JColvin

Hi @Eleni, Which product are you using so Digilent can give you the correct recommendations? Thanks, JColvin

Hi @sethkbelt, Unfortunately, Digilent's solution to reprogram EEPROM is only intended for Digilent boards. We do not offer any support for setting up the EEPROM or FTDI chips on for non-Digilent devices. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Koksal, I have sent you a PM. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @haavardmk, I apologize for the delay. Digilent does not have an alternate product that is similar to the Digital Discovery but has more I/O pins, nor am I currently aware of any upcoming products on the roadmap that would fulfill this need (https://forum.digilent.com/topic/26297-is-an-updated-digital-discovery-in-the-digilent-products-roadmap/). With regards to your comment on integrating the Digital Discovery smoothly with other hardware, is this with regards to the physical form factor of the pins or the WaveForms software integration, or both? Thanks, JColvin

Hi @gianluca88, I have sent you a PM. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Anthocyanina, Is it realizable? Almost certainly. As a wise Digilent employee has told me on more than one occasion, "it's just typing". Is it practical? That's a question that I'm not able to give an answer to. My opinion is yes this should be considered, but either option of creating a pseudo reduced mode for the AD3 or changing the architecture of the AD2 so that one of the digital pins is completely isolated from the rest of the design so that it can output a stable clock to another device is not a trivial amount of work (particularly the second option). I do know that the more customer interest there is in a particular feature, the more likely it will be implemented. I know there was a decent amount of interest and multiple questions about this feature after the blog post on Dual Mode was called out in the newsletter (or at least I presume that's what prompted your question to begin with), so Digilent is aware of the customer interest. But Digilent also needs to have some sort of boundary so we aren't constantly asking Attila to add other new device combinations as Digilent will, of course, continue to make Test and Measurement products so the number of possible combinations will just continue to increase, adding more feature and size to the software that only a small number of users would realistically be able to benefit from. Where this metaphorical line in the sand is, I don't know. I'll stop musing for now. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @MRN, I have sent you a PM. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Mohammad Alsmadi, If you check the box for "draw while recording" you can see the values as they come in. My understanding though is that the screen will not automatically shift to continue showing the most recently acquired values, so unless your signal is changing at the idea rate when compared to the time division/total amount of time you can see on the screen, it will be difficult to effectively evaluate the data live due to the limited size , unless you only intend to zoom in on a particular section of already recorded data. This will slow down the maximum recording rate possible for large amounts of samples, though as shown in the screenshot you will need to be recording at a several megahertz rate or have a larger amount of samples than you are able to store within the DDR memory (128 Mi samples or 134,217,728 samples as per the Buffer Size specification in the Horizontal System for the Analog Inputs, https://digilent.com/reference/test-and-measurement/analog-discovery-pro-3x50/specifications#analog_input_channels) before hitting that limit. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @nlbutts, I don't have enough data on hand about your setup to immediately be able to give a yes or no answer, so instead I'm going to list out the limiting factors in general with regards to recording digital data with the Analog Discovery 3 and what you can do to mitigate it. On-device buffer size. The Analog Discovery 3 does not have any on-board DDR memory to help out with a large number of samples. You can select configuration 4 or 5 in the WaveForms Device Manager as both of those configurations allocate additional sample buffer to the Logic Analyzer. Data connection with the host computer. The Analog Discovery 2 uses a USB 2.0 connection. As USB is a packet based protocol, the protocol overhead of completing packet transfers will quickly put a damper in data streaming rates, particularly if you filling up the on-board buffer so fast that the USB protocol doesn't complete its overhead fast enough to empty the buffer again for the device. How often the incoming digital data is changing. Like the Saleae (link to Saleae article I'm basing my information off of), the WaveForms software has the option to compress the digital data via run-length encoding (rather than recording a bunch of zeroes in a row, compress the zeros into an indicator of how many zeroes were present before the next detected change in the digital data). The more frequently the in incoming protocol/pattern/bus has a change in the data, the faster the on device buffer will fill up (leading to the above issue). So I guess my questions to you would be: - What rate is the incoming data changing at (mostly likely going to be the clock signal if you are recording that) - How many digital lines are you recording - Which configuration of the Analog Discovery are you using - Are you recording to RAM (record button) or to file ("Rec." button next to Export and underneath File / Control / View / Window) These two other Forum threads might be of interest to you as well: Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Xband, I haven't seen this error recently, but usually this is the result of the presumed reset polarity of the processor (Zynq or Microblaze) not matching the polarity of the actual button on the physical device. If you use the preset for the processor that comes with the Digilent Board Files (some additional instructions on this are available here, https://digilent.com/reference/programmable-logic/guides/installing-vivado-and-vitis#install_digilent_s_board_files, and here, https://digilent.com/reference/programmable-logic/guides/getting-started-with-ipi#add_a_processor_to_a_block_design), you'll see that either an invert block has indeed been added to the reset or that expected polarity of the reset in the processor settings has been made to match the physical polarity (it'll change to probably say something like "FCLK_RESET0_N"), which likely just does the exact same thing but is instead hidden away within the black box. If this doesn't resolve the issue for you, which board are you using and which version of Vivado do you have so we can debug this further? Thanks, JColvin Edit: just learned my answer might not be accurate for the Eclypse board which you are working with. @artvvb will likely have a more accurate answer for you.

