Starting the IDE-EXI project !

[liquitt]

i found the problem...
stop messing with your setup and leave everything alone before you accidentally damage or break something....
ill try to post workaround as soon as i can come up with a working "verified" solution...


if anyone has successfully programmed your own ide-exi, please pm me or look for me on IRC...ill need a few files sent to me from your PC with a proven, tested, impact installation....

thanks

i think yamaharacer did, try to pm him

[MockyLock]

Hello
I wanna thnak you all for helping me.
I'll wait for your tips megalomaniac !

[megalomaniac]

Code: Select all

Welcome to iMPACT
iMPACT Version: 14.3
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -ss
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -sm
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -hw140
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -spi
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -acecf
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -acempm
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -pff
// *** BATCH CMD : loadProjectFile -file "C:\Documents and Settings\megalomaniac\Desktop\gcide\exi2ide.ipf"
Connecting to cable (Parallel Port - LPT1).
Checking cable driver.
 Driver windrvr6.sys version = 10.2.1.0. WinDriver v10.21 Jungo (c) 1997 - 2010 Build Date: Aug 31 2010 X86 32bit SYS 14:35:41, version = 1021.
 LPT base address = 0378h.
 ECP base address = 0778h.
Cable connection established.
'1': Loading file 'C:\Documents and Settings\megalomaniac\Desktop\gcide\gc_ide.jed' ...
done.
INFO:iMPACT:1777 - 
Reading D:/Xilinx/14.3/LabTools/LabTools/xc9500xl/data/xc95144xl.bsd...
INFO:iMPACT:501 - '1': Added Device xc95144xl successfully.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Active mode is BS
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -ss
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -sm
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -hw140
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -spi
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -acecf
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -acempm
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -pff
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
// *** BATCH CMD : setMode -bs
INFO:iMPACT - Current time: 11/7/2012 3:41:37 AM
// *** BATCH CMD : ReadIdcode -p 1 
Maximum TCK operating frequency for this device chain: 0.
Validating chain...
Boundary-scan chain validated successfully.
'1': IDCODE is '00101001011000001000000010010011'
'1': IDCODE is '29608093' (in hex).
'1': : Manufacturer's ID = Xilinx xc95144xl, Version : 2
INFO:iMPACT - Current time: 11/7/2012 3:41:58 AM
// *** BATCH CMD : Program -p 1 -e -v 
PROGRESS_START - Starting Operation.
Maximum TCK operating frequency for this device chain: 0.
Validating chain...
Boundary-scan chain validated successfully.
'1': Erasing device...
'1': Erasure completed successfully.
'1': Programming device...
done.
'1': Putting device in ISP mode...done.
'1': Putting device in ISP mode...done.
'1': Verifying device...done.
'1': Verification completed successfully.
'1': Putting device in ISP mode...done.
'1': Programming completed successfully.
PROGRESS_END - End Operation.
Elapsed time =      7 sec.

[MockyLock]

Sorry, i may not be enough "programmer" but i don't understand what i must notice i your last post megalomaniac :/
I saw that it's a "succeded" programming but how can it help me ?

[megalomaniac]

sorry for any confusion...it was very late last night and i just wasted to post successful results. before i went to sleep..
here is a summery of troubleshooting:


BIOS
after getting the chip wired up and programmer built and impact finally installed i could not get a cable detected at LPT1. After remembering i had just changed the BIOS battery a few days ago i decided to take a look at my Bios settings for the parallel port...
It was defaulted to PS2...i changed that to ECP 378H DMA3...
sure enough the cable was detected by impact...


IMPACT HACKING
first thing i always do is try to read ID or verify some kind of response from any chip i am working with...in this case, it was my first attempt with impact and any xilinx chip...and first attempt with this programmer design...
as indicated previously i received the IDCODE mismatch...so, assuming my cable was working correctly and the chip was wired correctly, i started making modifications to the impact xc95144xl definition file (nothing to do with IDE_EXI). It was my belief this was a cloned / chinese knockoff with different data in the vendor, manufacturer ID labels within the chip...

after a few hours of changes to the definition file, i bypassed the IDCODE issue only to get a different identification mismatch...after a few more hours i gave up...started thinking i was going about troubleshooting this the wrong way by simply trying to hack impact files...i was sure there had to be another solution...

