Booting from EPCS4

Hi,

We are developing the software for a custom board we designed and manufactured, so it's time for "burning" the software into the EPCS. We haven't included any CFI flash device in the design, only an EPCS4 for storing the FPGA configuration (EP1C12) and a program that should run at start-up.

I tried to follow the steps described in the flash programmer user guide but it doesn't work, always get a "nios2-flash-programmer: Verification failure after write" message.

What am I missing with this? How should I do for placing the software into the EPCS?

The steps I followed were:

1-Using the mk_target_board script, created the target board template.

2-Opened the quartus project and generated the system with SOPCBuilder.

3-Added the required pins (and assigments) for disabling all the other devices (external chips) in the real board.

4-Compiled the design.

Then with the real board design:

5-Assigned the target board for the system, recopiled the design (NIOS-II and FPGA);

6-Created and tested (debug mode on sdram) a small test application (makes a led blink).

7-Compiled the test application (and system library) in release.

And now with the flash programmer:

8-Created a new flash programmer configuration, specifying the test application as the project (with the "program project into flash checkbox checked") and selecting the device configuration .sof file for the real hardware in the hardware image region of flash (EPCS)$;

When tried to program the EPCS4, the results were these:

Info: *******************************************************************

Info: Running Quartus II Convert_programming_file

Info: Command: quartus_cpf --no_banner --convert --device=EPCS16 --option=standa

rd.opt C:/projects/CustomBRD/NIOS2CPU/standard.sof standard.pof

Info: Quartus II Convert_programming_file was successful. 0 errors, 0 warnings

Info: Processing ended: Sun Oct 02 02:03:10 2005

Info: Elapsed time: 00:00:02

Info: *******************************************************************

Info: Running Quartus II Convert_programming_file

Info: Command: quartus_cpf --no_banner --convert standard.pof standard.rpd

Info: Quartus II Convert_programming_file was successful. 0 errors, 0 warnings

Info: Processing ended: Sun Oct 02 02:03:11 2005

Info: Elapsed time: 00:00:01

# Programming flash with the FPGA configuration

$SOPC_KIT_NIOS2/bin/nios2-flash-programmer --input=standard.flash --sof=c:/proye

ctos/CustomBRD/nios2cpu/CustomBRDTemp/system/CustomBRDTemp.sof --epcs

02-oct-2005 2:03:12 - (INFO) nios2-flash-programmer: Launching Quartus Programme

r to download:

c:/projects/CustomBRD/nios2cpu/CustomBRDTemp/system/CustomBRDTemp.sof

Pre-Reading 163KBytes of data from U2:

|----.----+----.----|

********************* (3.063 sec).

Erasing 3 Sectors:

|----.----+----.----|

********************* (2.937 sec).

Writing 192KBytes :

|----.----+----.----|

********************* (3.078 sec).

Verifying 192KBytes of data:

|----.----+----.----|

*******02-oct-2005 2:03:28 - (GRAVE) nios2-flash-programmer: Verification fa

ilure after write.

# Creating .flash file for the project

$SOPC_KIT_NIOS2/bin/elf2flash --flash=U2 --epcs --base=0x0 --end=0x7fffffff --in

put=MINITERM.elf --output=epcs_controller.flash --boot=$SOPC_KIT_NIO

S2/components/altera_nios2/boot_loader_epcs.srec

# Programming flash with the project

$SOPC_KIT_NIOS2/bin/nios2-flash-programmer --input=epcs_controller.flash --sof=_

_NO_SOF_PLEASE__ --epcs

02-oct-2005 2:03:29 - (INFO) nios2-flash-programmer: SOF-download skipped.

Pre-Reading 24KBytes of data from U2:

|----.----+----.----|

********************* (0.828 sec).

Writing 64KBytes :

|----.----+----.----|

********************* (1.031 sec).

Verifying 64KBytes of data:

|----.----+----.----|

*********************02-oct-2005 2:03:34 - (GRAVE) nios2-flash-programmer: V

erification failure after write.

Thanks,