FPGA machine-level specification?

[Gaspar Sinai]

I am quite new to FPGAs and I would like to play with Altera
EPK10TC100-3. My main computer is an Alpha CPU Linux machine.

I learnt how to transfer compiled RBF files to the chip. What I would
like to know is how one goes about to write, for instance, a Verilog
compiler for a specific chip.

I have experience with microprocessors only, and it is quote
stratightforward to write assemblers as processor makers release the
specification of the machine code.

I am interested in what each bit represents in the Raw Binary Format,
so that I can play with the device at the lowest level, making the
wiring myself first and possibly use this know-how to write some
compiler later.

Is there such low-level specification available for FPGAs?

Thanks
Gaspar

 

[Kolja Sulimma]

I am interested in what each bit represents in the Raw Binary Format,
so that I can play with the device at the lowest level, making the
wiring myself first and possibly use this know-how to write some
compiler later.

Is there such low-level specification available for FPGAs?

The companies won't publish a lot of information on the bitstream data
format.
A lot of universities request that for their research in the past.

What they got is the XC62000 series from Xilinx which was quickly
discontinued.

What you can get for Xilinx is the jbits package. That's an API that
will not tell you what the individual bits mean, but it allows you to
manipulate the bitstream in a meaningful way. You can for example set
the content of LUT x and connect it ot LUT y.

Altera has a university program that allows you to manipulate the data
structures of their backend tools. So you still need the full set of
Altera tools running, but you can experiment with your own algorithms.

Kolja Sulimma