Sundance SMT358 - Manual (Page 20)

Version 2.5 Page 20 of 25 SMT358 User Manual
The bitstream that is used to configure the Virtex/E on the SMT358 is built using
Xilinx Design implementation tools for FPGAs such as M2.1i.
Follow these steps to build a bistream that can be executed on the SMT358:
1. Select your design available in edif format (filename.edf) with the Xilinx tools.
2. Target the constraint file provided with the SMT358 to map your design to the
Virtex/E ’s I/O pins (comment out all the I/Os that your design doesn’t use)
3. Run Xilinx Design implementation tools.
4. Next the bitstream is generated (Entityname.bit). The bitstream is a binary image
of the VHDL core.
The Bit to Dat Conversion
5. Format the Entityname.bit to an Entityname.dat file with the standalone
application bit2dat.exe. To do so, you need to modify the Bit2dat.dat file.
• Place the file Entityname.bit in the folder containing the executable file
Bit2dat.exe.
• Edit the file Bit2dat.bat file.
• Replace “bit2dat bitfilename bitfilename ” by “bit2dat Entityname Entityname”.
Note that the extension “.bit” is not necessary.
• Save and double click the bit2dat.bat file. The executable is called and
generates a “.dat” file.
6. At this point the hardware core is ready for implementation in an application.
7. With an application running on the Processor-based board which the SMT358 is
connected to, send the file Entityname.dat through the Comm-port connected to
Comm-Port3 on the SMT358.
The Dat to Obj conversion
Users need to have CCStudio installed, even if they prefer working with 3L as the dat
to obj conversion requires an executable installed under CCStudio. (Asm6x.exe)
The reason for this conversion is that the download over JTAG (using CCStudio) of
the .dat bitstream can take several minutes with CCStudio and around 30 secs using
3L but it will be instantaneous with the method described below.
The “. Dat” needs to be converted in an “. obj” file so that it can be added to the “.out”
application that is run under CCStudio or to the “.app” application that is run under 3L
for configuring the SMT358 FPGA.
Then the download of the bitstream is speeded up because the bitstream is read out
of the on-board memory of the DSP board instead of being read out of the Hard
Drive.