Texas Instruments Xilinx UG230 User manual

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Spartan-3E FPGA
Starter Kit Board
User Guide
UG230 (v1.2) January 20, 2011

Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit Board User Guide www.xilinx.com UG230 (v1.2) January 20, 2011
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Revision History
The following table shows the revision history for this document.
Date Version Revision
03/09/06 1.0 Initial release.
06/20/08 1.1 Clarified DTE connections in Figure 7-1. Updated links.
01/20/11 1.2 Corrected Platform Flash disable polarity. Updated links.
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Preface: About This Guide
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Guide Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview
Choose the Starter Kit Board for Your Needs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Spartan-3E FPGA Features and Embedded Processing Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Advanced Spartan-3 Generation Development Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Key Components and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Design Trade-Offs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Configuration Methods Galore! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Voltages for all Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chapter 2: Switches, Buttons, and Knob
Slide Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Locations and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Push-Button Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Locations and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Rotary Push-Button Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Locations and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Push-Button Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Rotary Shaft Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Discrete LEDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Locations and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 3: Clock Sources
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Clock Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Voltage Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
50 MHz On-Board Oscillator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Auxiliary Clock Oscillator Socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Table of Contents

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SMA Clock Input or Output Connector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
UCF Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Clock Period Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 4: FPGA Configuration Options
Configuration Mode Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
PROG Push Button. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
DONE Pin LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Programming the FPGA, CPLD, or Platform Flash PROM via USB . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Connecting the USB Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Programming via iMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Programming Platform Flash PROM via USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Generating the FPGA Configuration Bitstream File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Generating the PROM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Programming the Platform Flash PROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 5: Character LCD Screen
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Character LCD Interface Signals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Voltage Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Interaction with Intel StrataFlash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
LCD Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Memory Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
DD RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
CG ROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CG RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Command Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Clear Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Return Cursor Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Entry Mode Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Display On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Cursor and Display Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Function Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Set CG RAM Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Set DD RAM Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Read Busy Flag and Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Write Data to CG RAM or DD RAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Read Data from CG RAM or DD RAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Four-Bit Data Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Transferring 8-Bit Data over the 4-Bit Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Initializing the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Power-On Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Display Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

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Writing Data to the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Disabling the Unused LCD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Chapter 6: VGA Display Port
Signal Timing for a 60 Hz, 640x480 VGA Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
VGA Signal Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter 7: RS-232 Serial Ports
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter 8: PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Voltage Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Chapter 9: Digital to Analog Converter (DAC)
SPI Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Interface Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Disable Other Devices on the SPI Bus to Avoid Contention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
SPI Communication Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Communication Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Specifying the DAC Output Voltage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
DAC Outputs A and B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
DAC Outputs C and D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Chapter 10: Analog Capture Circuit
Digital Outputs from Analog Inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Programmable Pre-Amplifier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Programmable Gain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
SPI Control Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
SPI Control Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Disable Other Devices on the SPI Bus to Avoid Contention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Connecting Analog Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

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Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Chapter 11: Intel StrataFlash Parallel NOR Flash PROM
StrataFlash Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Shared Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Character LCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Xilinx XC2C64A CPLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
SPI Data Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Setting the FPGA Mode Select Pins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Chapter 12: SPI Serial Flash
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Configuring from SPI Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Setting the FPGA Mode Select Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Creating an SPI Serial Flash PROM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Setting the Configuration Clock Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Formatting an SPI Flash PROM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Downloading the Design to SPI Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Downloading the SPI Flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Attach a JTAG Parallel Programming Cable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Insert Jumper on JP8 and Hold PROG_B Low . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Additional Design Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Shared SPI Bus with Peripherals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Other SPI Flash Control Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Variant Select Pins, VS[2:0] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Jumper Block J11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Programming Header J12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Multi-Package Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Chapter 13: DDR SDRAM
DDR SDRAM Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Reserve FPGA VREF Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Chapter 14: 10/100 Ethernet Physical Layer Interface
Ethernet PHY Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
MicroBlaze Ethernet IP Cores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

