Hello, I want to attach an FPGA to a micro controller and therefore I'm looking for methods how to do this. Is there more than memory mapped, any where an overview?
Bye Tom
- posted
18 years ago
ow to connect FPGA and µC
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- posted
18 years ago
Could you be a bit more specific? Are you attempting to configure from the micro, or just make the FPGA a peripheral?
If you just need a peripheral, simply write one - and connect the signals appropriately. From this perspective, the FPGA is just a blank sheet on which you can build circuits. All that is critical is to define the pinout and connect the micro accordingly.
If you are looking to configure the FPGA from the micro as well, then you will need to consult the datasheet for the device you are using. Most have a parallel configuration port option (given enough pins), but you will need to configure the device to accept data that way - usually by means of mode select pins. For Altera parts, you can use a .ttf (tabular text format) and just feed the data in bytewise. You will need to connect the 8-bit configuration port to the micro's data bus, and connect the control signals appropriately. It's actually not that bad, and I've seen designs where FPGA's get configured over PCI by way of a PCI -> LB bridge chip.