Difference between revisions of "MCE firmware"

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* [[ MCE Firmware Catalog ]]
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{{Related|Firmware}}
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== Releases ==
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All firmware can be downloaded from [http://e-mode.phas.ubc.ca/mce/firmware/ http://e-mode.phas.ubc.ca/mce/firmware/]. Release notes for each firmware release can be found below:
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* [[ Clock Card firmware]]
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* [[ Readout Card firmware]]
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* [[ Bias Card firmware]]
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* [[ Address Card firmware]]
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* [[ PCI card firmware ]]
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* [[ Sync Box Firmware ]]
  
* [[ Using Ethernet Blaster ]]
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See also:
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* [[Recommended firmware versions]]
  
* [[ MCE bugs ]]
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== Loading firmware onto cards ==
  
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There are two ways to load MCE firmware:
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# [[ Remote Firmware Update | Remote firmware update over the MCE fibre interface]]
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# Using Altera-supplied Hardware/Software and MCE Front-panel Connector
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#* [[ USB Blaster | step-by-step instructions ]]
  
== Procedures for keeping DAS/MCE healthy during firmware upgrades, power cycles, etc. ==
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Things to bear in mind:
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* In v5+ firmware, if you update firmware on any readout card, the card doesn't reply to any command unless the Clock Card is also reprogrammed.
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* Always cleanly reset the MCE after a power-up or a reconfiguration!  If not, MCE communication with the PC or Sync Box may not work. On MAS prompt, type: '''''mce_reset_clean'''''
  
It is good practice to do a resetmce and a resetpci after any firmware upgrades or power cycles.  This is basically to clear out communications channels that may acquire garbage during these operations.
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== Implementation Details ==
  
Currently the PCI firmware does not clear its fibre fifo on reset. This means that if there are fewer than 32 bits of garbage in the fifo, it doesn't get cleared until a valid reply from the MCE arrives.  As a result, we may expect the first MCE command following power up to fail some of the time. Part of the power-up procedure should be to issue a command, then clear_fifo_mce_reply. After this, the PCI should be in a stable state.
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* Source on GitHub: https://github.com/multi-channel-electronics/mce_firmware
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* [[ MCE Timing Diagram ]]
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* [[MCE fibre protocol]] - communication between the MCE and the controlling PC over the fibre-optic link
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* [[MCE backplane protocol]] - communication between cards within the MCE
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* Monitoring MCE Status [[http://www.phas.ubc.ca/%7Emce/mcedocs/system/monitoring_mce_status.doc DOC]] (Nov. 9, 2006)
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* [[MCE commands]]
  
MFH plans to resolve this issue in PCI firmware version U.1.4.
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== Firmware Development Tools ==
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* [[ Quartus II Installation ]]
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* [[ ModelSim SE Installation ]]
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** [[ Setting up Altera libraries in ModelSim SE ]]
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* [[ JAM Player ]]
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* [[ Convert sof to jic for EPCS64 Serial Configuration Device ]]
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== Development notes ==
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* [[intmce:MCE bugs]]
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* [[intmce:Firmware Features Under Development]]
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* [[intmce:Closed firmware features]]
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[[Category:Firmware]]

Latest revision as of 14:29, 31 January 2025

Related topics:

Releases

All firmware can be downloaded from http://e-mode.phas.ubc.ca/mce/firmware/. Release notes for each firmware release can be found below:

See also:

Loading firmware onto cards

There are two ways to load MCE firmware:

  1. Remote firmware update over the MCE fibre interface
  2. Using Altera-supplied Hardware/Software and MCE Front-panel Connector

Things to bear in mind:

  • In v5+ firmware, if you update firmware on any readout card, the card doesn't reply to any command unless the Clock Card is also reprogrammed.
  • Always cleanly reset the MCE after a power-up or a reconfiguration! If not, MCE communication with the PC or Sync Box may not work. On MAS prompt, type: mce_reset_clean

Implementation Details

Firmware Development Tools

Development notes