University of TorontoECE532 Digital HardwareModule m01: Building a MicroBlaze System in XPSVersion for EDK 10.1.03 as of January 7, 2009AcknowledgementThis module is derived from a Xilinx lab given at the University of Toronto EDK workshop in November2003. Many thanks to Xilinx for allowing us to use and modify their material.Goals• Use Xilinx tools to build and debug a basic MicroBlaze system. This will consist of a MicroBlazeprocessor, memory, and a UART.• Understand basic concepts of the Xilinx Embedded Development Kit (EDK), which includes tools suchas Xilinx Platform Studio (XPS) and processor IP.• Explore some concepts used when programming in an embedded processor environment such as wherea program is loaded, how it is loaded, what gets added to it (runtimes, etc.), and how to interact withit.• Use some software debugging tools in an embedded processor environment.• Get an idea of how to find various useful documentation.RequirementsYou’ll need access to:• The Xilinx EDK 10.1.01k and ISE 10.1.01k software with IP Update 3.• Xilinx XUP Virtex-II Pro Development System.• About 15MB of disk space for the project files (at least 12MB, plus some to spare).PreparationYou should have a quick look at the following documents. There are links from the UofT EDK page tothe Xilinx site for the Xilinx documents and the link for the Training Lecture is there as well (see ToolsDocumentation, Resources and Access).You can also find the Xilinx documents in your EDK install directory. Some are online at Xilinx, butothers are only available in your installation.If you are running XPS already, you can use the menu link:Help−→EDK Online DocumentationOn some Linux installations, this menu entry does not start the browser. You can also find the docu-mentation under $XILINX EDK/doc/usenglish/index.htm.NoteSome of the activity in this module does not require hardware and can be done later, such as examiningvarious files. If time is running short, it is best to leave these steps till later and focus on the steps thatactually use the hardware.The steps in this module assume you are running it in the Microprocessor lab on the PCs.1University of TorontoECE532 Digital HardwareModule m01: Building a MicroBlaze System in XPSBackgroundThe Base System Builder (BSB), a wizard in XPS, can help you build your first system quickly and easily.XPS uses the Xilinx Integrated Software Environment (ISE) tools to synthesize, place, and route the hardwaredesign. GNU tools are provided in the EDK and are used within XPS to build the software for the embeddedsystem.SetupWith the Xilinx XUP Virtex-II Pro Development System, your kit should include:• Xilinx XUP Virtex-II Pro Development System Board• Documentation and driver CD• Digilent VDEC1 video decoder board• USB A-B Cable• USB to RS-232 adapter cable• AC adapterStep-by-stepSetting up the Hardware ConnectionsFor the Xilinx XUP Virtex-II Pro Development System BoardPlease be very careful when setting up the hardware so as not to break the connectors. Do not power onthe board until a TA has verified your hardware setup.If you are using the Xilinx Virtex-II Multimedia Board, consult the last subsubsection.1. Place the development board on the table such that you can read the Xilinx insignia in the bottomright hand corner.2. Connect the USB cable to the socket on the right side of the board towards the upper edge. Thisprovides the JTAG connection that is used for downloading FPGA configurations and for debugging.3. Connect the other end of the USB cable to the PC.4. At the top left hand corner of the Ultragizmo board there are two grey cables labeled CON and D.Unplug the CON cable and connect it to the serial cable adapter. Plug the other end of the serial cableinto the connector located at the bottom right-hand corner of the board towards the lower edge. Thiswill be used for your UART connection.Note: you need two connections to your board to do this lab. First, you need a programmingconnection for configuring the FPGA. This is done using JTAG over either the Parallel Cable IV or theUSB connection to the XUPV2P board. Second, you need a communications connection for interactingwith the designs you instantiate on the FPGA. For instance, the standard input and standard outputof the MicroBlaze in most of your designs will be connected to the serial port on the XUPV2P board.In other words, printf() and scanf() will run over the serial port. It’s for this connection that youneed the serial cable connected to the CON port.5. Plug one end of the power supply into the power bar and the other into the jack located in the top lefthand corner (just above the power switch).2University of TorontoECE532 Digital HardwareModule m01: Building a MicroBlaze System in XPS6. Check that the DIP switches on the board are configured for JTAG programming. Leaf through XilinxUniversity Program Virtex-II Pro Development System Hardware Reference Manual on the XUPV2P CDor online) if you haven’t already — look for the section Configuring the FPGA....7. Get a TA to check your connections. You can then turn on the power switch (ON and OFF aremarked). The green power LEDs along the top edge of the board should be illuminated, as should bethe green JTAG Config LED on the right side of the board. A red System ACE Error LED will also beflashing since the System ACE controller failed to load a configuration from a Compact Flash (CF)card. When you turn on your board, the PC it’s connected to will detect a new USB device and mayrequire that you install a driver for that device.Using XPS Base System Builder8. Create a directory for your modules in your home directory (W:\ in the ECE labs). Note: Make surethat the path to your project directory has no spaces. W:\ece532\ is probably a good choice.In this directory, you should unzip the m01.zip file available from the UofT EDK page. You shouldnow have a W:\ece532\lab1\ directory in which you’ll create your project for this module.9. Start XPS by going to Start → Programs → Xilinx ISE Design Suite 10.1 → EDK → Xilinx PlatformStudio.10. Once Xilinx Platform Studio has opened, a window should appear that describes several methods ofloading a project. Select Base System Builder Wizard and click OK. The Base System Builder is a wizardthat helps minimize the effort required to generate a system by building the necessary data files forXPS.11. The Create New XPS Project Using BSB Wizard dialog box is displayed.