Altera Nios II User manual

Preliminary Information
101 Innovation Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
[phone]
http://www.altera.com
Nios II Flash Programmer
User Guide

Copyright © 2007 Altera Corporation. All rights reserved. Altera, The Programmable Solutions Company, the stylized Altera logo, specific device des-
ignations, and all other words and logos that are identified as trademarks and/or service marks are, unless noted otherwise, the trademarks and
service marks of Altera Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other product or service names are the property of their respective holders. Al-
tera products are protected under numerous U.S. and foreign patents and pending applications, maskwork rights, and copyrights. Altera warrants
performance of its semiconductor products to current specifications in accordance with Altera's standard warranty, but reserves the right to make
changes to any products and services at any time without notice. Altera assumes no responsibility or liability arising out of the ap-
plication or use of any information, product, or service described herein except as expressly agreed to in writing by Altera
Corporation. Altera customers are advised to obtain the latest version of device specifications before relying on any published in-
formation and before placing orders for products or services.
ii Altera Corporation
Preliminary
UG-NIOSIIFLSHPROG-1.4

Altera Corporation iii
Contents
About This User Guide ............................................................................ v
Chapter 1. Overview of the Nios II Flash Programmer
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1–1
Prerequisites ...................................................................................................................................... 1–2
How the Flash Programmer Works .................................................................................................... 1–2
IDE and Command-Line Modes ......................................................................................................... 1–3
Flash Programmer Target Design ....................................................................................................... 1–3
Minimum Component Set ............................................................................................................... 1–4
Chapter 2. Using the Flash Programmer in IDE Mode
The Flash Programmer Dialog Box ..................................................................................................... 2–1
Chapter 3. Using the Flash Programmer in Command-Line Mode
nios2-flash-programmer ....................................................................................................................... 3–2
nios2-flash-programmer Command-Line Examples .................................................................. 3–5
sof2flash .................................................................................................................................................. 3–6
sof2flash Command-Line Examples .............................................................................................. 3–6
elf2flash ................................................................................................................................................... 3–6
Programming Both Hardware and Software into an EPCS Device .......................................... 3–8
elf2flash Command-Line Examples ............................................................................................... 3–9
bin2flash .................................................................................................................................................. 3–9
bin2flash Command-Line Example ............................................................................................. 3–10
Appendix A. Non-Standard Flash Memories
Built-in Recognition and Override ..................................................................................................... A–1
Flash Override Files .............................................................................................................................. A–1
Flash Override File Format ............................................................................................................ A–2
How to Use the Flash Override File ............................................................................................. A–2
Width Mode Override Parameter ...................................................................................................... A–2
Appendix B. Supported Flash Memory Devices
Appendix C. Stand-Alone Mode
Installing the Nios II Stand-Alone Flash Programmer .................................................................... C–1
Running the Nios II Stand-Alone Flash Programmer ..................................................................... C–2
Appendix D. Troubleshooting
Overview ................................................................................................................................................ D–1
Program Flash Button Grayed Out in the IDE ................................................................................. D–1

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Nios II Flash Programmer User Guide
Contents
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–1
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–1
"No Nios II processors available" Error ............................................................................................. D–1
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–1
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–1
"No CFI table found" Error .................................................................................................................. D–2
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–2
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–2
"No EPCS registers found" Error ........................................................................................................ D–2
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–2
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–2
"System does not have any flash memory" Error ............................................................................ D–3
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–3
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–3
"Reading System ID at address 0x<address>: FAIL" Error .............................................................. D–3
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–3
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–4
Base address not aligned on size of device ....................................................................................... D–4
Probable Cause ................................................................................................................................ D–4
Suggested Actions ........................................................................................................................... D–4

Altera Corporation v
About This User Guide
Revision History The table below displays the revision history for chapters in this User
Guide..
Nios II Flash Programmer User Guide Revision History
Chapter Date Version Changes Made
Chapter 1 May 2007 7.1 ●Remove mention of board description files (no longer
implemented)
●Correct and update discussion of --instance and
--device command line parameters
●Update SOPC Builder screen shot
Chapter 3 May 2007 7.1 Add descriptions of nios2-flash-programmer options --sidp,
--id, --timestamp, --accept-bad-sysid
Appendix C May 2007 7.1 Correct missing installation step
Appendix D May 2007 7.1 Remove mention of board description files (no longer
implemented)
All November 2006 6.1 Updates for the Nios II version 6.1 release. Includes improvements
to the flash programmer user interface.
All October 2005 5.1 Updates for the Nios II version 5.1 release. Includes major
changes to the flash programmer target design.
All December 2004 1.1 Updates for the Nios II version 1.1 release.
All May 2004 1.0 First release of the flash programmer user guide for the Nios II
development boards.

