Sigma DE2-70 Manual Do Utilizador

 

DE2-70 User Manual

 

25 

 

 
 

 

The DE2-70 board comes with a video utility that allows users to access video components on the 

board from a host computer. The host computer communicates with the board through the 

USB-Blaster link. The facility can be used to verify the functionality of video components on the 

board, capture the video sent from the video-in ports, or display desired pattern on the VGA port. 

 

This chapter first presents some basic functions of the Video Utility control panel, then describes its 

structure in block diagram form, and finally describes its capabilities. 

 

The Video Utility is located in the “DE2_70_video utility/SW” folder in the DE2-70 System 

CD-ROM. To install it, just copy the whole folder to your host computer. Launch the Video Utility 

by executing the “DE2_70_AV_UTILITY.exe”.  

 

Specific configuration files should be downloaded to your FPGA board before the Control Panel 

can request it to perform required tasks. The configuration files include one .sof file and one .elf file. 

To download the codes, simply click the “Download Code” button on the program. The program 

will call Quartus II and Nios II tools to download the control codes to the FPGA board through 

USB-Blaseter[USB-0] connection. The .sof file is downloaded to FPGA. The .elf file is downloaded 

to SDRAM-U1. 

 

To activate the Video Utility, perform the following steps: 

1.  Make sure Quartus II and Nios II are installed successfully on your PC. 

2.  Connect the supplied USB cable to the USB Blaster port, connect the 12V power supply, 

and turn the power switch ON 

3.  Set the RUN/PROG switch to the RUN position 

4.  Start the executable DE2_70_AV_Utility.exe on the host computer. The Video Utility user 

interface shown in Figure 4.1 will appear. 

5.  Click the “Download Code” button. 

The Control Panel will occupy the USB port until you 

close that port; you cannot use Quartus II to download a configuration file into the FPGA 

until you close the USB port.

 

6.  The Video Utility is now ready for use.