FPGA Upgrade Guide (F256JrJr)

Upgrading the FPGA on F256JrJr can be done using the built-in USB Type-C port. Plug JrJr into your computer and turn it on, then follow the steps below that are specific to your operating system.

Linux and macOS

macOS Note: The default USB serial driver on macOS has issues sometimes with the chip used on JrJr. If you encounter any issues upgrading the FPGA firmware, you can try using FTDI's driver, available here: [1]

Using openFPGALoader

openFPGALoader is the easiest way to upgrade the firmware on JrJr. The following steps explain how to upgrade the FPGA firmware on JrJr using openFPGALoader.

1. Install openFPGALoader

   The openfpgaloader package is available on several of the most common Linux distros (including Ubuntu, Arch, and Fedora) and is also available on Homebrew for macOS.

   If you can't install it through your package manager, other options for installing openFPGALoader can be found here: [2]

2. Run openFPGALoader

   The following command will upgrade the firmware. Replace <firmware> with the path to the FPGA firmware file you downloaded.

   openFPGALoader -c ft4232 --fpga-part xc7a35tcsg324 -f <firmware>

Windows

In Windows you don't need to install any drivers to communicate with the JrJr, but you'll need to install some software first

# Install Vivado Lab Soltions - 2023.2

Please use the following link to download Vivaldo Lab Solutions, make sure you select the recommended version 2023.2, please note that you might need to sign up to AMD's development tools before you download the tool. Don't worry it's free and after signing up and confirming your email you can download the software. It is recomended that you have your F256 JrJr disconnected from the computer while you install the software

1. How to Program

• When you enter "Vivado Lab" make sure you click on The Option "Open Hardware Manager", this will open a new window.
• On the new window at the very Top you will see a message "No hardware target is open"
• Proceed to connect you F256 JrJr to your computer with an USB to USB3 cable and turn it on, your PC's USB port should provide enough power to turn on your JrJr and also use the USB cable to program it
• Click on the "Open Target" link, shown in the message at the top, and select "Auto Connect" from the options shown
• It will try to connect for a few seconds and it will add the device "xc7a35t_0" to the list of devices
• Click this device name with the mouse alternate button to open a context menu
• Select the option "Add Configuration Memory Device"
• A dialog will open with a lot of information, go to the "Select Configuration memory Part" and in the Search box type mt25ql128-spi-x1_x2_x4 to select the memory chip used in the JrJr
• CLick on the device name filtered from the list and press "OK"
• It will ask you if you want to program the device now, you can press Ok to get to the programming right away
• If for any reason you decided to not the program it yet, you can program it by clicking with the alternate mouse button in the "mt25ql128-spi-x1_x2_x4" device added in the tree list, and selecting from the context menu the option "Program Configuration Memory Device..."
• A new dialog will appear and you need to select the configuration file, this is the .mcs file provided in the f256jr2x-fpga-release section in discord (check link below)

https://discord.com/channels/691915291721990194/1319458207743082627

• Select the desired .mcs file and press OK
• Keep the Program Operations as are selected as default and press the "OK" button
• The device will be erased and programmed, this will take about 1 minute
• A message "Flash programming completed succesfully" will be shown after the device is succesfully programmed.

Congratulations!, your FPGA should be updated now!, you can turn off your "F256 JrJr" and disconnect it from the USB port