4/25/2014 - Vern Muhr (vernm10@comcast.net)

The goal of this project is to create a python module that performs USB communication with the nodes of an SLD (System Level Debug) mega-function within an Altera FPGA.

This project is at the proof of concept stage. The python module can write to and read from the InitialTest design created by Chris Zeh. Google: "Talking to the DE0-Nano using the Virtual JTAG interface".

Data objects for reading and writing use the BitArray class from the bitstring module. This allows exceptional flexibility and ease in formatting and decoding the data.

The project targets Windows. It should also be simple to target Linux.

Requirements:

• FTD2XX.dll: The dll file must be in the same directory as sld_interface.py http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm)

• pyftdi: http://fluidmotion.dyndns.org/zenphoto/uploaded/ftdi/pyftdi.tar.gz

• bitarray: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/bitarray

• Altera Quartus: http://www.altera.com/products/software/sfw-index.jsp)

• This project communicates with a DE0-Nano FPGA board. http://www.terasic.com.tw/en/ Also available from Digikey, Mouser, etc.

The files of this project are:

• sld_interface.py:

  The high level interface to the FTD2XX routines, as well as the main function that loads and drives the LEDs of the InitialTest FPGA design
  Note: this file also contains a class that writes commands to a .CSV file instead of the USB driver. This is useful for debugging, see 245_decode.py.

• 245_decode.py:

  A debug tool that emulates the SLD controller, and prints a log of TAP controller states, and register values.

• ft_245_data.csv:

  A .cvs (comma seperated value) file of data captured on the FT245 parallel interface pins. Open it with 245_decode.py to see a log of how the captured data is processed by the SLD controller.

• ftdi.py:

  The low-level python interface to FTD2XX.dll using ctypes. From the pyftdi project. Named ftdi2.py in that project.

• InitialTest.sof:

  The programming file for the DE0-Nano FPGA. Loaded by sld_interface.py.

The details of how the FT245 parallel interface is used to control the JTAG pins of an Altera FPGA is documented here: http://sourceforge.net/p/ixo-jtag/code/HEAD/tree/usb_jtag/