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Programming Atmel dataflash with xilinx impact

The Xilinx Spartan-3E can be configured from an Atmel SPI dataflash. This dataflash can be programmed with a download cable and the impact tool.

From what I can find in the tool and docs it is only possible to program xilinx bitstream files into the dataflash. For my application, I also want to include the program code for an external CPU in the dataflash. The CPU will boot from the dataflash, also read the bitstream data from it and then configure the FPGA, using the slave serial configuration option.

Is there a posibility to program arbitrary binary files in a dataflash with the impact tool and xilinx download cable?

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Stef    (remove caps, dashes and .invalid from e-mail address to reply by mail)
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Stef
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yes.

just use your own tools to prepare the HEX file (MCS) and use it. impact doesnt care what inside the file. I use impact as "general purpose SPI programmer sometimes

Antti

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Antti

OK, thanks. Silly me, thought the MCS and EXO formats where some xilinx format. Have never seen MCS as the extension for intel hex files, most tools I have used, use .hex or .ihex.

So adding an extra objcopy with ihex output to my makefile (after linking the CPU code with the xilinx bitstream) should be enough. Can't wait to test it on the prototype (will be a while though).

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Stef    (remove caps, dashes and .invalid from e-mail address to reply by mail)
Reply to
Stef

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