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UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Chapter 15: Expansion Connectors
Hirose 100-pin FX2 Edge Connector (J3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Voltage Supplies to the Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Connector Pinout and FPGA Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Compatible Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Mating Receptacle Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Differential I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Using Differential Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Using Differential Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
UCF Location Constraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Six-Pin Accessory Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Header J1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Header J2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Header J4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Connectorless Debugging Port Landing Pads (J6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Chapter 16: XC2C64A CoolRunner-II CPLD
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
FPGA Connections to CPLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
CPLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Chapter 17: DS2432 1-Wire SHA-1 EEPROM
UCF Location Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Related Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Appendix A: Schematics
FX2 Expansion Header, 6-pin Headers, and Connectorless Probe Header . . . . 134
RS-232 Ports, VGA Port, and PS/2 Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Ethernet PHY, Magnetics, and RJ-11 Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Voltage Regulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
FPGA Configurations Settings, Platform Flash PROM, SPI Serial Flash, JTAG
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
FPGA I/O Banks 0 and 1, Oscillators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
FPGA I/O Banks 2 and 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Power Supply Decoupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
XC2C64A CoolRunner-II CPLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Linear Technology ADC and DAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Intel StrataFlash Parallel NOR Flash Memory and Micron DDR SDRAM . . . 154
Buttons, Switches, Rotary Encoder, and Character LCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

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DDR SDRAM Series Termination and FX2 Connector Differential Termination 158
Appendix B: Example User Constraints File (UCF)

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Preface
About This Guide
This user guide provides basic information on the Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board
capabilities, functions, and design. It includes general information on how to use the
various peripheral functions included on the board. For detailed reference designs,
including VHDL or Verilog source code, please visit the following web link.
•Spartan
®-3E FPGA Starter Kit Board Reference Page
http://www.xilinx.com/s3estarter
Acknowledgements
Xilinx wishes to thank the following companies for their support of the Spartan-3E FPGA
Starter Kit board:
• Intel Corporation for the 128 Mbit StrataFlash memory
• Linear Technology for the SPI-compatible A/D and D/A converters, the
programmable pre-amplifier, and the power regulators for the non-FPGA
components
• Micron Technology, Inc. for the 32M x 16 DDR SDRAM
• SMSC for the 10/100 Ethernet PHY
• STMicroelectronics for the 16M x 1 SPI serial Flash PROM
• Texas Instruments Incorporated for the three-rail TPS75003 regulator supplying most
of the FPGA supply voltages
• Xilinx, Inc. Configuration Solutions Division for the XCF04S Platform Flash PROM
and their support for the embedded USB programmer
• Xilinx, Inc. for the XC2C64A CoolRunner™-II CPLD
Guide Contents
This manual contains the following chapters:
•Chapter 1, “Introduction and Overview,” provides an overview of the key features of
the Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board.
•Chapter 2, “Switches, Buttons, and Knob,” defines the switches, buttons, and knobs
present on the Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board.
•Chapter 3, “Clock Sources,” describes the various clock sources available on the
Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board.
•Chapter 4, “FPGA Configuration Options,” describes the configuration options for
the FPGA on the Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board.

