Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Doubt about FPGA code and firmware

[Gabriel Morel]

To know if you design is loaded properly, you can use the leds to indicate some state of your design.  The led F is already connect to the PROGRAM_DONE pin of the FPGA in the cpld.  You can also modify the cpld to turn on some light on the board.

 

what do you have to do in your thesis?

 

Gabriel

----- Original Message -----

From: Eduardo Lloret Fuentes

To: Matthias Wilhelm

Cc: discuss-gnuradio

Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 9:09 AM

Subject: Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Doubt about FPGA code and firmware

Hello,

@Nick Foster

If your FPGA design doesn't include a Microblaze processor to do
something useful with the firmware image, you won't need to load the
firmware.

My FPGA design doesn't include a Microblaze processor so I also think that I don't need it. My doubt comes from the boot sequence that I read in the USRP2GenFAQ section: http://gnuradio.org/redmine/wiki/gnuradio/USRP2GenFAQ#How-does-the-USRP2-boot-How-is-the-FPGA-firmware-loaded
If I don't have a processor, the second step is not necessary but I don't know if the first (loading of FPGA design) is accomplished properly. What do you think?

@Gabriel Morel

Will you start from a new project or just modify the old one.  I try to compile the raw ethernet version but I have many problem.  Give some news of your works plz.

I started completely from a new project but If I try to modify the old one I will tell you my results.

@Matthias Wilhelm

if you plan to use any part of the USRP2's hardware (daughterboard, ADC, UART, ethernet, ...) and don't want to implement all the steps required to configure and use them properly, I would suggest to integrate your code parallel to the vanilla system (the UHD one!), it is far more work to get it running otherwise. The firmware does a lot of stuff. If you don't plan to use the hardware why not use a Spartan evaluation kit instead, they have nicer I/O capabilities for experimenting and testing?

I plan to use the BasicRX, BasicTX, LFTX and LFRX daughterboards just as a simple input/output to the FPGA. Besides I need the ADC and DAC but I thought they don't need the processor. A lot of thanks for your advice. When you say to integrate the code to the vanilla system, do you mean add my verilog code to their project?

I also think it would be better to use a Spartan evaluation kit to do this but the use of the USRP2 board is part of my thesis requirements.

Thanks you so much to all of you for your help.

Greetings.

Eduardo.

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