20:47 <Guest60> Hello. I'm trying to load a bitstream to my xilinx spartan lx9 through an obscure digilent jtag adapter, and I dont have a config file avaliable.

20:49 <Guest60> I'm very new to this all, and I don't know where to begin; I've previously ran some programs interacting with the LED and DCM with the ise, and did boundary scanning with iMPACT, but I can't get drivers for my new OS anymore for my board.

21:02 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: hi

21:03 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: ok, so OpenOCD has configs for some digilent adapters, what adapter do you have and what configs did you try?

21:04 <MaxDemian> PaulFertser: I grep'd the /scripts/ folder by vendor and product, but couldn't find any for my adapter

21:04 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: as to bitstream, if that doesn't work you can make ise/impact/vivado generate an SVF file for you and OpenOCD will play it back.

21:05 <MaxDemian> oh, I haven't passed the bitstream yet

21:07 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: so what's your adapter, can you pastebin lsusb -v for it or something?

21:08 <MaxDemian> ID 1443:0007 Digilent Development board JTAG

21:11 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: do you see what IC is connected to USB there?

21:14 <MaxDemian> here's the whole dump: JTAG Device Descriptor: bLength 18 bDescriptorType 1 bcdUSB 2.00 bDeviceClass 0 bDeviceSubClass 0 bDeviceProtocol 0 bMaxPacketSize0 16 idVendor 0x1443 Digilent idProduct 0x0007 Development board JTAG bcdDevice 0.00 iManufacturer 1 Digilent iProduct 2 Digilent Adept USB Device iSerial 0 bNumConfigurations 1 Configuration

21:14 <MaxDemian> Descriptor: bLength 9 bDescriptorType 2 wTotalLength 0x002e bNumInterfaces 1 bConfigurationValue 1 iConfiguration 0 bmAttributes 0x80 (Bus Powered) MaxPower 100mA Interface Descriptor: bLength 9 bDescriptorType 4 bInterfaceNumber 0 bAlternateSetting 0 bNumEndpoints 4 bInterfaceClass 0 bInterfaceSubClass 0 bInterfaceProtocol 0 iInterface 0 Endpoint

21:14 <MaxDemian> Descriptor: bLength 7 bDescriptorType 5 bEndpointAddress 0x01 EP 1 OUT bmAttributes 2 Transfer Type Bulk Synch Type None Usage Type Data wMaxPacketSize 0x0010 1x 16 bytes bInterval 0 Endpoint Descriptor: bLength 7 bDescriptorType 5 bEndpointAddress 0x82 EP 2 IN bmAttributes 2 Transfer Type Bulk Synch Type None Usage Type Data wMaxPacketSize 0x0010

21:14 <MaxDemian> 1x 16 bytes bInterval 0 Endpoint Descriptor: bLength 7 bDescriptorType 5 bEndpointAddress 0x03 EP 3 OUT bmAttributes 2 Transfer Type Bulk Synch Type None Usage Type Data wMaxPacketSize 0x0040 1x 64 bytes bInterval 0 Endpoint Descriptor: bLength 7 bDescriptorType 5 bEndpointAddress 0x84 EP 4 IN bmAttributes 2 Transfer Type Bulk Synch Type None Usage

21:14 <MaxDemian> Type Data wMaxPacketSize 0x0040 1x 64 bytes bInterval 0 Device Status: 0x0000 (Bus Powered)

21:16 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: please use some pastebin next time'

21:16 <MaxDemian> sorry

21:17 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: are you sure you do not have any other thing plugged in the same computer? Because this VID:PID match what cheap iCE boards used: https://github.com/davidcarne/iceBurn/blob/master/iCEburn/libiceblink.py#L296

21:18 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: where did you get that adapter from and what does it look like?

21:20 <MaxDemian> it was with my lx9 package; it is a gray usb cord https://devicehunt.com/view/type/usb/vendor/1443

21:20 <MaxDemian> it came alone with a silicon labs UART interface, which let me run some avnet programs to test the device through serial

21:22 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: do you mean it's part of lx9 board or a separate device?

21:23 <EmilSinclair> Oh, its another cable

21:24 <PaulFertser> EmilSinclair: try copying digilent-hs1.cfg and changing VID:PID to 1443:0007 there and see what OpenOCD can tell with that config.

21:24 <MaxDemian> I'll try, but It's not an hs1 cable

21:25 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: can you see what's inside the cable you have?

21:25 <EmilSinclair> /nick MaxDemian

21:27 <MaxDemian> Could you clarify?

21:28 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: there must be some physical thing, a chip that USB lines are connected to directly. Can you see it (visually observe)?

21:29 <MaxDemian> no, its just a M-F adapter

21:29 <PaulFertser> To what type of connector?

21:29 <MaxDemian> USB male on both ends, to a usb bus

21:30 <MaxDemian> so usb-jtag

21:30 <PaulFertser> Is this the board ?

21:30 <PaulFertser> https://fpga.eetrend.com/files-eetrend-xilinx/download/201109/2080-3860-xlxs9lx9fpgamicroboard-ug072711.pdf

21:32 <MaxDemian> yes

21:33 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: this PDF says the JTAG adapter is integrated, part of the board, implemented as firmware in AT90USB MCU.

21:33 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: it also mentions Digilent HS1

21:34 <PaulFertser> Who knows what protocol exactly that AT90 firmware implements, probably it's compatible with FTDI MPSSE, worth a try.

21:39 <MaxDemian> So it's using hs1?

