Hi-Z input

This depends on the normal state of the signal when the peripheral is powered on. For example if it is usually high, you could add a pulldown to the pin and watch for it to go low when the peripheral powers down. If the signal is usually switching, you could add some logic to count time since the last transition and indicate that the signal is inactive if it hasn't changed in some time-out period. You should still place a pullup or pulldown on the I/O to prevent unwanted toggling from noise.

If you have several pins connected to the peripheral, you could pull them all down and look for all pins zero. This reduces the chance of mistakenly detecting a powered down peripheral (assuming all pins low is not a typical state of the interface).

You need to remember a "Z" is not a third defined state of the signal. The signal will be either 0, 1, or floating between 0 and 1 (that's Z).

What you should do is pull the ext_signal either to 0 or 1 and if the external peripheral lets go of the signal you'll know because there will be no activity on the ext_signal for X seconds and the signal will be in a defined 0 or 1 state.

You define X.

If I knew what your external peripheral was I could help you more.

Eric

It is a 16 bit adc with serial interface. The out of the adc is Z when it doesn't send datas.

Marco

Z is for data bus drivers. I don't think you can use it at an input and have it make any sense.

You should probably pull down or pull up your input pins in PACE. I don't know if there is a way to sense that the device has outputed Zs and therefore has gone into powerdown.

Brad Smallridge b r a d @ a i v i s i o n . c o m

I have seen I can chhose pull up or pull down into PACE, but could you explain what does it means pull up, or pull down, please?

Thanks Marco

I'd be very surprised if the synthesis tool (I presume XST?) didn't complain or error out on that (ext_signal = 'Z') comparison. There's no way for the FPGA logic to detect that a signal is undriven, which is what happens when a driver is tristated.

About all you can do is to figure out some way for your peripheral to signal that it's powered up. I don't know the details of your peripheral, so that's something you'll have to figure out.

-a

I suggest you read the datasheet for your A2D. I have a "funny" feeling your approach to this problem is wrong.

Eric

These relate to the internal resistors that you can attach to input pins. A pull up resistor connects from the input pin to the supply voltage and leaves you with a logical '1' if the input is unconnected on your board or connected to something that is in the high Z state, like your peripheral. Pull down is the same concept accept that the resistor goes to ground leaving you with a logical '0' at the input for unconnected or non-driven inputs. It's a good idea to have a pullup or pulldown on any input that may be left unconnected. These resistors are suppose to be marginal so that there effect can be easily overdriven by any active source.

You will also see a choice called a keeper, which tends to drive an unconnected or undriven pin to its last state, that is to supply voltage or to ground. Not sure what that is used for, except, perhaps to save power.

What are you doing that requires you to see the powerdown state? Perhaps the data from this peripheral has some unused data sequences, like all 1's or all 0's that can be used to signal that powerdown state.

Brad Smallridge b r a d @ a i v i s i o n . c o m

I have solved the trouble to manage the Hi-Z state.

After chipselect, the a/d conversion takes 5 clock cycles. After it goes low for 1 cycle and then it sends datas through a serial connector. I have added six states into state machine, it's simple, and works well.

Many Thanks to everyone!! Marco