1/13/2018, 1/15/2018, 1/16/2018Gandhi Puvvada

Subject: Programming your Nexys-3 board using ADEPT or iMPACT tool (i) directly on your own windows laptop/desktop and (ii) using VDI on your laptop/desktop (windows or other)

Dear EE354L students and TAs,

On and off we will face some problem or other with software tools because of OS updates or the tool updates. Instead of going through this long guide, it is easy to watch the 40-minute video Xilinx_iMPACT_and_Adept.wmv (locate the video in the directory, right click and download to watch it.). First set up your laptop for VDI.

In recent weeks, we noticed a problem with downloading the .bit file to the Nexys-3 board. I did some experimentation and searched the Xilinx site and was able to solve most of the problem as shown below.

Choices to download a .bit file to your Nexys-3 board

using

running on your Windows machine or on VDI

in recent weeks

today

Adept (a Digilent tool)

running on your own Windows PC/Laptop

no problem

no problem

iMPACT (part of Xilinx ISE 14.7)

problem

fixed (by removing the .ipf file)

Adept (a Digilent tool)

running on VDI on your desktop/Laptop

Problem with LX45 only. Adept window appears to have transmitted the .bit file but the board does not seem to have received it.No problem with LX16.

Same as before.

iMPACT (part of Xilinx ISE 14.7)

problem

fixed (by removing the .ipf file)

Details: On Xilinx site, I found the following two items

https://forums.xilinx.com/xlnx/board/crawl_message?board.id=OTHER&message.id=5512 _impact4.exe has stopped working

https://www.xilinx.com/support/answers/54987.htmlAR# 54987Configuration - 13.4 & 14.x iMPACT crashes and errors out when loading projects created with Digilent cable HS1/HS2.

What I gathered from the above is that the .ipf file (iMPACT project file) is creating problem.So, at the end of using iMPACT, we should not try to create one by saving the iMPACT project.And if it was created previously we should delete it manually from the project directory. It does not get removed when you do a Project Cleanup. (on ISE Project Navigator, when you do Project => Cleanup Project Files …).

If you have a Windows machine, please download and install the Digilent Adept at minimum. This is an easy process.

We recommend that you install ISE14.7 if you have Windows machine, though this may take an hour to do so.

We have two types of Nexys-3 boards. The regular Nexys-3 board has a Spartan-6 XC6SLX16 FPGA chip and the label on the back of the containing box reads “EE354L”. Those with a “EE560” label on the box have bigger FPGA, a Spartan-6 XC6SLX45. In view of the current problems with “LX45 and Adept” combination on VDI, the TAs will try to redistribute the LX45 and LX16 boards to mitigate the impact of the problem by giving LX45 to those who have a Windows machine.

If you are running ISE14.7, do not forget to first do VPN so that ISE14.7 can get license from the USC license servers.You do not need to run VPN, if you are going to do VDI.

After generating a .bit file (programming file) in ISE14.7 (either running on your own Windows machine or on VDI),you can use ISE’s iMPACT tool by clicking (running) on “Manage Configuration Project (iMPACT)” as shown below.

If the following error comes up, it means you have a .ipf file problem. Please remove the .pdf file manually from your project directory and try again.

After deleting the .ipf file, iMPACT should launch normally.

But sometimes you get this error, if the deleted .ipf file was specified previously as the value of the iMPACT Project File property in the Configure Target Device Properties dialog box.

Then you need to reinvoke the Configure Target Device Properties dialog box again as shown

Select the “iMPACT Project File” property, and click on “Default” to change the value from the missing .ipf file to the “Default”.

Now launch the ISE’s iMPACT tool by clicking (running) on “Manage Configuration Project (iMPACT)”.In the absence of the previously saved .ipf, you need to the following every time you invoke iMPACT.

Edit => Launch Wizard ….

Click “OK” in the next dialogue box:

Say “Yes” in the next dialogue box.

Point to the .bit file in the project directory and click “Open”.

Click “NO” in the next dialogue box.

Click “OK” in the next dialogue box.