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Preface: About This Guide
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•Chapter 5, “Character LCD Screen,” describes the functionality of the character LCD
screen.
•Chapter 6, “VGA Display Port,” describes the functionality of the VGA port.
•Chapter 7, “RS-232 Serial Ports,” describes the functionality of the RS-232 serial ports.
•Chapter 8, “PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port,” describes the functionality of the PS/2
mouse and keyboard port.
•Chapter 9, “Digital to Analog Converter (DAC),” describes the functionality of the
DAC.
•Chapter 10, “Analog Capture Circuit,” describes the functionality of the A/D
converter with a programmable gain pre-amplifier.
•Chapter 11, “Intel StrataFlash Parallel NOR Flash PROM,” describes the functionality
of the StrataFlash PROM.
•Chapter 12, “SPI Serial Flash,” describes the functionality of the SPI Serial Flash
memory.
•Chapter 13, “DDR SDRAM,” describes the functionality of the DDR SDRAM.
•Chapter 14, “10/100 Ethernet Physical Layer Interface,” describes the functionality of
the 10/100Base-T Ethernet physical layer interface.
•Chapter 15, “Expansion Connectors,” describes the various connectors available on
the Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board.
•Chapter 16, “XC2C64A CoolRunner-II CPLD” describes how the CPLD is involved in
FPGA configuration when using Master Serial and BPI mode.
•Chapter 17, “DS2432 1-Wire SHA-1 EEPROM” provides a brief introduction to the
SHA-1 secure EEPROM for authenticating or copy-protecting FPGA configuration
bitstreams.
•Appendix A, “Schematics,” lists the schematics for the Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit
board.
•Appendix B, “Example User Constraints File (UCF),” provides example code from a
UCF.
Additional Resources
To find additional documentation, see the Xilinx website at:
http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/index.htm
To search the Answer Database of silicon, software, and IP questions and answers, or to
create a technical support WebCase, see the Xilinx website at:
http://www.xilinx.com/support.

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Chapter 1
Introduction and Overview
Thank you for purchasing the Xilinx Spartan®-3E FPGA Starter Kit. You will find it useful
in developing your Spartan-3E FPGA application.
Choose the Starter Kit Board for Your Needs
Depending on specific requirements, choose the Xilinx development board that best suits
your needs.
Spartan-3E FPGA Features and Embedded Processing Functions
The Spartan-3E Starter Kit board highlights the unique features of the Spartan-3E FPGA
family and provides a convenient development board for embedded processing
applications. The board highlights these features:
• Spartan-3E FPGA specific features
• Parallel NOR Flash configuration
• MultiBoot FPGA configuration from Parallel NOR Flash PROM
• SPI serial Flash configuration
• Embedded development
• MicroBlaze™ 32-bit embedded RISC processor
• PicoBlaze™ 8-bit embedded controller
• DDR memory interfaces
Advanced Spartan-3 Generation Development Boards
The Spartan-3E Starter Kit board demonstrates the basic capabilities of the MicroBlaze
embedded processor and the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (EDK). For more
advanced development consider the capable boards offered by Xilinx partners:
• Spartan-3 Generation Board Interactive Search
http://www.xilinx.com/products/boards_kits/spartan.htm

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Chapter 10: Analog Capture Circuit
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SPI Control Interface
Figure 10-3 highlights the SPI-based communications interface with the amplifier. The gain
for each amplifier is sent as an 8-bit command word, consisting of two 4-bit fields. The
most-significant bit, B3, is sent first.
The AMP_DOUT output from the amplifier echoes the previous gain settings. These
values can be ignored for most applications.
The SPI bus transaction starts when the FPGA asserts AMP_CS Low (see Figure 10-4). The
amplifier captures serial data on SPI_MOSI on the rising edge of the SPI_SCK clock signal.
The amplifier presents serial data on AMP_DOUT on the falling edge of SPI_SCK.
-500111.41.9
-10 0 1 0 0 1.525 1.775
-20 0 1 0 1 1.5875 1.7125
-50 0 1 1 0 1.625 1.675
-100 0 1 1 1 1.6375 1.6625
Table 10-2: Programmable Gain Settings for Pre-Amplifier (Continued)
Gain
A3 A2 A1 A0 Input Voltage Range
B3 B2 B1 B0 Minimum Maximum
Figure 10-3: SPI Serial Interface to Amplifier
7
Spartan-3E
FPGA
Master
0
A
1
A
2
A
3
A
0
B
1
B
2
B
3
B
0
A Gain B Gain
Slave: LTC2624-1
AMP_DOUT
SPI_MOSI
AMP_CS
SPI_SCK
UG230_c10_03_030306
Figure 10-4: SPI Timing When Communicating with Amplifier
SPI_SCK
AMP_CS
SPI_MOSI
AMP_DOUT
765432
30 5050
30
65432
85 max
All timing is minimum in nanoseconds unless otherwise noted.
(from AMP)
(from FPGA)
Previous 7
UG230_c10_04_022306

