Memory Instrument

The Summer 09 release of Altium Designer sees the introduction of a new memory instrument (MEMORY_INSTRUMENT). This instrument provides an area of configurable memory – located within the instrument itself – with the ability to view and modify the contents of the memory from other logic in your design, or from a connected PC, via an instrument panel.

Use the Configure (Memory Instrument) dialog to configure the instrument as required. This specifically involves defining the area of memory located inside the instrument. Configuration includes:

• Data width – the width of a word in the physical memory (in bits)

• Address width – the size of the memory to view (how many words)

• Memory type – RAM or ROM

• Whether rising edge or falling edge clock is used

• Whether or not to use distributed memory

• Support for byte write enable

In addition, you can also specify whether or not the instrument's memory is to be initialized – by enabling the Initialize Memory option and specifying the appropriate Hex file (*.hex).

Once your design is processed and downloaded to the target FPGA device, the memory instrument is accessed in the same way as any other instrument – simply double-click on its icon, in the Soft Devices chain of the Devices view (View»Devices View).

Click on the Show Panel button to access the panel from which you can view and modify the contents of the instrument's memory. The panel has the same familiar look and feel as those memory view panels you will have become accustomed to seeing in relation to a processor in a design – and with much the same functionality.