, check the program/configure box and hit start and it should work
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    14 years ago

    thanks a lot for your advice.....I finally got my DE1 running!!!.......the problem was with the driver.......Its really exciting working with DE1 board....I started running some simple digital circuits like muxs,decoders,encoders........I did run across a problem with the pin assignment....when I assigned for toggle switch 10 and the ninth one is working instead:confused:....i did recheck with the datasheet.....Is it normal for the De1 board to give such kinds of incorrect assignments......I would like to push the functionality of the kit further and I came across videos of implementation of games like mario in the DE1 board ...can u tell me how i should go about coding it.....