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Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
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The amplifier interface is relatively slow, supporting only about a 10 MHz clock frequency.
UCF Location Constraints
Figure 10-5 provides the User Constraint File (UCF) constraints for the amplifier interface,
including the I/O pin assignment and I/O standard used.
Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
The LTC1407A-1 provides two ADCs. Both analog inputs are sampled simultaneously
when the AD_CONV signal is applied.
Interface
Table 10-3 lists the interface signals between the FPGA and the ADC. The SPI_MOSI,
SPI_MISO, and SPI_SCK signals are shared with other devices on the SPI bus. The
DAC_CS signal is the active-Low slave select input to the DAC. The DAC_CLR signal is
the active-Low, asynchronous reset input to the DAC.
SPI Control Interface
Figure 10-6 provides an example SPI bus transaction to the ADC.
When the AD_CONV signal goes High, the ADC simultaneously samples both analog
channels. The results of this conversion are not presented until the next time AD_CONV is
asserted, a latency of one sample. The maxim sample rate is approximately 1.5 MHz.
The ADC presents the digital representation of the sampled analog values as a 14-bit, two’s
complement binary value.
Figure 10-5: UCF Location Constraints for the DAC Interface
NET "SPI_MOSI" LOC = "T4" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 | SLEW = SLOW | DRIVE = 6 ;
NET "AMP_CS" LOC = "N7" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 | SLEW = SLOW | DRIVE = 6 ;
NET "SPI_SCK" LOC = "U16" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 | SLEW = SLOW | DRIVE = 8 ;
NET "AMP_SHDN" LOC = "P7" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 | SLEW = SLOW | DRIVE = 6 ;
NET "AMP_DOUT" LOC = "E18" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 ;
Table 10-3: ADC Interface Signals
Signal FPGA Pin Direction Description
SPI_SCK U16 FPGAADC Clock
AD_CONV P11 FPGAADC Active-High shutdown and reset.
SPI_MISO N10 FPGAADC Serial data: Master Input, Serial Output. Presents
the digital representation of the sample analog
values as two 14-bit two’s complement binary
values.

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Chapter 10: Analog Capture Circuit
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Figure 10-7 shows detailed transaction timing. The AD_CONV signal is not a traditional
SPI slave select enable. Be sure to provide enough SPI_SCK clock cycles so that the ADC
leaves the SPI_MISO signal in the high-impedance state. Otherwise, the ADC blocks
communication to the other SPI peripherals. As shown in Figure 10-6, use a 34-cycle
communications sequence. The ADC 3-states its data output for two clock cycles before
and after each 14-bit data transfer.
UCF Location Constraints
Figure 10-8 provides the User Constraint File (UCF) constraints for the amplifier interface,
including the I/O pin assignment and I/O standard used.
Figure 10-6: Analog-to-Digital Conversion Interface
Spartan-3E
FPGA
Master
D
1
D
2
D
3
D
0
D
5
D
6
D
7
D
4
D
9
D
10
D
11
D
8
D
13
D
12
D
1
D
2
D
3
D
0
D
5
D
6
D
7
D
4
D
9
D
10
D
11
D
8
D
13
D
12
ZZ
Z
1313 00
SPI_MISO
SPI_SCK
AD_CONV
13
Channel 0 Channel 0Channel 1
Sample
point
Sample
point
Converted data is presented with a latency of one sample.
The sampled analog value is converted to digital data 32 SPI_SCK cycles after asserting AD_CONV.
The converted values is then presented after the next AD_CONV pulse.
AD_CONV
SPI_SCK
SPI_MISO
Slave: LTC1407A-1 A/D Converter
Channel 1 Channel 0
UG230_c10_05_030306
Figure 10-7: Detailed SPI Timing to ADC
SPI_SCK
AD_CONV
SPI_MISO
13 12 11
High-Z
210 High-Z
6ns
8ns
3ns
4ns min
19.6ns min
45ns min
3
12 3
34
4
32
56
333130
The A/D converter sets its SDO output line to high impedance after 33 SPI_SCK clock cycles
Channel 1
Channel 0
SPI_SCK
AD_CONV
SPI_MISO
UG230_c10_06_022306
Figure 10-8: UCF Location Constraints for the ADC Interface
NET "AD_CONV" LOC = "P11" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 | SLEW = SLOW | DRIVE = 6 ;
NET "SPI_SCK" LOC = "U16" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 | SLEW = SLOW | DRIVE = 8 ;
NET "SPI_MISO" LOC = "N10" | IOSTANDARD = LVCMOS33 ;

