Forum Discussion
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
13 years agoPS Config using SPI EEPROM
I am working on a project using a Cyclone III device. I have the board setup to use an EPCS4 to configure the FPGA. The EPCS4 is programmed by a byte blaster. The EPCS4 is very expensive. Th...
Altera_Forum
Honored Contributor
13 years ago --- Quote Start --- The EPCS4 is very expensive. --- Quote End --- The EPCS device is simply a re-branded SPI flash. You can use devices from Numonyx and Spansion in place of the EPCS devices. Search the archives for other threads. --- Quote Start --- Is it feasible to read bytes from the EEPROM and use another pin from the microcontroller to produce the data[0] bitstream? (Other microcontroller pins would produce/read the other necessary signals) --- Quote End --- Yes. Its a pretty standard method of configuring an FPGA. Here's some notes on how to do it with another FPGA or CPLD http://www.ovro.caltech.edu/~dwh/carma_board/fpga_configuration.pdf But bit-banging with a microcontroller, or wiring the SPI port to the FPGA could be used to achieve the same thing. Cheers, Dave