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All three evaluation boards use FPGAs from the manufacturer Xilinx, so they can all be programmed using the same Integrated Synthesis Environment (ISE) software. This will take you as far as generating a .bit file that then has to be transferred onto your evaluation board using a software utility specific to that board. This is pretty much a matter of choosing the file, selecting the serial port to which the board is connected, and then pressing Go.
The design tools of the FPGA manufacturers are frankly bloated monsters. The ISE design tool is a 7-GB (that’s right, gigabyte!) download. In many ways, getting and installing the design tool constitute the most time-consuming part of getting started with FPGAs.
The first step in obtaining ISE is to visit Xilinx.com with your web browser and find the ISE download page, which you will find by following the links: Developer Zone ISE Design Suite Downloads. Scroll down the “Downloads” area to ISE Design Suite (we used version 14.7), and select the option “Full Installer for Windows.” Do not be tempted to download the newer Vivado Design Suite. This is only for newer Xilinx FPGAs and does not support the Spartan 3s used on the Elbert 2 and Papilio One.
There are Windows and Linux versions of the tool. In this book, we will just describe the process of getting up and running in Windows.
When you click on the “Download” button, a survey will appear that you have to complete, followed by a second registration form. Persevere and eventually the download will start, and you can go and do something else for a few hours while the download completes.
The downloaded file has a .tar extension that is not a normal Windows file format, so you will need to extract the contents of the tar file using a utility such as 7-zip (7-zip.org). With 7-zip installed, right-click on the .tar file, and select the option “Extract.” Once the file is extracted, you will see a folder called something like Xlinx_ISE_OS_Win_14.7_1015_1. Inside this folder you will find the program xsetup.exe. Run xsetup.exe to install ISE. When you get to the window shown in Figure 2-5, select the option “Web Pack.”
The main installer will start several subinstallers for other packages and ask you to agree to several license agreements. You can accept all the defaults offered to you for the remainder of the installation.
At the end of the installation process, select the option “Get Free Vivado/ISE WebPack License.” You’ll have to log in again and check a short form and then select “Vivado Design Suite: HL Web Pack …” from the list of licenses available to you (Figure 2-6). Click on the button “Generate Node-Locked License.” This will be e-mailed to you as an attachment called xilinx.lic; save the file, and then add the license from the License Configuration Manager that should still be open. If the License Configuration Manager is not open, you can open it from the “Manage
Programming FPGAs: Getting Started with Verilog
License” option on the Help menu of Xilinx Platform Studio. The installation process will add a new shortcut on your desktop called “ISE Design Suit 14.7.”
The Elbert board has a software utility for programming the board. This handles just the final step of copying the binary file generated by ISE onto the Elbert V2’s Flash memory. There is also a USB driver to install for Windows users.
To set up your computer to use the Elbert, visit the product page for the Elbert V2 at numato.com (http:/numato.com/elbert-v2-spartan-3a-fpga-development -board/), and click on the Downloads tab. You will need to download
• Configuration tool (used to program the board)
• Numato Lab USB CDC driver
• User manual
To install the USB driver on Windows, plug the Elbert V2 board into your computer, and the New Hardware Wizard should start. Point the wizard at the extracted “numatocdcdriver” folder, and the driver should install, and the new hardware should be recognized.
After this, the Elbert V2 will be connected to one of the virtual COM ports of your PC. To find out which port, open the Windows Device Manager, and you should find it listed in the Ports section, as shown in Figure 2-7.
The Mojo board also has some software that you need to install. Visit https:/ embeddedmicro.com/tutorials/mojo-software-and-updates/installing-mojoloader to download the Mojo loader for your computer’s architecture and operating system.
Note that the Mojo board also has support for the Arduino IDE because the board also includes an ATMega microcontroller (as found in the popular Arduino microcontroller boards). In this book, you will not be programming this microcontroller or using the Arduino IDE to upload images to the board, so you will need the Mojo loader to upload onto the Mojo board.
Installing the driver for the Mojo is very similar to installing the driver for the Elbert 2. From the Found New Hardware driver, locate the driver from the installation folder for the Mojo Loader (/mojo loader/driver).
You will find the loader for the Papillio at http:/forum.gadgetfactory.net/index .php?/files/file/10-papilio-loader-gui/. The installer will automatically install the USB drivers for the Papillio and the loader. When you plug the board in, it will show up as FTDI Dual RS232.
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