21:46 <MaxDemian> no, even after running sudo openocd -f digilent-hs1.cfg, Im getting the following:

21:47 <MaxDemian> https://pastebin.com/rcC9FEEA

21:49 <MaxDemian> Would it be worth a try to buy another newer jtag cable, or one that is compatable?

21:50 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: do you have any regular JTAG adapter?

21:50 <PaulFertser> You can even use raspberrypi to bitbang JTAG if the target voltage levels are 3.3 V.

21:51 <MaxDemian> I wouldn't, no. I'll have to get one. I was hoping to bitbang with openocd

21:52 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: do you not have a raspberrypi?

21:52 <MaxDemian> no

21:53 <MaxDemian> I'm really very new

21:53 <PaulFertser> Any other MCU or SBC boards probably?

21:54 <MaxDemian> no nothing else besides this

21:55 <PaulFertser> Are you in a university or some other help you can get from more experienced local people, probably a hackspace?

21:55 <MaxDemian> no, not yet in uni

21:55 <MaxDemian> but we're getting off topic

21:56 <MaxDemian> what would be my next move from here? buy a regular jtag cable?

21:56 <PaulFertser> Yes, e.g. Olimex ARM JTAG or DP Busblaster or TUMPA (non-lite), something like that.

21:57 <MaxDemian> no way I could make my own config file for this adapter?

21:58 <PaulFertser> You can install windows in a VM, configure impact there, sniff the USB communication and reverse-engineer the protocol and write a driver.

21:58 <PaulFertser> I'm not able to find any information about it published. So you have to research it if you really need that.

21:59 <MaxDemian> Would it be a good way to learn?

21:59 <MaxDemian> that sounds really cool

22:02 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: probably but it would require some essential amount of background knowledge about USB protocols in general (bulk endpoints etc), the JTAG state machine and how the signals look on the wire, probably familiarity with some other protocols (e.g. mpsse) to see how they're usually implemented etc.

22:03 <PaulFertser> BTW, it's worth checking if https://github.com/davidcarne/iceBurn can talk meaningfully to this adapter.

22:03 <PaulFertser> Because if it can then the protocol is semi-researched already.

22:05 <MaxDemian> I did some reverse engineering on some of the digilent protocols, https://github.com/AlexWillisson/soc/tree/master/digilent.adept.sdk_2.0.1

22:06 <MaxDemian> this repo this repo has some of the dspi protocols documented

22:07 <MaxDemian> Writing my own driver for this sounds interesting, but since Im so new, should I try doing somethinge else first?

22:08 <PaulFertser> I'd say yes, getting and using a regular JTAG adapter should be fast and reasonable and then you can start to actually do what you want with that FPGA rather than spend time figuring details about JTAG.

22:08 <PaulFertser> Depends on what you want and like more of course.

22:08 <PaulFertser> I'd try that https://github.com/davidcarne/iceBurn just for the kicks, to see if it's matching anything at all.

22:12 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: actually endpoint numbers match

22:14 <MaxDemian> for what? I had to use 1

22:14 <PaulFertser> it would be interesting what it returns for get_board_type there

22:14 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: USB endpoinds mentioned in https://github.com/davidcarne/iceBurn/blob/master/iCEburn/libiceblink.py match your lsusb paste.

22:16 <PaulFertser> I wouldn't be surprised if this utility can be tweaked a bit to just reflash SPI NOR flash on your board by using that "SPI configuration" mentioned in the board datasheet.

22:21 <MaxDemian> with getboardtype() it returns:

22:21 <MaxDemian> obp, which is the name of my device

22:21 <MaxDemian> it was what digilent-adept returned, as well

22:22 <MaxDemian> and I couldn't use adept either, since my lx9 wasnt among the supported boards

22:24 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: ok, so that's the protocol!

22:24 <PaulFertser> So you probably do not need JTAG, you just need a way to change the NOR flash contents over SPI, right?

22:25 <MaxDemian> what is nor flash content?

22:26 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: idk, isn't your target FPGA reading its whole configuration from external flash chip?

22:26 <MaxDemian> yes

22:26 <MaxDemian> so how can I use this protocol?

22:27 <PaulFertser> Probably try using the same way it works on that ice board why not?

22:29 <MaxDemian> I prob can't use the spi interface and do io in the same way; the apis are probably written differently

22:29 <PaulFertser> Or probably not

22:29 <PaulFertser> How do you tell?

22:30 <MaxDemian> because digilent has their own api sheet

22:30 <PaulFertser> You have documentation for this USB protocol?

22:31 <MaxDemian> yeah its in the repo I sent above

22:31 <MaxDemian> in the /docs/ foler theres DSPI.pdf

22:33 <PaulFertser> MaxDemian: it doesn't even mention USB!

22:34 <MaxDemian> so what does that mean?

22:35 <PaulFertser> It means you telling weird things. I asked if you have docs for this USB protocol, you answer with a document that doesn't even mention USB. This makes no sense.

22:35 <MaxDemian> sorry, I was talking about SPI

22:36 <MaxDemian> but no, I guess the usb protocol is not documented. But I coulnd't send a bitstream through usb could I?

22:36 <PaulFertser> If it's external flash IC then it's talking its own protocol documented in the datasheet for the flash.

22:37 <PaulFertser> It's mostly the same for all SPI NOR flash devices.

23:36 <MaxDemian> hey, got a chance to look at it; first run returns a protocol error: libiceblink.SPIProtocolError: Command SPISpeed failed with error: Resource not opened

23:37 <MaxDemian> https://pastebin.com/Wn6yPeXB

23:39 <MaxDemian> but I couldn't send a bitstream through this usb protocol, could I? even if there's jtag in the firmware