Flex 10k100 & EPC2 redux - forgot the special ingredient?

I posted last year about a strange problem I was having with a Flex

10K100 board. At one time, I figured out how to setup programming files so that the EPC2 would correctly configure the FPGA. Apparently, I should have written that down more than once, because I have lost the secret sauce.

I recently made a modification to the design, and tested it by directly JTAG loading the FPGA. Everything works great, I have a design that makes timing, and it works correctly when downloaded to the FPGA directly (using the .sof) file.The trouble comes when I try to load the design into the configuration PROM.

The board has a single EPF10K100GC503-3 FPGA (yes, an old-school part), and an EPC2. The configuration logic is modeled on the Altera app note exactly. I can also program the EPC2, and verify the contents, correctly. (I can verify, and extract, successfully)

However; when I cycle power, the LED's just come on and randomly flicker out, with no relationship to the clock (I suspect capacitive effects, since I'm driving the LED's through a buffer-driver chip) I am using the INIT_DONE output in the design, but it's pretty apparent that the design isn't getting loaded properly.

Now, I know the EPC2 isn't bad, nor is the board design. I have a .pof file that I extracted from the device that correctly configures the board. (starts up reliably every time) Given all this, I know it's a configuration problem - but for the life of me, I can't remember what I did the last time to get this thing going.

What have I forgotten to set in Quartus? Note, I'm using Quartus II

6.0 SP1 (webpack).

Thanks!

-Seth

I just made a FLEX 6000 board (still more obsolete, mainly to test out geda/pcb). I looked into putting a config device down, but decided not to considering the rest of the board could be made with junkbox parts. So I have just been reading the old docs, but I have not actually tried to make it work.

I suspect what's wrong in your case is the setting of the special options that go with the old EPC1/2-era config devices. When you program them, you have to set bits that set the voltage and other features of the chip.

I think if you drill down into Assignments|Settings|Device| Device and Pin Options you'll see some of what you need. You have to set up the CLKUSR, INIT_DONE support under 'General' and also set up all the 'Dual-Purpose Pins' as well as go to Configuration and set the 'Configuration Device Options' for the EPC2.