MCE firmware

Critical Notes

• 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

• 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. You may power-cycle the MCE remotely if the MCE is equipped with a PSA (UBC switching supply) by issuing mce_cmd -x rs psc cycle_pow 1 and then mce_reset_clean

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:

• Clock Card (CC)
• Readout Card (RC)
• Bias Card (BC)
• Address Card (AC)
• Power-Supply Unit Controller (PSUC)
• Sync Box Firmware

Firmware Upgrade Methods

There are two ways to upgrade the MCE firmware:

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

MCE Features and How-To Guides

• MCE Commands
• MCE (Firmware) Timing Diagram
• Row-specific SQ2FB (fast switching)

• Data Acquisition
  • Fast Data Acquisition -- i.e. up to the frame rate
  • The STOP Command (CC v4.0.b, v4.0.c, v5.0.1+)
  • How to Configure Which Readout Cards Report Data (CC v4.0.a+)
  • How to Read a Column at the Frame Rate (CC v5.0.0 & RC v5.0.0+)
  • Rectangle Mode Data (CC v5.0.0 & RC v5.0.1+)

• Readout Card
  • Data Modes
  • Filtered Data & the Digital 4-pole Butterworth Low-pass Filter
  • Raw 50 MHz Data
  • Flux Jumping
  • FSFB Clamping Commands -- to prevent unlocked pixels from ramping (RC v5.0.a+)
  • FSFB Servo Start Value

• Address Card
  • Fast SQ2 Feedback and TES Biasing with an Address Card
  • Special SQ1 Bias Commands

• Clock Card
  • Remote Firmware Update (CC v5.0.7+)
  • Internal Commands
    • Arbitrary Waveform Generator -- for maximum length sequences and complex impedance measurements (CC v5.0.3+)
    • Ramp Generator
    • Temperature monitoring

• Upgrading From 4.x.x To 5.x.x Firmware -- using SCUBA-2 as an example

MCE Firmware Bugs/ Features Under Development has been moved to the Internal MCE Wiki Bug List.

Firmware Development Tools

• Firmware CVS repository
• Quartus II Installation
• ModelSim SE Installation
  • Setting up Altera libraries in ModelSim SE
• Firmware CVS Repository
• MCE RTL Testbenches
• JAM Player
• JRunner
• Convert sof to jic for EPCS64 Serial Configuration Device

MCE Scripting

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