Tuesday, July 18, 2023

User interface test verification part 17 - one step backward

DECISION TO REBUILD PRELOADER AND U-BOOT

The mechanism to create a working System on a Chip (SOC) using the Cyclone V involves a number of tools and software products that are hooked together with a patchwork of scripts and steps, versus an integrated tool that would accomplish all of it in one product. This means that there are important times when you have to repeat steps to reflect important changes else the SOC won't work properly.

Since I had made changes to the address widths of some parts of the HPS to FPGA Lightweight (H2F LW) bridge, it might have changed the four files that are produced by Quartus that have to be manipulated and transferred to the U-boot and Preloader software before those components are built. In particular, there is a file that sets the multiplexing state of connections between the sides of the SOC. 

I therefore had to locate the script that grabs these from the Quartus folders, massages them and saves them in the proper place in the U-Boot folders. I found one and ran it. From that point I issued a make command to hopefully correctly rebuild the files I needed. There is one file, u-boot-with-spl.sfp that is copied to a special partition on the SD card to allow it to boot up.

REDISCOVERING PATH TO A GOOD VERSION SINCE THIS ONE WON'T BOOT

When I tried to boot after updating the Preloader/U-boot on the card, it sat with no sign of life, just as it had when I first attempted to build these components. I had figured out the issues and eventually was able to make a proper version. I simply had to rediscover what I did in order to restore my system to booting up. 

So far I am not getting the Preloader to boot and transfer to U-boot. No sign of life at all. I have only a couple of days before house guests arrive and take all my time through to early next week. 

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