Microblaze and MBLite

[makni]

Hi everybody,

I'm a beginner in FPGA and I need your help.
I'm working with EDK 12.4 and ML507 VIRTEX5 board. My goal is to connec
the MBLite opencore processor to the Xilinx Microblaze. The problem is tha
MBLite support only Wishbone bus as interface or the Microblaze can suppor
FSL and PLB Bus. In this situation, the two softcores processors don't hav
the same bus support.
I want to know if there is a way to interface the MBLite with Microblaze?

Thanks in advance

---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com

 

[Mark Curry]

In article <wO6dndAmYvIb3uPOnZ2dnUVZ_oydnZ2d@giganews.com>,
makni <99260@embeddedrelated> wrote:

I'm a beginner in FPGA and I need your help.
I'm working with EDK 12.4 and ML507 VIRTEX5 board. My goal is to connect
the MBLite opencore processor to the Xilinx Microblaze. The problem is that
MBLite support only Wishbone bus as interface or the Microblaze can support
FSL and PLB Bus. In this situation, the two softcores processors don't have
the same bus support.
I want to know if there is a way to interface the MBLite with Microblaze?

You'll have to give a few more details. Just what are you trying to do?
Perusing the opencores website, I see that the MBlite is just an open
source version of the Microblaze itself. It's probably not
identical but close enough the the Xilinx Microblaze. Looks like
whomever created it wanted a mblaze in Altera FPGAs.

Now, you're basically trying to put two microblazes on an Xilinx
board?

What's being shared between the two microblazes? Memory? Peripherals?
Just a bus bridge on either one of the buses to the other one
would work.

Details such has which bus, how much bandwidth, latency, etc, all depend
on what you're tryin to do.

--Mark

 

[alb]

Mark Curry <gtwrek@sonic.net> wrote:
[]

My goal is to connect
the MBLite opencore processor to the Xilinx Microblaze. The problem is that
MBLite support only Wishbone bus as interface or the Microblaze can support
FSL and PLB Bus.
[]

you'd need to find bridges to a commonly supported bus. IIRC on
opencores there are bridges from/to wishbone/amba.

You'll have to give a few more details. Just what are you trying to do?
Perusing the opencores website, I see that the MBlite is just an open
source version of the Microblaze itself. It's probably not
identical but close enough the the Xilinx Microblaze. Looks like
whomever created it wanted a mblaze in Altera FPGAs.

The rationale behind the MBlite is to provide a platform which is 'lite'
w.r.t. the MicroBlaze and open such that research groups can play with
it freely.

Not all MicroBlaze OPCODES are supported, but is highly configurable,
with options to include/exclude hardware as needed. We are currently
using it with the addition of an hardware FPU.

Al

 

Le vendredi 23 mai 2014 08:28:57 UTC+2, alb a écrit :

Mark Curry <gtwrek@sonic.net> wrote:

[]

My goal is to connect

the MBLite opencore processor to the Xilinx Microblaze. The problem is that

MBLite support only Wishbone bus as interface or the Microblaze can support

FSL and PLB Bus.

[]



you'd need to find bridges to a commonly supported bus. IIRC on

opencores there are bridges from/to wishbone/amba.





You'll have to give a few more details. Just what are you trying to do?

Perusing the opencores website, I see that the MBlite is just an open

source version of the Microblaze itself. It's probably not

identical but close enough the the Xilinx Microblaze. Looks like

whomever created it wanted a mblaze in Altera FPGAs.



The rationale behind the MBlite is to provide a platform which is 'lite'

w.r.t. the MicroBlaze and open such that research groups can play with

it freely.



Not all MicroBlaze OPCODES are supported, but is highly configurable,

with options to include/exclude hardware as needed. We are currently

using it with the addition of an hardware FPU.