Right click on the device symbol (chip square) and select Program.

The following window appears and in a few seconds your FPGA is programmed and the window vanishes.

It will take more time for the larger LX45 chip on your Windows machine. It will take 10 times more time on VDI to complete this programming step.

Now close the iMPACT window by clicking top-right corner X on the window.

You see the following dialogue box. Please make sure that you click on “No”. Remember, the saved .ipf file was creating all the headache! So, we do not want to create the .ipf file. Next time we invoke iMPACT, we do not have to manually delete the unnecessarily created .ipf file.

Remember to disconnect VPN otherwise your net browsing will be very slow.

I have written the above steps, by (i) connecting to VPN on my windows 10 Laptop, invoking and running ISE14.7 locally.============================================================================================

Running ISE14.7 on VDI and programming Nexys-3 using iMPACT on VDI?

If you do it on VDI, you do not need to connect to VPN.

A few points to note:

Please make sure you have installed the latest VMWare Horizon Client as per the following: https://viterbiit.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MyDesktop-Logon-Instructions-08212017.pdf http://www-classes.usc.edu/engr/ee-s/254/Spring2012/Modelsim/VDI/VDI_getting_started.pdf

Invoke VDI (double click on the above green icon).

Right click the above cloud icon and select Connect (to mydesktop.vlab.usc.edu) as shown above.

Login using your USC Net ID and password

Double-click on

The desktop opens

Now connect your Digilent Nexys-3 borad to an USB port and power it up.

Select it as shown below so that you can communicate with it using Adept or iMPACT running on VDI.

I was able to select the Digilent USB Device as shown above and program it using Adept on VDI. Even with VDI still running, I was able to deselect the Digilent USB Device under USB in VDI as shown below, then recognize the Nexys-3 using Adept running on my tablet and program it from there too!

Notice that directories and files on your laptop are accessible in VDI as shown below.

In order to run ISE on VDI, you need to have the project directory in the VDI directories (and not on your own laptop). The Project directory and the source files for ISE 14.7 should be in the C:\ on the server (circled in red above) or a subdirectory in it. They should not be in the Documents directory. I usually make a subdirectory called Xilinx_projects under that C:\ . However, this is not required if you are just running Adept on VDI just to download a previously generated .bit file.

So keep the permanent copy of your Xilinx_projects directory and Questsim_projects directory in your Documents directory for storage and future use. But, when you work on the tools (ISE/Questasim), please copy the specific project directory in Xilinx_projects directory or Questsim_projects directory on the C:\ (in red circle above). At the end of your session, please copy back.

iMPACT can be run by itself. Occasionally we give a TAs_bit_file for your to see what would be the end behavior of a project. Then you want to invoke iMPACT alone to download the .bit file the board.

Please try doing so with the test_nexys3_verilog.bit provided to you in the .zip file.

I have invoked iMPCT in VDI on another day (when my C:\ on VDI was restored to its pristine state).

I clicked OK but I created C:\Xilinx_projects\test_nexys3_verilog\ and placed the .bit file copy there. See the steps below.

After saying OK in the above step, I said No in the step below (remember that we do not want the .ipf file as there was some problem with the presence of the .ipf file.

Select as shown above. Create C:\Xilinx_projects\test_nexys3_verilog\ and browse and point to it.

Click “Save”. Then OK in the next screen below.

Say OK in the next screen too.

In the next screen say OK

Place a copy of the test_nexys3_verilog.bit file in the C:\Xilinx_projects\test_nexys3_verilog directory.

Click “Open” in the above screen. And “No” in the screen below.

“OK” in the screen below.

Notice that many screens are now familiar to you!

Right-click on the square chip symbol and select “Program”. It programs!When you close the window it offers to save the project in the .ipf file. I said, “Yes”. But we have problem with the .ipf file.

I tried to reinvoke iMPACT a second time and clicked OK in the following dialog box.

It came up with the following error. I clicked OK.

Launch Wizard as shown below.

Say “OK” in the next screen, and the rest is familiar to you.

Best Gandhi