[Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please

tim franklinlabs.com tim at franklinlabs.com
Sat Oct 28 18:22:43 EDT 2017


   I just tried to burn version 4.1.x.x and it did not work. I backed off
   to 3.0.0.0 Updated and it worked fine. I don't have the 4Meg update
   board. Just the raw DE1. Could it be that 4.1.x.x requires the
   expansion board???

     On October 28, 2017 at 4:35 PM Bill Pierce via Coco wrote:
     James, I have programmed the pof and flash randomly (as far as
     order) many times and it doesn't seem to make a difference, BUT...
     if you search through the messages on the Coco3FPGA group, you'll
     find that many people have had to program the unit several times
     before it takes. I have had to do this myself at times. I don't know
     if it's the programming software or the FPGA that's at fault, but it
     does happen. I know someone (can't remember who) had to program
     theirs several times before it finally worked.
     As I stated on the group posts, the guide Kip wrote that's in the
     Coco3FPGA group files has the most current steps for programming the
     unit. Brian's guide is good, but outdated. It also doesn't include
     programming for the analog boards.
     Bill Pierce
     "Charlie stole the handle, and the train it won't stop going, no way
     to slow down!" - Ian Anderson - Jethro Tull
     My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
     [1]https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
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     -----Original Message-----
     From: James Ross
     To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
     Sent: Sat, Oct 28, 2017 4:21 pm
     Subject: Re: [Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please
     Interesting Tim. Thanks for the*.sof advice, I did see a blurb about
     that in the manual. Wikipedia talks about most flash devices lasting
     ~ 100,000 cycles - but I've seen other places state as low as 10,000
     ... Hopefully these DE1's are closer to the 100k! Thanks for your
     previous answer on the programming order. I am going to play around
     w/ it soon and see if I can confirm your statement that it does not
     matter. I have no idea what was making my first 3 or 4 tries fail. I
     am fairly certain that the guide at
     [4]http://www.brianholman.com/retrocompute/files/coco3fpga.html if
     followed verbatim does NOT result in a working system.Thanks again
     for the info. James________________________________________From:
     Coco on behalf of tim franklinlabs.com Sent: Saturday, October 28,
     2017 7:56 PMTo: CoCoList for Color Computer EnthusiastsSubject: Re:
     [Coco] DE-1 Clarification Please ...Oh one more thing... Pay close
     attention on the number of times you program the flash *POF or ROM).
     Flash has a limit on the number of times you can write to it before
     it dies. It's write capability is very large but it does have a
     limit. Use SOF files if you are experimenting. Most flash cards do
     whats called "wear leveling" to increase the write cycles. I'm not
     sure if the DE1 flash supports wear leveling. -Tim On October 28,
     2017 at 1:58 PM James Ross wrote: Hey Tim, Thanks for this
     clarification. Nice to know!! Since the day I got my DE1 to boot up
     to the 3 amigos, I have not had time to play w/ it again. However, I
     really want to get the process down pat, since I want to go
     back-and-forth re-programming it with tutorials and the CoCo3FPGA.
     Here is my question: does the order in which you program DE1 matter?
     For example, the last few messages on the Yahoo group a couple of us
     in that thread have determined that you must: 1) First program the
     FLASH w/ the ROMS 2) Next program the CoCo3 FPGA *.pof file Since if
     you reverse that order, programming the FLASH second, it will
     clobber the *.pof file? Since apparently to program the FLASH,
     regardless which control panel you use, the process must load a
     *.pof file -- w/ the older control panel you have to do it manually,
     w/ the newer control panel it does it automatically. *OR* am I/we
     incorrect in that assessment? James
     ________________________________________ From: Coco on behalf of tim
     franklinlabs.com Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 9:58 PM To:
     CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts Subject: Re: [Coco] DE-1
     Clarification Please The PROG/RUN switch enabled the write
     capabilities of the on board FPGA flash device. NOT the FLASH RAM.
     The FPGA doesn't retain anything when power is removed. You can send
     the progtam directly to the FPGA (.sof) file and run it using the
     programming tool. When power is removed, the FPGA forgets the
     program. There's a "Config Flash" chip connected to the FPGA that
     programs the FPGA automatically at power up. This flash is programed
     by placing the RUN/PROG switch in PROG mode and sending the POF file
     the same way you send the SOF file This is done with the programmer
     tool (not the control panel). The control panel allows you to write
     to the on board external flash. A totally seperate chip. This chip
     is NOT connected to the RUN/PROG switch therefore the switch has no
     affect on writing to it. On October 24, 2017 at 4:22 PM rcrislip
     wrote: Trying to follow the various procedures to flash/program the
     DE-1 is a little confusing for me. An answer to this question will
     clear the fog tremendously. When using the Control Panel, is the
     "prog/run" switch set to prog or run, likewise when using Quartus,
     what position is the switch to be in? I think I know, but
     conformation from you folks will help a lot. TIA RECrislip -- Coco
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References

   1. https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
   2. http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
   3. mailto:ooogalapasooo at aol.com
   4. http://www.brianholman.com/retrocompute/files/coco3fpga.html
   5. mailto:Coco at maltedmedia.com
   6. https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
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