nios II on old dev kit

> There seems to be a problem with the LCD.

I can't comment on this ... I never use the LCD.

> If I renew my subscription I suppose I won&#39;t get the USB blaster <...>

When I renewed/upgraded my subscription as a devkit customer, I was able

to upgrade to USB Blaster at no cost (other than shipping). I&#39;m not sure if this

offer is still available ... you might want to check with your sales rep.

> <...> which seems to be the only supported communication device for NIOS II.

I continue to use ByteBlaster for most of my work without any trouble. Although

I normally use a serial uart for the console. I&#39;ve had trouble using ByteBlaster when

using the JTAG uart. When I _need_ to use the JTAG uart, which is rare in my

particular case, I use USB Blaster -- and everything works fine :-)

Regards,

--Scott