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"HOW DO I PROGRAM MINI-CAN" - MINI-CAN is programmed used a JTAG cable such as our Prog1 cable or Xilinx Parallel Cable IV cable (needs adaptor). There is a 6 pin header (2mm) on MINI-CAN for a JTAG cable/programmer. These cables usually plug into a PC parallel port, (USB cable also available), and using Xilinx Impact software the Spartan-3 FPGA, or the Platform Flash, can be programmed from appropriate data output from the ISE toolset.
"CAN I PROGRAM THE BOARD FROM PCI" - The answer to this is definately yes in RevB boards and possibly in RevA boards. RevB boards have direct connections from the Spartan-3 to TCK, TMS, TDI and TDO. RevA you can mimic this by making 4 connections from the 40x2 header to the JTAG header. PC GUI support and JTAG IP products will be available hopefully by the end of Q4/2005 to allow you to use this feature.
"My JTAG cable programming did work but does not work now" - RevB boards have direct direct drive of the JTAG capability. If you build a design with pins that are not "locked" to particular I/Os then often the ISE tools have a habit of probably placing them on one of the JTAG lines. If this happens the symptom is trouble free JTAG program cycle then followed by inability to access by JTAG properly (various errors). Avoidance methods - (1) use the JTAG lines as inputs on a dummy function and assign pins. (2) Use "prohibit" pin constraints in the Xilinx contraints file. (3) Assign all pins in your design. Recovery - If this happens do not dispair there is a way back. If FPGA signal "PROGB" is held low whilst you operate the JTAG you can reprogram, or erase, the configuration flash to remove the offending design. J6001 is a test point on "PROGB" and offers easy access to the signal. J6001 is located between the 2 platform flash sites at the bottom left, front side, of the card (near PCI). Take a wire connected to one of the ground pins (3 pin headers - pin3) via a 100 ohm resistor to J6001. Hold on for the whole of the erase/re-program cycle.
"WHERE DO I GET A SOFTWARE DRIVER" - MINI-CAN has been pinned out to use a Xilinx PCI Core (additional purchase). Jungo produces drivers for XP, WIN2K, Linux for the Xilinx PCI Core. You are also free to use other PCI Cores although we have not used any other products and subsequently can't offer support on them.
"CAN I USE DMA WITH THIS BOARD" - If the PCI Core that you use does then yes. Full functionality for INITIATOR functions is supported by the Xilinx PCI Core.
"WHAT VERSION OF PCI IS SUPPORTED BY MINI-CAN" - That depends on the PCI Core that you select for your FPGA design. The Xilinx PCI Core is at version 3.0 of the PCI specification. Technically the bus switches used to protect the Spartan-3 for 5V PCI make the electrical interface non-compliant but we have never seen any problems under our testing, or had any reports from customers, in MINI-CAN or Broaddown2. MINI-CAN was derived from Broaddown2 and they have virtually identical PCI interfaces.
"CAN I USE MINI-CAN STAND-ALONE" - Yes either by supplying 5V on the 3 pin header by attaching wires or more elegantly using our PCI I/O Expansion Module. The latter allows the PCI interface to be reused as a 5V tolerant I/O and allows power (5V dc) to be connected without soldering to the MINI-CAN.
"WHAT CAN CAN BUS TRANSCEIVER DO YOU USE" - We have used the Philips PCA82C251 transceiver. Two of these are fitted to MINI-CAN and the outputs are on a shared header.
"WHAT SPARTAN-3 IS FITTED TO MINI-CAN" - A XC3S1000-4FG456C is fitted to MINI-CAN. We have some specials with XC3S1500 now available. Contact sales for more details of these specials.
"WHY DO YOU FIT THE LARGE PACKAGE WHEN YOU ARE NOT USING ALL THE I/O" - By using the larger package a higher number of output I/O can switch at the same time. It also helps of component stock management to share parts with Broaddown2. See Xilinx guidelines for more information on this.
"CAN I HAVE AN I/O VOLTAGE OTHER THAN 3V" - Only by changing the I/O voltage for the entire Spartan-3. The regulator that produces that Vccio rail can be set between 1.22V and 3.6V depending on fitted resistor values. Please note that moving away from the set voltage may cause the PCI interface to malfunction. Our Broaddown2 product offers multiple Vccio voltages if you need that kind of function.~~~1695~1735~~