Altera USB Programmer

[jucole]

I bought and used a cheap byte blaster; as I recall it was a real pain to get the drivers recognized by Quartus; but in the end I got it working though.

[Kjelt]

Here is the Altera USB blaster I got from ebay:
And it does not work at all.

What did the seller say? usually they are very nervous about getting bad reviews on ebay.

[R_G_B_]

Chucked it in the bin. Need to get another one.

[Alexei.Polkhanov]

Here is the Altera USB blaster I got from ebay:

And it does not work at all.

That USB Flash MCU I see on board F320 is pretty old, datasheet I found dates back to 2003: http://www.keil.com/dd/docs/datashts/silabs/c8051f32x.pdf. I wonder if you got it with empty flash because there isn't much else that can fail on this board. Perhaps it is so old that Altera drivers don't support it anymore.

[martinayotte]

Hi everyone !

I have a cheap USB Blaster $9 clone (with a sandpapered cpu with 74hc244) since almost a year, for which I didn't had any problem programming my boards in AS mode, or JTAG direct mode until now.

Recently, I've purchased a Cyclone IV board which has only a JTAG, so the EPCS flash on it can only be programmed using JTAG indirect using SFL.
But, I'm not able to program the EPCS with my cheap Blaster, the SFL macro seems to be loaded properly on the FPGA according to jtagconfig -n, but then, the quartus_pgm is unable to communicate with the SFL and see the EPCS :


Info: ************************************************** *****************
Info: Running Quartus II 64-Bit Programmer
Info: Version 13.0.1 Build 232 06/12/2013 Service Pack 1 SJ Web Edition
Info: Copyright (C) 1991-2013 Altera Corporation. All rights reserved.
Info: Your use of Altera Corporation's design tools, logic functions
Info: and other software and tools, and its AMPP partner logic
Info: functions, and any output files from any of the foregoing
Info: (including device programming or simulation files), and any
Info: associated documentation or information are expressly subject
Info: to the terms and conditions of the Altera Program License
Info: Subscription Agreement, Altera MegaCore Function License
Info: Agreement, or other applicable license agreement, including,
Info: without limitation, that your use is for the sole purpose of
Info: programming logic devices manufactured by Altera and sold by
Info: Altera or its authorized distributors. Please refer to the
Info: applicable agreement for further details.
Info: Processing started: Wed Feb 19 12:11:02 2014
Info: Command: quartus_pgm -m JTAG -o pi;output_files/blinker.jic
Info (213045): Using programming cable "USB-Blaster(Altera) [1-1.3]"
Info (213011): Using programming file output_files/blinker.jic with checksum
0x1A5AF94D for device EP4CE10@1
Info (209060): Started Programmer operation at Wed Feb 19 12:11:03 2014
Info (209016): Configuring device index 1
Info (209017): Device 1 contains JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD
Info (209007): Configuration succeeded -- 1 device(s) configured
Error (209037): JTAG Server can't access selected programming hardware
Error (209012): Operation failed
Info (209061): Ended Programmer operation at Wed Feb 19 12:11:26 2014
Error: Quartus II 64-Bit Programmer was unsuccessful. 2 errors, 0 warnings
Error: Peak virtual memory: 286 megabytes
Error: Processing ended: Wed Feb 19 12:11:26 2014
Error: Elapsed time: 00:00:24
Error: Total CPU time (on all processors): 00:00:00

I'm now suspecting the Blaster clone itself ... So, I've ordered a new one based on FT245+CPLD, hoping I did the right choice across all the offerings ... But shipment will take 4 weeks before I can try it ...
(I've choose the following one : http://www.ebay.com/itm/FT245-CPLD-USB-Blaster-Programmer-Download-For-Altera-FPGA-CPLD-Stable-Version-/180978173969?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2323c811)

Is anybody got such behaviour with their clones ?

Thanks in advance.

[martinayotte]

I've received my new USBlaster which use FT245+CPLD yesterday.
I've got the JTAG-Indirect-SFL working to program the EPCS flash correctly, but unfortunately, this new clone is unable to do "examine", it shows the following :

Info (209060): Started Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:05:22 2014
Info (209016): Configuring device index 1
Info (209017): Device 1 contains JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD
Error (209040): Can't access JTAG chain
Error (209040): Can't access JTAG chain
Error (209015): Can't configure device. Expected JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD for device 1, but found JTAG ID code 0xFFFFFFFF.
Error (209053): Unexpected error in JTAG server -- error code 35
Error (209012): Operation failed
Info (209061): Ended Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:05:23 2014

But even programming, for which it succeed one time, it seems to be intermittent, another trial failed :

Info (209060): Started Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:08:44 2014
Info (209016): Configuring device index 1
Info (209017): Device 1 contains JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD
Error (209040): Can't access JTAG chain
Error (209015): Can't configure device. Expected JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD for device 1, but found JTAG ID code 0x00820F10.
Error (209012): Operation failed
Info (209061): Ended Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:08:45 2014

Some other trials failed to communicate with SFL :

