Epcs serial flash controller core, Core overview, Epcs serial flash controller core -1 – Altera Embedded Peripherals IP User Manual
Page 52: Core overview -1
EPCS Serial Flash Controller Core
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2014.24.07
UG-01085
Core Overview
The EPCS serial flash controller core with Avalon
®
interface allows Nios
®
II systems to access an Altera
®
EPCS serial configuration device. Altera provides drivers that integrate into the Nios II hardware
abstraction layer (HAL) system library, allowing you to read and write the EPCS device using the familiar
HAL application program interface (API) for flash devices.
Using the EPCS serial flash controller core, Nios II systems can:
• Store program code in the EPCS device. The EPCS serial flash controller core provides a boot-loader
feature that allows Nios II systems to store the main program code in an EPCS device.
• Store non-volatile program data, such as a serial number, a NIC number, and other persistent data.
• Manage the device configuration data. For example, a network-enabled embedded system can receive
new FPGA configuration data over a network, and use the core to program the new data into an EPCS
serial configuration device.
The EPCS serial flash controller core is Qsys-ready and integrates easily into any Qsys-generated
system. The flash programmer utility in the Nios II IDE allows you to manage and program data
contents into the EPCS device.
For information about the EPCS serial configuration device family, refer to the Serial Configuration
Devices Data Sheet.
For details about using the Nios II HAL API to read and write flash memory, refer to the Nios II
Software Developer's Handbook.
For details about managing and programming the EPCS memory contents, refer to the Nios II Flash
Programmer User Guide.
For Nios II processor users, the EPCS serial flash controller core supersedes the Active Serial Memory
Interface (ASMI) device. New designs should use the EPCS serial flash controller core instead of the
ASMI core.
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