SO IGNORE ANY ATTEMPT TO MOD THE XILINX DEFINITION FILES AS INDICATED ABOVE!!!




VOLTAGE
after more researching within the forums i found this post: viewtopic.php?p=2436#p2436
( BTW, wealth of different information in that thread, i never thought to look in the "NEWS" section )
seems yamaharacer was getting the same error and resolved it by adjusting voltage....
so my next attempt at testing was to try the following voltages: 2.6v, 2.8v, 2.9, 3.0v, 3.15v, 3.3v, 3.6v, 3.7v....still no success!!


STUPID
I did some stupidity testing with impact and discovered if i have the parallel programmer connected to the port with no chip and no voltage, then impact will still indicate the cable is connected

Code: Select all

Checking cable driver.
 Driver windrvr6.sys version = 10.2.1.0. WinDriver v10.21 Jungo (c) 1997 - 2010 Build Date: Aug 31 2010 X86 32bit SYS 14:35:41, version = 1021.
 LPT base address = 0378h.
 ECP base address = 0778h.
Cable connection established.

ive come to the conclusion that just because impact detects a cable connected does not indicate the cable is functional
This could be a major cause for the confusion experienced during attempting to program the chip.


NEW PARALLEL PROGRAMMER
In the past, working with other devices, i have never been successful with a parallel programmer design which had voltage connected to the parallel port...i never bothered to take voltage readings this time around during programming to see if there was any voltage drops but i suspect maybe that was part of the issue and decided to just scrap the parallel programmer design and build a different one...

SUCCESS!!! this design works for me

the LED at the top is optional to see flashing lights during programming, erase, etc...



CONCLUSION
now that the programmer works, i decided to perform a few additional tests:
connected one wrong pin to JTAG connection...impact indicated IDCODE mismatch.
connected 2.45v...impact indicated IDCODE mismatch.
connected 2.6v...success
connected 3.6v...success

after some testing and playing around i believe the IDCODE errors are specifically related to:
1. bad programmer
2. 2.6v < VOLTAGE < 3.6v
3. incorrect jtag connections to the chip

all of these scenarios will cause impact to fail in establishing communication to the chip...and will result with a IDCODE mismatch.


@ MockyLock
you may want to rebuild your programmer or try the new design i posted...

[yamaharacer]

i found the problem...
stop messing with your setup and leave everything alone before you accidentally damage or break something....
ill try to post workaround as soon as i can come up with a working "verified" solution...


if anyone has successfully programmed your own ide-exi, please pm me or look for me on IRC...ill need a few files sent to me from your PC with a proven, tested, impact installation....

thanks

i think yamaharacer did, try to pm him

yes I have done it, but I am not at home for nearly a year so I have no access to my datas. Otherwise I would post everything here.

[megalomaniac]

thanks...no need for files anymore...
only needed files during my impact hacking as mentioned above...soon i discovered it would not have made a difference anyways

[MockyLock]

Woah !
you've done such an amazing job !
I cant' wait to try it ! I hope i will this WE.
You may laugh but for the resistors, 100R means 100 Ohms ? I know that 4K7 means 4.7 KOhms.
I'm gonna build your JTAG cable and try to program a chip alone.

[liquitt]

Woah !
you've done such an amazing job !
I cant' wait to try it ! I hope i will this WE.
You may laugh but for the resistors, 100R means 100 Ohms ? I know that 4K7 means 4.7 KOhms.
I'm gonna build your JTAG cable and try to program a chip alone.

R = ohms
K = kilohms
M = Megohms

for the next time, there's this new website called www.google.com - pretty amazing!

[megalomaniac]

BTW, just to add....
the 1.8 meter cable emu_kidid was using was for a USB programmer, not a parallel programmer...
keep parallel jtag cables as short as possible less than 1ft or 30cm

[MockyLock]

Woah !
you've done such an amazing job !
I cant' wait to try it ! I hope i will this WE.
You may laugh but for the resistors, 100R means 100 Ohms ? I know that 4K7 means 4.7 KOhms.
I'm gonna build your JTAG cable and try to program a chip alone.

