Programming off-chip flash through JTAG with JTAG-HS3 (Win10)

[fbivona]

I am trying to program a W25Q64JVSSIQ external SPI flash connected to a XC6SLX150T-2FGG484I, using the JTAG-HS3 programmer and Adept 2, as a substitute for Xilinx iMPACT and a Platform II cable (iMPACT has issues with Windows 10). At first glance, Adept 2 identifies the FPGA just fine, but it looks like I can only load a .bit file directly to the FPGA. Is there any way to load an .mcs file to the external flash via JTAG, using the FPGA as an intermediary? In iMPACT, there was a little box where I could right click, add the flash, and select the file. I'm new to Adept 2, so I might just be missing the comparable feature here.

[asmi]

That is exactly how "indirect programming" works. Software first programs FPGA with a bitstream that acts a bridge between the JTAG and QSPI memory, and then programs flash with the data you've selected. At least that's how hardware manager works in Vivado, but I have no reasons to believe that impact is any different.

I use HS3 cable to program bitstreams into QSPI flash all the time in Vivado with 7 series FPGA.

[fbivona]

This is a Spartan 6, which to my knowledge is unsupported by Vivado. iMPACT has issues running on Windows 10. That's what led me to using Adept 2.

I don't know what .bit file to load. When I programmed in iMPACT, I didn't have to browse to a .bit file, so if I did load a .bit file it was hidden behind the GUI when I selected the flash type.

I guess my question could be better worded as "How do I do indirect programming in Adept 2?"

[JColvin]

Hi @fbivona,

Generally speaking, Adept is not able to program on-board flash chips.

It does have an option for users to provide a .svf file, but I have not been successful in getting the .svf to work, even from Vivado (which was the original software in question when I looked into it before) directly; there are a few more details in this post here.

Thank you,
JColvin