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Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
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9 years ago

SOF and POF difference

Hi, I am new to the fpga and have started working on it. I have a question, what are sof and pof files generated at the end of the compilation. Also why is the sof file wipes off when you powe...
Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
9 years ago

The answer is in your question...

SOF is for direct volatile configuration. POF is for non d-volatile programming. That's the difference.

A SOF file programs the FPGA fabric directly (The FPGA's SRAM cells).

The POF file is used to program an external configuration (A FLASH/EEPROM device - not the actual FPGA).

The FPGA firmware will still be erased when you turn off the power to your device. However, in this case it will be able to reload (from the configuration device) once power is turned back on.