vi Altera Corporation
How to Contact Altera Nios II Flash Programmer User Guide
How to Contact
Altera
For the most up-to-date information about Altera products, refer to the
following table.
Typographic
Conventions
This document uses the following typographic conventions:
Information Type Contact (1)
Technical support www.altera.com/mysupport/
Technical training www.altera.com/training/
[e-mail]
Product literature www.altera.com/literature/
Altera literature services [email protected]
FTP site ftp.altera.com
Note to table:
(1) You can also contact your local Altera sales office or sales representative.
Visual Cue Meaning
Bold Type with Initial
Capital Letters
Command names, dialog box titles, check box options, and dialog box options are
shown in bold, initial capital letters. Example: Save As dialog box.
bold type External timing parameters, directory names, project names, disk drive names,
filenames, filename extensions, and software utility names are shown in bold
type. Examples: fMAX, \qdesigns directory, d: drive, chiptrip.gdf file.
Italic Type with Initial Capital
Letters
Document titles are shown in italic type with initial capital letters. Example: AN 75:
High-Speed Board Design.
Italic type Internal timing parameters and variables are shown in italic type.
Examples: tPIA, n+ 1.
Variable names are enclosed in angle brackets (< >) and shown in italic type.
Example: <file name>, <project name>.pof file.
Initial Capital Letters Keyboard keys and menu names are shown with initial capital letters. Examples:
Delete key, the Options menu.
“Subheading Title” References to sections within a document and titles of on-line help topics are
shown in quotation marks. Example: “Typographic Conventions.”
Courier type Signal and port names are shown in lowercase Courier type. Examples: data1,
tdi, input. Active-low signals are denoted by suffix n, e.g., resetn.
Anything that must be typed exactly as it appears is shown in Courier type. For
example: c:\qdesigns\tutorial\chiptrip.gdf. Also, sections of an
actual file, such as a Report File, references to parts of files (e.g., the AHDL
keyword SUBDESIGN), as well as logic function names (e.g., TRI) are shown in
Courier.

Altera Corporation vii
About This User Guide Typographic Conventions
1., 2., 3., and
a., b., c., etc.
Numbered steps are used in a list of items when the sequence of the items is
important, such as the steps listed in a procedure.
■●•Bullets are used in a list of items when the sequence of the items is not important.
vThe check mark indicates a procedure that consists of one step only.
1The hand points to information that requires special attention.
cA caution calls attention to a condition or possible situation that can damage or
destroy the product or the user’s work.
wA warning calls attention to a condition or possible situation that can cause injury
to the user.
rThe angled arrow indicates you should press the Enter key.
fThe feet direct you to more information on a particular topic.
Visual Cue Meaning

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Typographic Conventions Nios II Flash Programmer User Guide

Altera Corporation 1–1
May 2007
1. Overview of the Nios II
Flash Programmer
Introduction The purpose of the Nios®II flash programmer is to program data into a
flash memory device connected to an Altera®FPGA. The flash
programmer sends file contents over an Altera download cable, such as
the USB Blaster®, to a Nios II system running on the FPGA. Many
hardware designs that include the Nios®II processor also incorporate
flash memory on the board to store FPGA configuration data or Nios II
program data. The Nios II flash programmer is part of the Nios II
development tools, and is a convenient method of programming this
memory.
The Nios II flash programmer can program three types of content into
flash memory:
■Nios II software executable files - Many systems use flash memory to
store nonvolatile program code, or firmware. Nios II systems can
boot out of flash memory.
■FPGA configuration data - At system power-up, the FPGA
configuration controller on the board can read FPGA configuration
data from the flash memory. Depending on the design of the
configuration controller, it might be able to choose between multiple
FPGA configuration files stored in flash memory.
■Other arbitrary data files - The Nios II flash programmer can
program a binary file to an arbitrary offset in a flash memory for any
purpose. For example, a Nios II program might use this data as a
coefficient table or a sine lookup table.
You can use the flash programmer to program the following types of
memory:
■Common flash interface (CFI)-compliant flash memory - CFI is an
industry standard that provides a common, vendor-independent
interface to flash memory devices.
■Altera erasable programmable configurable serial (EPCS) device -
Altera EPCS serial configuration devices can store FPGA
configuration data and Nios II executable software.
fFor further information on the CFI specification, see www.intel.com/
design/flash/swb/cfi.htm. For further information on EPCS devices, see
the Serial Configuration Devices (EPCS1, EPCS4, EPCS16 & EPCS64) Data
Sheet and the EPCS Device Controller Core with Avalon Interface chapter of
the Quartus II Handbook, Volume 5: Embedded Peripherals.

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Nios II Flash Programmer User Guide May 2007
How the Flash Programmer Works
In this document, the term "flash memory" refers to both CFI and EPCS
memory devices, unless otherwise noted.
Prerequisites
This user guide assumes that you are familiar with the Nios II hardware
and software development flow. You need to be familiar with the contents
of the following tutorials:
■Nios II Hardware Development Tutorial
■Nios II Software Development Tutorial, which is available in the
Nios II integrated development environment (IDE) help system
If you use the Nios II flash programmer to program FPGA configuration
data to flash memory, you also must understand the configuration
method used on the board.
fRefer to AN346: Using the Nios Development Board Configuration Controller
Reference Design, or to the reference manual for a specific IIdevelopment
board.
How the Flash
Programmer
Works
The flash programmer has two parts, the host and the target, as shown in
Figure 1–1. The host portion runs on your computer. It sends flash
programming files over a download cable to the target. The target portion
is your hardware design, running in the FPGA. It accepts the
programming data sent by the host, and writes data to the flash memory
device. In order to work with the Nios II flash programmer, your FPGA
design must meet certain requirements. See “Flash Programmer Target
Design” on page 1–3.
Figure 1–1. How the Nios II Flash Programmer Works
Target Board
Flash
Memory
Device
Download Cable
(e.g. USB Blaster)
Altera FPGA
Target
Design
Flash
Content
Host Computer Flash
Content