Altera PowerPlay Early Power Estimator for Altera CPLDs - Manual (Page 8)

1–4 Chapter 1: PowerPlay Early Power Estimator Overview
Setting Up the PowerPlay EPE
PowerPlay Early Power Estimator for Altera CPLDs User Guide December 2010 Altera Corporation
Estimating Power Consumption After Completing the CPLD Design
If your design is complete, Altera recommends using the PowerPlay Power Analyzer
in the Quartus II software. The PowerPlay Power Analyzer provides the most
accurate estimate of device power consumption. To determine power consumption,
the PowerPlay Power Analyzer uses simulation, user mode, and default toggle rate
assignments, in addition to placement-and-routing information.
f For more information about the power estimation feature, how to use the PowerPlay
Power Analyzer, and generating the PowerPlay EPE file in the Quartus II software,
refer to the
PowerPlay Power Analysis chapter in volume 3 of the Quartus II Handbook.
Entering Information into the PowerPlay Early Power Estimator
You can either manually enter power information into the PowerPlay EPE
spreadsheet or load a PowerPlay EPE file generated by the Quartus II software. You
can also clear all current values in the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet.
To use the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet, enter the device resources, operating
frequency, toggle rates, and other parameters in the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet. If
you do not have an existing design, you must estimate the number of device resources
your design uses and enter the information into the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet.
Clearing All Values
You can reset all the user-entered values in the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet by
clicking the Reset button.
1
To use the Reset feature, you must enable macros for the spreadsheet. If you have not
enabled macros for the spreadsheet, you must manually reset all the user-entered
values.
Manually Entering Values
You can manually enter values into the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet in the appropriate
section. White unshaded cells are input cells that you can modify. Each section
contains a column that allows you to specify a module name based on your design.
Importing a File
Importing a file saves you time and effort otherwise spent on manually entering
information into the PowerPlay EPE spreadsheet. You can also manually change any
of the values after importing a file.
To generate the PowerPlay EPE file, perform the following steps:
1. Compile the partial CPLD design in the Quartus II software.
2. On the Project menu, click Generate PowerPlay Early Power Estimator File to
generate the <revision name>_early_pwr.csv file in the Quartus II software.