Info (209060): Started Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:11:15 2014
Info (209016): Configuring device index 1
Info (209017): Device 1 contains JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD
Info (209007): Configuration succeeded -- 1 device(s) configured
Error (209062): Flash Loader IP not loaded on device 1
Error (209012): Operation failed
Info (209061): Ended Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:11:16 2014

And finally, without doing anything special, I got it worked once :

Info (209060): Started Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:17:26 2014
Info (209016): Configuring device index 1
Info (209017): Device 1 contains JTAG ID code 0x020F10DD
Info (209007): Configuration succeeded -- 1 device(s) configured
Info (209018): Device 1 silicon ID is 0x14
Info (209044): Erasing ASP configuration device(s)
Info (209023): Programming device(s)
Info (209011): Successfully performed operation(s)
Info (209061): Ended Programmer operation at Fri Mar 7 11:17:35 2014


Also, on some other FPGA boards, Quartus programmer is unable to connect to JTAG chain at all.

So, I guess I will have to purchase a more expensive USBlaster if I don't want to suffer of all those troubles anymore... 

[martinayotte]

Anyway, fortunately, when I've ordered the FT245+CPLD few weeks ago, I've also ordered another cheap one, $8, which look very simiar like the one I used since months, the one with "sandpapered" MCU.
This one just came in this afternoon. I've tried with without much hope, but a big smile appear on my face : Hey ! this one is working ! and not intermittent at all ! Hourra ! 
I've open the small plastic enclosure, and discovered that it is completly different from the other, although the enclosures and stickers are similiar. This one is using a SiLab MCU with 74HC125.

Conclusion, yes, sometime it is maybe waste of time and money to try to save few pennies, but sometime it can be rewarded ... 

Ciao

[fake-name]

Here is the internals of a "real" altera byte-blaster. For $250, I'd probably feel ripped off if I had personally paid for it (it's from work).

Note the fancy multi-layer flat-flex programming cable.

[johnwill]

You can find all information about configuring Altera FPGAs and CPLDs in the “Configuration Handbook” (http://www.altera.com/literature/lit-config.jsp).

[Gandalf_Sr]

I just got 2 from eBay that were $7 each from China.  They contain an STM32 micro, I'll post pictures tomorrow.  I'm trying to get it to work with urJTAG or GDB but it seems to be stuck at 12 MHz.  In gdb (running in Ubuntu), after it's connected and I type 'frequency 5000000' at the (gdb) prompt, it responds something to the effect that the Alter USB Blaster is fixed at 12000000 frequency.

Did I buy a dud or is there a workaround?

[vvmm]

I am planning to buy a cheap Altera programmer and fpga, just for testing and playing around. I worked with Xilinx Spartan-6 before and want to try Altera's way.
I found on ebay the Altera USB Blaster clone: http://www.ebay.com/itm/200943750380?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And the Cyclone IV FPGA: http://www.ebay.com/itm/111621868286?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Can the programmer be used with the Cyclone IV FPGA and Quartus II Suite? In the description (and even in the official Blaster documentation) says only Cyclone I, II, III. Can it also program the EPCS4 serial device that is on that PCB? And finally, is it worth trying it? I got excited about NIOS II capability.

Thanks!

[JimHorn]

I just got 2 from eBay that were $7 each from China.  They contain an STM32 micro, I'll post pictures tomorrow.  I'm trying to get it to work with urJTAG or GDB but it seems to be stuck at 12 MHz.  In gdb (running in Ubuntu), after it's connected and I type 'frequency 5000000' at the (gdb) prompt, it responds something to the effect that the Alter USB Blaster is fixed at 12000000 frequency.

Did I buy a dud or is there a workaround?

I just received one as well - the STM32F101CBT6 should be at least as powerful as the Silicon Labs, Cypress, Microchip or FTDI microprocessors in similar clones. Unfortunately, the firmware in it isn't quite FTDI compatible so plugging it into the PC crashes it into a blue screen and reboot.

Has anyone found the driver for the STM32F1xx based USB Blasters in Windows 10?

Many thanks!

[JimHorn]

A further note: On my Windows 10 Pro 64 bit Surface Pro 3, the STM32F101 based USB Blaster is recognized by the Quartus Programmer and Device Manager shows it as such. However, any attempt to use it (find devices or program them via JTAG) results in an endless wait. At least it doesn't crash.

Further, when it receives USB power, *both* LEDs light up. I've yet to see the ACTive LED not lit when there's power. The CPU's 8MHz crystal is oscillating well, and as mentioned it is recognized by the Altera driver. So it must have been programmed with *something*.

[jesuscf]

You're talking about the cpld based original type, but posted pictures of the FX2 type clones (which are about 1/10 the speed)

The original USB blaster JTAG serial clock is 6MHz.  The FX2 clone has a serial clock of 3MHz.  That is 1/2 the speed, not 1/10.

[jesuscf]

If you just wan to try Altera FPGA's, a very convenient way is by getting a DEx board from Terasic.   The USB blaster is built-in the board.  I quite like the DE0-CV Board (150 US$).