Vendor Tool Installation

Before you can build an FPGA design for a targeted device, you must have the appropriate vendor tools installed on your computer. These tools are used to place and route the FPGA design for the target device. The FPGA vendor tools ARE NOT supplied with the system and must be sourced independently.

More information on the vendor tools can be found on the respective FPGA vendor's web site:

• Actel® Designeror Libero® IDE from www.actel.com. The software can be downloaded but does require a license. Check the website for licensing options.

• Altera® Quartus® II from www.altera.com. The Altera Quartus II Web Edition Software can be freely downloaded and does not require a license.

• Lattice® Diamond® and ispLever® from www.latticesemi.com. The Diamond and the ispLever Starter software can be downloaded but do require licenses. Check the website for licensing options.

• Xilinx® ISE™ from www.xilinx.com. The Xilinx ISE WebPACKcan be freely downloaded and does not require a license.

Supported vendor tool versions

To support the latest versions of the vendor tools, you may need to update files in the Altium Designer system. Details, relevant files and installation instructions are as follows.

Actel™ Libero™

Versions supported:

5.2 - 7.3 inclusive and 8.6 - 9.1 inclusive

To support Libero version 9.1 you will need to update your Altium Designer installation to include version 10.545.22410 of the Soft Design System module (found in DXP » Plugins & Updates » System Components category) or later. Upon installation of this release, no additional files need to be installed.

Information on Actel Libero

Download Actel Libero Software Version 9.1

Altera® Quartus® II

Versions supported:

3.0 - 12.0 (SP2) inclusive

To support Quartus II version 12.0 (SP2) you will need to update Altium Designer to build 10.1327.26514 or later. Upon installation of this version (or a later release), no additional files need to be installed.

Altium Designer (from build 10.1327.26514 onwards) supports Altera Nios II 5.1 to 12.0 (SP2) which is available in Nios II Embedded Design Suite 5.1 to 12.0 (SP2).
Note: A valid full license of Altera Nios II is required to successfully use the Nios II core.

Information on Altera Quartus II

Download Altera Quartus II Web Edition Software

Lattice® Diamond®

Versions supported:

1.0 - 2.0.1 inclusive

To support Diamond version 2.0.1 you will need to update Altium Designer to build 10.1327.26514 or later. Upon installation of this release (or a later release), no additional files need to be installed.

Information on Lattice Diamond

Download Lattice Diamond software

Lattice® ispLever®

Versions supported:

4.2 - 8.1 inclusive

To support ispLever version 8.1 you will need to update Altium Designer to build 10.1133.24352 or later. Upon installation of this release (or a later release), no additional files need to be installed.

Information on Lattice ispLever

Download Lattice ispLever Starter evaluation software

Xilinx® ISE

Versions supported:

6.1i - 14.3 inclusive

To support Xilinx ISE version 14.3 you will need to update Altium Designer to build 10.1327.26514 or later. Upon installation of this version (or a later release), no additional files need to be installed.

Altium Designer (from build 9.0.0.17654 onwards) supports Xilinx MicroBlaze 4.00 and 6.00 which is available in EDK 7.1 to 8.1 and EDK 8.2 to 10.1 respectively.
Note: A valid full license of Xilinx EDK is required to successfully use the MicroBlaze core.

Information on Xilinx ISE

Download Xilinx ISE WebPACK