Hi @charlesw, Digilent does not have any support for VBA, no. There is a community made wrapper available on the Trenz website, linked and available on the last post of this thread: but Digilent has not specifically tested it and does not have any plans to support it. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Kirsan, I'm a little confused by what you are wanting to reproduce. Regarding your initial two images of SPI sequences, are you wanting to generate both MOSI lines simultaneously through the Protocol instrument? Or are you instead showing two separate sequences, with the parent device first sending a 15 bit write command to some address followed by 8 bits of data, and then verifying the information by having the parent send a 15 bit read command to which the child responds with the 8 bits of data? The Read Write mode within the Master tab as well as the ReadWrite function within the Custom tab is using the full duplex feature of SPI where it both reads and writes data simultaneously. If you are sending both a write command followed by a read command to the child device, it will depend if the child device requires the chip select line to be pulsed before the two separate commands can be sent; if it does need this, you'll likely need to use the Custom tab with the Start, Stop, and various Write and Read commands. There are a number of examples within the Example dropdown under the Custom tab that show how this might be done. I do not believe there is a way to use the ReadWrite mode to write some data and listen for an additional number of bytes (unless you added additional dummy words to the "Write (DQ0)" line that you knew that the child device would not respond to or attempt to interpret once it had received a Read request). Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @JoshM, I'm guessing you figured out the earlier issue of the signal amplitude. As for the BNC connectors on the BNC Adapter, these should also be the standard size, or at least I am not aware of any other size of BNC jacks. For the random BNC to mini-grabber cables that I found at the office, some of them felt like the internal spring for the rotating locking ring mechanism on the BNC plugs needed to be stretched slightly farther than the wanted to be, but all of the cables connected securely, and as long as the center pins make contact that is the critical part. Could you share a picture of what you mean by not perfectly centered? Thanks, JColvin

