MCE firmware

Critical Notes

• Quartus 8.0 .pof Generation Bug

• 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.

> mce_reset_clean

• After an mce_reset, not all of the DAC outputs are set to zero. In addition, values written to RAM-based registers are not reset. A full reconfiguration is required for a proper reset.

> rs psc cycle_pow 1
> mce_reset_clean

MCE Firmware Releases

• MCE Firmware File Downloads

Setting the permissions on firmware files uploaded to the folder above:

> ssh phas.ubc.ca
> cd ~mce/public_html/mcedocs/firmware
> chmod o+r rc_*.pof

• MCE Firmware File Conversions. (sof, pof, jic, jam.)

Recommended versions of firmware, and lists of compatible firmware files across cards:

• Compatible Versions (CC,RC,BC,AC)

Revision information on the firmware for each card:

• Clock Card (CC)
• Readout Card (RC) Rev. A/B
• Readout Card (RC) Rev. C/D
• Bias Card (BC)
• Address Card (AC)
• Power-Supply Unit Controller (PSUC) Rev. 1
• Power-Supply Unit Controller (PSUC) Rev. 2

MCE Features and How-To Guides

• MCE Commands

• Data Acquisition
  • Fast Data Acquisition (i.e. at the Frame Rate)
  • The STOP Command
  • How to Configure Which Readout Cards Report Data
  • How to Read a Column at the Frame Rate
  • Rectangle Mode Data

• Readout Card
  • Data Modes
  • Filtered Data & the Digital 4-pole Butterworth Low-pass Filter
  • Raw 50 MHz Data
  • Flux Jumping
  • FSFB Clamping Commands (i.e. To Prevent Unlocked Pixels from Ramping)

• Address Card
  • Fast SQ2 Feedback and TES Biasing with an Address Card

• Clock Card
  • Remote Firmware Update
  • Internal Commands
    • Arbitrary Waveform Generator (i.e. Maximum Length Sequences for Complex Impedance Measurements)
    • Ramp Generator
    • Temperature Sensing

MCE Firmware Bugs/ Features Under Development

• This section has been moved to the Internal MCE Wiki Bug List.

Hardware Peripherals

• Using Ethernet Blaster
• USB Blaster
• Sync Box

Software Tools

All that you need to know about logging into our CVS repository can be found here:

• CVS Firmware Repository
• Quartus II Installation
• ModelSim SE Installation (from scratch)

We decided (sadly) NOT to migrate from CVS to SVN, if we ever do here is some information:

• SVN Manual
• Accessing the SVN Repository
• SVN Commit Guidelines
• SVN Basic Operations
  • Tagging
  • Merging
  • Branching
  • Resurrecting Deleted Items

MCE Scripting

• MAS Cheat Sheet
• Using Python to Automate MAS
• MCE: Helper programs