R = ohms
K = kilohms
M = Megohms

for the next time, there's this new website called http://www.google.com - pretty amazing!

I apologize.

[MockyLock]

Well
I built the new JTAG cable, wired a CPLD for programming (JTAG pads and all VCC and GND).
I tried.. and failed again :/
I checked two times for my solders; I'm pretty sure i've made no mistakes.
At last, I mesured the voltage from the GC mem card. I got 3.43 Volts.
You told me that i may expect failing when voltage was between 2.6 and 3.6. It could be an explanation.
But emu_kidid told that he used the mem card slot for powering. Why can't it work for me ? Am i cursed ?
I'm gonna go on testing tomorrow. In french we have a saying : the night give advice ! (or the forum users

[megalomaniac]

Time for you to trace every signal from the chip to the board
You need to know where every trace is going
Also you need to check if power and ground are going to all pins correctly


One more thing, time for you to post a high resolution photo of your board
What's the name of that modchip?

[MockyLock]

It's not a modchip.
I bought XC95144XL and PCBs, solder the CPLD on the board and wired it.
Here is the pics :





In blue I wired the GND ; and in green it's the VCC.
The grey ones are the JTAG tabs, the two ones apart are the VCC and GND suplly.

[megalomaniac]

im using the exact same board
are your wires twisted together then soldered into the holes?

you could also add a capacitor on the board between pwr and gnd...it wont hurt but could make a difference...
...assuming your jtag points are wired to the programmer correctly and the programmer is built correctly, everything else looks right...
your chip is a TQG100 which is Pb free but that should not make a difference as the data sheet shows the same specs for non Pb free type....

[MockyLock]

I don't twist the cable, i solder them on the tab.
About the capacitor, what µF do I have to use ?
And i will try to find a 3.6V power source, and check the CPLD is well soldered on the PCB.
Something else, i had to use 220R resistors in place of your 240R, do you think it can make the programming fail ?

[megalomaniac]

the reason to twist the cable ends together before soldering is to ensure the connection is solid before soldering

any cap size is good...1uf, 10uf, 47uf...doesnt matter just try to keep at higher than 1uf
i dont think 220 will make a difference...

[MockyLock]

Before going further, i wanted to ask you which power supply you use ?

[megalomaniac]

i use my own homemade adjustable voltage regulator...
i also tested with a cheap radio shack 3v (2.8v actual output) 300mA power supply...


GC 3.3v power will work fine

[MockyLock]

Well... soldered a capacitor (22µF), checked once again but i still got the same failure.
ID mismatch.
I reaaly don't understand what i can do wrong.
I'll try to program on another PC (a faulty parallel port maybe ?)

[megalomaniac]

if you have a multimeter check continuity on all leads and check voltage to the all points...
also check for voltage drop during programming

[MockyLock]

I checked continuity for all legs involved in programming (signals, VCC and GND), from CPLD to soldering pads.
I checked all the line from parallel port to JTAG pads (it means from pin 13 of parallel to pad 83 for exemple).
I checked all voltage on powering pins, GameCube turned on.
I checked for a maybe voltage drop during programming operation.
Still stucked in the first step of IMPACT. I can't "communicate" with the CPLD.

[MockyLock]

I tried with another chip, same result
I really can't figure out what i'm doing wrong.
May I ask you megalomaniac if you would sell me some CPLD already programmed ?
At least i could go on on my IDE-EXi adapter, and try again later to program myself.

EDIT: I tried with another computer too. No success.

[yamaharacer]

what I may ask, which operation system do you use? Only older Versions of Windows have Port forwarding. Windows 7 and Windows Vista have not the ability to program anything via the parallelport.

you have to download port95nt for windows xp to have full access for the parallelport.

by the way I am using this cable: http://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/26776#202336 for this I have to solder a seperate power supply the voltage out of the parallelport isnt enough. I got everytime an error that my controller couldnt get detected.

[MockyLock]

My first computer was Windows XP, my second Windows7.
But for my Windows XP, I don't have the port95nt installed.
I will try tomorrow and let you know !
With such help and tips from you all, how could I fail