Al

Hi,
Thank for your help.
It's clear now that i must use a bridge PLB to wishbone for connecting the MB Lite to Microblaze.
I have a question about how programming and execute a C code for MBLite on FPGA? because I'm using the EDK and I want to compile and execute a C code to MBLite, knowing that for Microblaze, it is easy because this later support the LMB Bus to connect to the local memory but how can I do this for MB Lite in the EDK?

Thanks in advance.

 

[alb]

Hi Mariam,
mariam.makni@gmail.com wrote:
[]

It's clear now that i must use a bridge PLB to wishbone for connecting
the MB Lite to Microblaze. I have a question about how programming and
execute a C code for MBLite on FPGA? because I'm using the EDK and I
want to compile and execute a C code to MBLite, knowing that for
Microblaze, it is easy because this later support the LMB Bus to
connect to the local memory but how can I do this for MB Lite in the
EDK?

I do not know EDK so I cannot help you here. We are using gcc for
microblaze (microblaze-xilinx-elf-4.1.1) and created simple software
utilities to convert the binary image into memory mapping (see opencores
trunk, under sw).

That works well with simulation, so you can compile a piece of software
and run it in your sim. How to load the memory mapping onto your
physical memory I cannot help because it depends on your interface. We
transfer program image into memory via 1553.

HTH,

Al

 

[Mariem Makni]

Le mardi 27 mai 2014 08:27:37 UTC+2, alb a écrit :

Hi Mariam,

mariam.makni@gmail.com wrote:

[]

It's clear now that i must use a bridge PLB to wishbone for connecting

the MB Lite to Microblaze. I have a question about how programming and

execute a C code for MBLite on FPGA? because I'm using the EDK and I

want to compile and execute a C code to MBLite, knowing that for

Microblaze, it is easy because this later support the LMB Bus to

connect to the local memory but how can I do this for MB Lite in the

EDK?



I do not know EDK so I cannot help you here. We are using gcc for

microblaze (microblaze-xilinx-elf-4.1.1) and created simple software

utilities to convert the binary image into memory mapping (see opencores

trunk, under sw).



That works well with simulation, so you can compile a piece of software

and run it in your sim. How to load the memory mapping onto your

physical memory I cannot help because it depends on your interface. We

transfer program image into memory via 1553.



HTH,



Al

Thanks a lot for your reply.
So, do you use ISE xilinx instead of EDK to run an application for MBLite?

 

[alb]

Hi Mariem,
Mariem Makni <mariam.makni@gmail.com> wrote:
[]

Thanks a lot for your reply.
So, do you use ISE xilinx instead of EDK to run an application for MBLite?

My target is a Microsemi device, nothing to do with Xilinx. For that
matter I try not to use Integrated Environments as much as possible.

If I want to run the application in a simulation I simply map the memory
content I use the following:

mem load -infile rom.mem -format hex /imem/ram
mem load -infile rom0.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__0/mem
mem load -infile rom1.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__1/mem
mem load -infile rom2.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__2/mem
mem load -infile rom3.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__3/mem

in my *.do file for ModelSim.

Otherwise I use the binary content of rom?.mem files and load them at
the appropriate address in my memory through 1553.

Al

 

[Mariem Makni]

Le mardi 27 mai 2014 21:26:33 UTC+2, alb a écrit :

Hi Mariem,

Mariem Makni <mariam.makni@gmail.com> wrote:

[]

Thanks a lot for your reply.

So, do you use ISE xilinx instead of EDK to run an application for MBLite?



My target is a Microsemi device, nothing to do with Xilinx. For that

matter I try not to use Integrated Environments as much as possible.



If I want to run the application in a simulation I simply map the memory

content I use the following:



mem load -infile rom.mem -format hex /imem/ram

mem load -infile rom0.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__0/mem

mem load -infile rom1.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__1/mem

mem load -infile rom2.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__2/mem

mem load -infile rom3.mem -format hex /dmem/mem__3/mem



in my *.do file for ModelSim.



Otherwise I use the binary content of rom?.mem files and load them at

the appropriate address in my memory through 1553.



Al

Thanks a lot for your detailed explanation and guidance.