NB2DSK01 Auto-Configuration - Configuring the Project

Prior to using the auto-configuration feature, ensure the following:

• The daughter board carrying the FPGA device to which the design is targeted is plugged into the NB2DSK01 motherboard.

• Any peripheral boards carrying resources used by the FPGA design are also plugged into the NB2DSK01 motherboard. Peripheral boards whose resources are not actually used can be left attached to the motherboard, or removed, as required.

• The NB2DSK01 is connected to the PC (via USB or parallel connection) and is powered-on.

The auto-configuration feature can be used to create the configuration for any chosen FPGA project that is currently open (in the Projects panel). Alternatively, it can be used to create the configuration and add it to a newly-created FPGA project.

Access to the feature can be made in two ways:

• Right-click on the icon for the NB2DSK01, in the NanoBoard chain of the Devices view (View » Devices Views). Use the Configure FPGA Project sub-menu to choose the specific FPGA design project to be configured, or choose New FPGA Project. In the latter case, a dialog will appear from which you can determine where, and under what name, the new project will be saved.
   
  
  Figure 1. Auto-configure direct from the Devices view.

• From the NanoBoard Configuration dialog (Figure 2). To access this dialog, double-click on the icon for the NB2DSK01 to access its corresponding instrumentation in the Instrument Rack – NanoBoard Controllers panel. Then click on the Board View button. Alternatively, right-click on the NB2DSK01 icon and choose View Configuration from the menu.
   
  
  Figure 2. Accessing the NanoBoard Configuration dialog and its visual summary of the physical hardware present in the system.
   
  By using the dialog, you are presented with a visual summary of your current Desktop NanoBoard NB2DSK01 system. The image in the dialog displays the specific peripheral board(s) and daughter board that are physically plugged in to the NB2DSK01 motherboard.
   
  The dialog is dynamic – refreshed on access. So if you remove the daughter board, or switch positions of peripheral boards, the new physical setup will be displayed when you next access the dialog. The dialog also provides information relating to the Altium Board Identifier string for:
   
  ~  The NB2DSK01 motherboard (located over the TFT LCD panel)
   
  ~  The daughter board (if plugged in)
   
  ~  The peripheral board plugged in to the 'PERIPHERAL BOARD A' connector (if present)
   
  ~  The peripheral board plugged in to the 'PERIPHERAL BOARD B' connector (if present)
   
  ~  The peripheral board plugged in to the 'PERIPHERAL BOARD C' connector (if present)
   
  Use the Auto Configure FPGA Project drop-down at the bottom-left of the dialog to choose the existing (open) project to configure, or to create a new project to which the configuration will be added.
   
  
  Figure 3. Auto-configure from the NanoBoard Configuration dialog.

Whichever method of access is used, the auto-configuration process proceeds in exactly the same way. First, a configuration is created and named using the format:

motherboard code_revision_daughter board code_revision

For example, with a Desktop NanoBoard NB2DSK01 (revision 8), and a Xilinx Spartan-3 daughter board DB30 (revision 6), the configuration will be named NB2DSK01_08_DB30_06.

Constraint files will then be added to the configuration for each of the detected boards in the system (motherboard, daughter board and peripheral board(s)). These are sourced from the \Library\Fpga\NB2 Constraint Files folder of the installation. In each case, the file used will be determined by the <ClassID> component of the board's Altium Board Identifier string. So if you are using peripheral board PB02 (revision 6), with <ClassID> = PB02.06, then the constraint file retrieved and added to the configuration will be PB02.06.Constraint.

The constraint file that defines the mapping of daughter board and peripheral board(s) to the motherboard is also created, on-the-fly, and added to the configuration. The name of this file will simply be that of the configuration itself, with the additional suffix '_BoardMapping' (e.g. NB2DSK01_08_DB30_07_BoardMapping.Constraint). The file will be saved to the same location as the project file (*.PrjFpg) itself.
 

 
The configuration and assigned constraint files are listed in the subsequent Configuration Manager dialog that appears for the project (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Resulting configuration and constituent constraint files (auto-configuration-related files will be automatically assigned).

Use the dialog to add any other constraint files for the project as required, and assign them to the configuration. If you already had constraint files added to the project – for example to handle timing constraints – these will appear listed in the Configuration Manager dialog, but will not automatically be assigned to the configuration generated by the auto-configuration process.