Hi @silverdiamond, Presuming you are using the Analog Discovery 3 like in your other post, you can do this within the Wavegen instrument. The key detail would be to change the dropdown from "No Synchronization" to either Independent or Synchronized where you'll then get access to some timing parameters including length of time to wait before starting the defined waveform, how long to run the waveform for, and how many times you want the waveform to repeat. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Mohammad Alsmadi, Record mode (instead of Screen) will be able to achieve what you are looking for. Within the Config option, you'll be able to set the number of samples to record, the sampling rate, the total amount of time to record (this is of course directly tied to the number of samples based on the selected sampling rate), and where you want the trigger position to be relative to your acquisition if you have a trigger. By default, the trigger condition will be centered at the in the middle of the acquisition at the 50% point, naturally requiring the device to have already captured and stored 50% of the acquisition before the trigger condition occurs. Setting the trigger point to 0% will let you start recording data as soon as the trigger is detected with no data prior to the trigger. If the Trigger condition dropdown next to the main record button is set to none (like mine is in the screenshot), it'll start recording data immediately. If set to Auto, the system will look for the trigger condition within either 2 seconds or the total time the listed on the screen, whichever is longer, before automatically starting the acquisition. Setting the trigger to Normal will have the system wait indefinitely for the prescribed trigger condition. If you have trigger mode set to Normal and some amount of trigger percentage (such as trigger position is 5% of the way into the capture so you have some data leading up to the trigger condition), WaveForms will be continually looping through that amount of prebuffer data to always have that 5% of data captured on hand for when the trigger condition finally occurs. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Cosmo, Which Digilent device do you have so I can get you the correct instructions? Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Anthocyanina, Digilent will be updating (edit: did update) the blog post with some additional information that I typed up regarding the possibility of mix and matching devices. What I had recommended to be added is the following: As for JColvin's personal, yet slightly vague, perspective on the (since I don't have budgetary or decision making powers in any sense) the AD3 with AD2 or double AD2 combo for Dual Mode to help add value / make it so the AD2 is not forced to live forgotten on a shelf collecting dust. I think this could be a useful addition to have, but this comes with a couple caveats that I'll reiterate below. - AD2 does not support an external clock input (whether solely due to the FPGA logic being full, the Spartan 6 architecture not allowing it in the same way, lack of dedicated PLL that accepts external clocks, some or all of the above, I do not have insight on). Regardless, this ultimately means that while you can pass the trigger signal between two AD2's, because the Analog Discovery 2, whether paired with a second AD2 or a different T&M device, will be working on its own independent oscillator with its own jitter, so you will experience drift on the samples between it and whatever other device. You can potentially mitigate this by stopping and restarting both devices periodically, but that doesn't actually resolve the problem. - This is a bit more esoteric, but there's also the question of how much additional combinations should be supported natively within the application; the more combinations, the larger the installation size for a feature that fewer and fewer people will be able to take advantage of. I personally think there is a big enough market segment for an AD3 & AD2 combo, but I don't know where that metaphorical line in the sand might be. Plus you can (and have always been able to, at least as far as I know) be able to synchronize different devices to have them collect data together through WaveForms SDK but this is of course a software timed solution. So in an unhelpful conclusion, is AD3 & AD2 Dual Mode available? No, but technically yes, but no it's not available in the GUI. Will that change? I do not know. Thanks, JColvin

