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Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
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16 years ago

Changing SOPC File Location

Hi,

I'm working on a project involving multiple Quartus projects that share common components. All of the common verilog components are shared in an external folder, but I can't find any way to share SOPC Builder files. I would like to move the .sopc file and the Nios IDE projects to a common directory, then simply include them in any Quartus projects that need them.

I tried moving the .sopc file, opening it in SOPC Builder, and generating the system but I ran into errors saying the *_setup_quartus.tcl script couldn't find my project. I can't quite see what SOPC Builder needs from my project since the system doesn't have any knowledge of my other hardware until I connect it at the top level.

Has anyone had any success doing this before? I could copy the files into each of the Quartus projects' folders, but I would like to maintain a common base of changes across all of them - everything is checked into SVN and I'd like to be able to maintain consistency across the projects by updating to a new revision. Thanks.

16 Replies

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    I tried the same kind of thing, without success... My workaround for now is to replicate the common code in every project, but put in folders declared as SVN externals. It makes it easy to transfer modifications from one project to another, and gives more control on updates.

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    I'm using externals right now but they slow updates down tremendously so I want to try to remove them. I think I'd rather have multiple versions at this point than have to deal with the externals because they are so slow.

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    I have been doing exactly what you need to do for many years now. My primary reason for doing it is to organize the file structure. Here is what I do:

    1 - Create the folder where you would like your SoPC builder system located.

    2 - Don't use the little SoPC builder toolbar button to launch SoPC builder. Instead, use the megawizard to create a new SoPC builder system and specify the location of the SoPC builder file.

    3 - When you generate your SoPC builder system, SoPC builder will give you an error. It will inform you that the system generated correctly but there were errors. This error can be ignored. The error is generated because SoPC builder wants to add run a TCL script for your Quartus project but there is no project associated with SoPC builder.

    4 - Add the folder that contains your SoPC builder system as a user library

    Jake
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    I guess basically what I'm saying is the error that SoPC builder gives you is irrelevant.

    Jake
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    Great, that worked! Thanks for the help. One last question, normally when you program the FPGA Quartus also programs the Nios (assuming the software has been compiled at least once), but now that it's in a different directory it doesn't seem to be doing that. Do you know how to tell to do that so I don't have to run the IDE and reprogram the thing each time I rebuild my hardware?

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    So you are using onchip memory and you are storing the NIOS code in the onchip memory without using any external memory.

    Unless something has changed in Quartus in recent versions; if you've specified the SoPC builder folder as a user library and you've compiled your software project, Quartus should automatically pick up the .hex file used to initialize the onchip RAM.

    Here is what I would check:

    1 - Open up the generated source code file for the onchip memory. See what it calls out as the memory initialization file.

    2 - Verify that a ".hex" file exists in the same folder as the generated SoPC builder files with the same name as your onchip memory. This file would have been generated by your software build.

    3 - In the Quartus compilation report under the "Analysis and Synthesis" section; look at the RAM summary and verify that your onchip memory is getting the appropriate MIF/HEX file.

    Jake
  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    The .hex file is in the same directory as the onchip_memory.v file generated by SOPC Builder, and in the Analysis & Synthesis summary it shows onchip_memory.hex as the MIF file for the memory, but it still doesn't seem to load it. In the Source Files Read report it shows the .hex file with the correct path marked as an "Auto-Found Memory Initialization File" so it seems to think it's loading it.

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
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    16 years ago

    Does the timestamp on the ".hex" file look correct to you? Has the system changed since the last time the software was compiled?