Quartus 18.1 + NiosII F on CyclomV : boot fails!

Hello,

If you are looking to boot Nios II from On chip memory (so you can debug in future), you can set the reset and exception vector to onchip memory. then, you can create the hex file from Eclipse. Come back to Qsys, and initialize the Nios II on chip memory with that hex file ( instead of the default initialization).

You need to Enable non-Default initialization file, and select the user created initialization file to the new hex that you have created in EDS.

In EDS, if you go to your application folder and create the hex, you will be able to see something like this:

For example, the soc_system_ocram.hex will be used for on chip memory initialization. the trick is you should select the hex file that reflects your on chip memory name in Qsys (please note this is the same memory that you used in reset and exception vectors).

Another file needs to be added to Quartus project is meminit.qip. Once added, you can compile Quartus. The generated sof file should contain the hex within it (no need to add the hex). Now proceed with the JIC creation (add the sof only) and program the FPGA.

Hope this might help.

Thanks

Sorry the attachment didnt appear in my previous note.

Please refer to the attachments below:

On chip memory settings:

hex File generation:

Hi,

Can you try with default settings in convert programming files window.

i.e use hex data -> absolute addressing sof data->auto address. Also comperes sof file.

Please attache the .map file for both settings.

Regards

Anand

Please refer to which booting method you using and configure the BSP setting accordingly in here https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/programmable/documentation/iga1446487888057.html#fwl1479912385825, Nios II Configuration and Booting Solutions, Table26. I would suggest you could start from the flash booting and running code in OCRAM and then move to your booting method, ie flash -> SDRAM. Just use as simple as "Hello world" app code in both tests.

For Anand:

• If try autoaddress, FPGA dont' boot!.
• instead, settings SOF with Start/0x00000 FPGA starts correctly.....
• If loading HEX I select absolute, file converter says me that an overlap occours (obvious, sof starts from 0x000 and I attempt to overwrite it with my hex..)

For GNG:

I create a simple Nios Application, it handle a flashing led

I strictly follow all the guidelines for IN PLACE, ECPQ BOOT

On QSYS, I checked connections between NIOS-IIf , ECPQ and OCRAM as per manual illustration Fig. 88

I select the offset and vectors as explained on fig. 89, so reset point to ECPQ controller and exception to OCRAM

On BSP editor, i follow istructions..

finally, i load the JIC file...

FPGA boots, Nios no... :-(

Please, there is an idea to solve this terrible issue????

->When I select reset vector to ecpq address, I cannot debug Nios with Jtag, but I think this is normal.. to debug it, I need to restore reset vector to original OCRAM.. so boot is not debuggable anyway...

->I checked the epcq_controller2_0.hex, obviously it is very little in size,

about 56k... my onchip ram is 200k so the problem is not here....

Hi! Following "full in place" method proposed by Fjumaah our PCB boots well! I pre-loaded FPGA on chip ram with Hex file generated from Eclipse, then I used Quartus file converter to obtain a JIC file, and after FLASH writing with only SOF file, FPGA and NIOS boots is OK!!!!

WELL!!! This confirm that our Hardware runs fine...

AND NOW I CLAIM INTEEEEEELLLLLLL ! WE NEEED TO LOAD OUR APPLICATION IN SDRAM , why on-chip is too small for our purposes.

If our HW runs fine, and we follow strictly guidelines from edh_ed_handook

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/programmable/us/en/pdfs/literature/hb/nios2/edh_ed_handbook.pdf

I try boot in place from ECPQ , and boot copier option, but Nios-IIF doesn't boot. Please.... could you give us tips to solve this problem?????

I sent a project copy to mr. Anand to examinate this issue.. our hw seems run OK... so Nios should boot from ECPQ...... :-(

Attempting more options, I found another problem in File Converter/Load HEX file. Error message tell "HEX file overlap memry block 4 to 0) or similar. Reading the forum I found that it is due to Quartus/Assignment/Options/Compiler process settings/More Settings/Read or Write hex files in byte addressable mode.. I had "global" option, I try Byte addressable mode on...

So, BOOT procedure is affected from multiple selection.. Please GIVE US A WELL TESTED PROCEDURE to obtain a BOOT!!!! Final user cannot keep in load own work time to try and solve known bugs.... :-(

There is anyone about this issue? I cannot believe that there isnt' anyone that have a Cyclone V + niosII processor HW to run! Or this problem afflicts only our system? Passing from Altera to Intel causes many link mismatch and many problems :-(