I had thought Attila would be back yesterday, but learned from his manager that he is on vacation through the end of August. Realistically I hope to get some of his time for feedback next week as I doubt I will get a free cycle from him on Friday, though Attila does routinely dedicate some of his time to look and respond to different posts in the Test and Measurement section, so perhaps I'll be surprised. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @asdfex, Could you share a screenshot of your workspace so I can see your settings? If you are on the default Trigger settings (Trigger type set to Normal, Source set to Digital, and the Simple option, instead of Pulse or Protocol, selected) the Logic Analyzer will run indefinitely because whatever signals you have added will by default have an "X" underneath the T column (trigger condition), indicating that this pin state will be ignored by the trigger bus. You'll want to change the pin state to something else by clicking on the X to change the condition to high or falling or edge, or whichever state you prefer so that there is a condition to meet on one of the pins. You can set multiple of these pins to different conditions to create a more complex scenario where only very specific set of conditions causes the Logic Analyzer to be triggered. Alternatively, you can choose Pulse instead of Simple to get a time based trigger (such as a glitch condition, timeout, or a counter) on a singular pin. Some additional information about this is available in the Help tab in the Logic Analyzer section (sections 2 and 2.1 within Logic Analyzer), which is quickly accessible by pressing F1 while on the Logic Analyzer instrument. You can also have it jump to a specific section in the Help tab by clicking/interacting with a specific element within the UI (such as the Trigger mode dropdown of None, Auto, and Normal) and then pressing F1, though not every UI element supports this. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Aykut, What voltage are you attempting to get your 800 mA at? As per the Specifications, https://digilent.com/reference/test-and-measurement/analog-discovery-3/specifications#programmable_power_supply, the real limit is 2.4 W per channel, as you'll start running into thermal dissipation problems after that point. At 3 V, this is where you'll be able to get up to 800 mA output (achievable with an auxiliary power supply) before hitting that 2.4 W limit. What sort of power supply are you using to power the Analog Discovery 3, and within the Supplies instrument, what do you have the Hardware Power Limit set to? As mentioned in the Reference Manual, https://digilent.com/reference/test-and-measurement/analog-discovery-3/reference-manual#power_supplies, the value listed is the overall limit for the supplies hardware circuitry. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @swapnilbarot, You are correct that only 7-bit addresses are supported, as per the WaveForms developer's comment here: This limitation highlighted in the Help Tab for the Protocol Section also still listed in the latest beta version (https://forum.digilent.com/topic/8908-waveforms-beta-download/, 3.20.28 at time of writing). Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, JColvin

Hello, I got some additional clarification from the design engineer. Figure 5 of the JTAG-SMT3 Reference Manual shows how Digilent handles shared access to an FPGA between an on-board FTDI chip and external programmer: https://digilent.com/reference/programmers/jtag-smt3/reference-manual#example_2interfacing_a_zynq-7000_while_retaining_the_xilinx_jtag_header. Within Digilent's solution (whether that is a dedicated module like the JTAG HS2, JTAG SMT3, or an built-in solution like on our own FPGA/SoC boards), there are tri-state buffers that will disconnect the FTDI chip from the on-board JTAG nets when the FTDI chip isn't open in Adept or Vivado (or whatever software). The series resistors that exist on Digilent boards leading to the external programmer are there to help protect any external programmer from drive conflicts (presuming the external programmer can source or sink enough current when a drive conflict occurs), which will occur if there is an external programmer on the JTAG header and the FTDI solution is simultaneously being used. Ultimately, it will still be up to the user to prevent drive conflicts. There is also the additional detail that, at least on all Digilent boards, the FPGA only has one TAP controller, so it does not facilitate simultaneous access from more than one programmer. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @S. Depot, Offhand, I'm not certain why a UART connection would be established but a not a JTAG connection (is the Digilent Adept Software, https://digilent.com/reference/software/adept/start, able to identify that the JTAG SMT3 is present?) Could you share a screenshot of the schematic portion of your setup? I'm presuming you have the Vref_JTAG matching the voltage used by the SoC and the PS_SRST_B is not perpetually in reset or something. Here's a link to the Reference Manual for the sake of me linking it: https://digilent.com/reference/programmers/jtag-smt3/reference-manual. How did you measure continuity? If the board was powered off while testing continuity, the voltage translators that exist on the module to facilitate the separate UART and JTAG voltages will be in high impedance. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @Erich Schlecht, I believe this is the result of a bug that was in version 3.20.1; I can't manage to find the Forum threads mentioning this to point at for you, but if I'm not mistaken the WaveForms developer fixed these errors in more recent beta versions of the WaveForms software (3.20.20 and 3.20.22). The most recent beta version which includes those fixes (among other additions and other changes) has been posted by the developer here: Let me know if you have any questions or if the newer version does not resolve this for you. Thanks, JColvin

Hi @haavardmk, I'm not certain what you are asking. Are you wanting to know if there is a product that dedicates additional I/O pins for the logic analyzer and pattern generator or am I misunderstanding your question? Or alternatively, what functionality are you missing or wish that the Digital Discovery had? Thanks, JColvin