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Disable Other Devices on the SPI Bus to Avoid Contention
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Disable Other Devices on the SPI Bus to Avoid Contention
The SPI bus signals are shared by other devices on the board. It is vital that other devices
are disabled when the FPGA communicates with the AMP or ADC to avoid bus
contention. Table 10-4 provides the signals and logic values required to disable the other
devices. Although the StrataFlash PROM is a parallel device, its least-significant data bit is
shared with the SPI_MISO signal. The Platform Flash PROM is only potentially enabled if
the FPGA is set up for Master Serial mode configuration.
Connecting Analog Inputs
Connect AC signals to VINA or VINB via a DC blocking capacitor.
Related Resources
• Amplifier and A/D Converter Control for the Spartan-3E Starter Kit (Reference
Design)
http://www.xilinx.com/s3estarter
• Xilinx PicoBlaze Soft Processor
http://www.xilinx.com/picoblaze
• LTC6912 Dual Programmable Gain Amplifiers with Serial Digital Interface
http://www.linear.com/pc/downloadDocument.do?navId=H0,C1,C1154,C1009,C1121,P7596,D5359
• LTC1407A-1 Serial 14-bit Simultaneous Sampling ADCs with Shutdown
http://www.linear.com/pc/downloadDocument.do?navId=H0,C1,C1155,C1001,C1158,P2420,D1295
Table 10-4: Disable Other Devices on SPI Bus
Signal Disabled Device Disable Value
SPI_SS_B SPI Serial Flash 1
AMP_CS Programmable Pre-Amplifier 1
DAC_CS DAC 1
SF_CE0 StrataFlash Parallel Flash PROM 1
FPGA_INIT_B Platform Flash PROM 0

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Chapter 11
Intel StrataFlash Parallel NOR Flash
PROM
As shown in Figure 11-1, the Spartan®-3E FPGA Starter Kit boards includes a 128 Mbit (16
Mbyte) Intel StrataFlash parallel NOR Flash PROM. As indicated, some of the StrataFlash
connections are shared with other components on the board.
The StrataFlash PROM provides various functions:
• Stores a single FPGA configuration in the StrataFlash device.
• Stores two different FPGA configurations in the StrataFlash device and dynamically
switch between the two using the Spartan-3E FPGA’s MultiBoot feature.
• Stores and executes MicroBlaze processor code directly from the StrataFlash device.
Figure 11-1: Connections to Intel StrataFlash Flash Memory
CE2
CE1
CE0
OE#
WE#
BYTE#
D[15:12]
D[11:8]
A[24:20]
A[19:0]
STS
D[0]
LDC0
LDC1
HDC
LDC2
User I/O
User I/O
D[0]
User I/O
A[19:0]
A[23:20]
Spartan-3E FPGA
Intel StrataFlash
CoolRunner-II CPLD
SPI Serial Flash
Q
ADC
SDO
DAC
SDO
Platform Flash
D0
Character LCD
DB[7:4]
[7:4]
SF_CE0
SF_OE
SF_WE
SF_BYTE
SF_STS
SF_D<15:12>
SF_D<11:8>
SPI_MISO
SF_A<24:20>
SF_A<19:0>
D[7:1] D[7:1]
SF_D<7:1>
User I/O
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• Stores MicroBlaze processor code in the StrataFlash device and shadows the code into
the DDR memory before executing the code.
• Stores non-volatile data from the FPGA.
StrataFlash Connections
Table 11-1 shows the connections between the FPGA and the StrataFlash device.
Although the XC3S500E FPGA only requires just slightly over 2 Mbits per configuration
image, the FPGA-to-StrataFlash interface on the board support up to a 256 Mbit
StrataFlash. The Spartan-3E FPGA Starter Kit board ships with a 128 Mbit device. Address
line SF_A24 is not used.
In general, the StrataFlash device connects to the XC3S500E to support Byte Peripheral
Interface (BPI) configuration. The upper four address bits from the FPGA, A[23:19] do not
connect directly to the StrataFlash device. Instead, the XC2C64 CPLD controls the pins
during configuration. As described in Table 11-1 and Shared Connections, some of the
StrataFlash connections are shared with other components on the board.

