Altera Corporation
Reference Manual
1–3
October 2006
Cyclone II FPGA Starter Development Board
Introduction
Figure 1–2. Development Board Block Diagram
Configuring the
Cyclone II FPGA
The Cyclone II FPGA Starter Development Board has integrated the
programming circuitry normally found in a USB-Blaster programming
cable, as well as a serial EEPROM chip (EPCS4) that stores configuration
data for the Cyclone II FPGA. This configuration data loads automatically
from the EEPROM chip into the FPGA each time power is applied to the
board.
Using the Quartus II software, it is possible to reprogram the FPGA at any
time, and it is also possible to change the non-volatile data stored in the
serial EEPROM chip. The following sections describe the two ways to
program the FPGA, JTAG programming and Active Serial (AS)
programming.
JTAG Programming
In this method of programming, named after the IEEE standards
Joint Test
Action Group
, the configuration bit stream downloads directly into the
Cyclone II FPGA through the USB-Blaster circuitry. The FPGA retains
this configuration as long as power is applied to the board; the FPGA
loses the configuration when the power is turned off.
