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Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
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13 years ago

Nios II New Project Wizard problem

Altera has made changes to the New Project C/C++ Wizard. I have the latest Nios II IDE, but I have old documentation. The two don't jive.

An instantiation of the Nios II processor has been downloaded to my FPGA, and now it is waiting for code. Browsing the Altera folder, I can find sample C source code.

So where is the correct documentation describing how to compile and download this C sample code? Where, for example, do I indicate the correct SoPC Bulder System PTF File? I can create and then find the correct file, but the Nios II Project Wizard gives me no opportunity to specify it.

I've gone through every menu and sub-menu of the Eclipse IDE and can find no reference to this at all.

3 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    13 years ago

    In Eclipse, you need both an "application" project and a "board support package".

    The board support package is used by your application project to bridge that gap between the firmware and the software.

    If you right click in your workspace, you will have the option to create new board support package. It will ask you to point to the sopc file that contains your NIOS processor.
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    13 years ago

    Right clicking certainly brought up a plethora of options. But I did not see anything like "board support options."

    I desperately wish I could find a simple tutorial that indicates step-by-step how to create, compile, and download a program to blink a few lights on a DE0-Nano. The CDs that came with the board do not contain Nios II but do have a Nios II tutorial. Meanwhile, the Quartus II 12.0 Web Edition does contain Nios II, but it's a version so different from the one used in the tutorial that the tutorial is rendered worthless.

    I've checked the "Cheat Sheets" that come with Nios II 12.0, but they are very general and long-winded. It is impossible to tell what is relevant to my present situation and what isn't. For now, I just want to blink a few LEDs with a C program running on the Nios II instantiation that I've already created and loaded onto the FPGA.

    The endless confusing, irrelevant, and mystifying options that saturate the Nios II IDE are aggravating. They obfuscate the simple path that would lead to the very modest success I'm seeking right now. It's a Kafkaesque nightmare at times.
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    13 years ago

    For what it is worth, the best source of info I've found so far regarding my specific inquiry is the BeMicro Embedded System Lab Instructions pdf. Anyone seeking a simple practical Nios II intro may find it useful.