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StrataFlash Connections
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Table 11-1: FPGA-to-StrataFlash Connections
Category StrataFlash
Signal Name
FPGA Pin
Number Function
Address
SF_A24 A11 Shared with XC2C64A CPLD. The CPLD
actively drives these pins during FPGA
configuration, as described in Chapter 16,
“XC2C64A CoolRunner-II CPLD”. Also
connects to FPGA user-I/O pins. SF_A24 is the
same as FX2 connector signal FX2_IO<32>.
SF_A23 N11
SF_A22 V12
SF_A21 V13
SF_A20 T12
SF_A19 V15 Connects to FPGA pins A[19:0] to support the
BPI configuration.
SF_A18 U15
SF_A17 T16
SF_A16 U18
SF_A15 T17
SF_A14 R18
SF_A13 T18
SF_A12 L16
SF_A11 L15
SF_A10 K13
SF_A9 K12
SF_A8 K15
SF_A7 K14
SF_A6 J17
SF_A5 J16
SF_A4 J15
SF_A3 J14
SF_A2 J12
SF_A1 J13
SF_A0 H17

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Data
SF_D15 T8 Upper 8 bits of a 16-bit
halfword when
StrataFlash is
configured for x16
data
(SF_BYTE=High).
Connects to FPGA
user I/O.
-
SF_D14 R8
SF_D13 P6
SF_D12 M16
SF_D11 M15 Signals SF_D<11:8>
connect to character
LCD pins DB[7:4].
SF_D10 P17
SF_D9 R16
SF_D8 R15
SF_D7 N9 Upper 7 bits of a data byte or lower 8 bits of a
16-bit halfword. Connects to FPGA pins D[7:1]
to support the BPI configuration.
SF_D6 M9
SF_D5 R9
SF_D4 U9
SF_D3 V9
SF_D2 R10
SF_D1 P10
SPI_MISO N10 Bit 0 of data byte and 16-bit halfword.
Connects to FPGA pin D0/DIN to support the
BPI configuration. Shared with other SPI
peripherals and Platform Flash PROM.
Control
SF_CE0 D16 StrataFlash Chip Enable. Connects to FPGA
pin LDC0 to support the BPI configuration.
SF_WE D17 StrataFlash Write Enable. Connects to FPGA
pin HDC to support the BPI configuration.
SF_OE C18 StrataFlash Chip Enable. Connects to FPGA
pin LDC1 to support the BPI configuration.
SF_BYTE C17 StrataFlash Byte Enable. Connects to FPGA pin
LDC2 to support the BPI configuration.
0: x8 data
1: x16 data
SF_STS B18 StrataFlash Status signal. Connects to FPGA
user-I/O pin.
Table 11-1: FPGA-to-StrataFlash Connections
Category StrataFlash
Signal Name
FPGA Pin
Number Function