FPGA - Spartan 3E board - ISE software

• ISE Webpack
• Introduction to ISE 8.2
• ISE setup on Ubuntu

A first simple project (round 3)

I type ISE at the command line. I get my tip of the day and it finds my last project (ise_simple). It shows the 3 steps, "sythesize, implement, generate" each with green check marks, suggesting I don't need to repeat those steps.

I double click the next step, "Configure target device". I get the warning about IMPACT needing a configuration file and click "OK". I double click on "Boundary Scan", blue text appears in the big window. I right click on the text and select "Initialize Chain", and I get the diagram of 3 devices and a "Identify Succeeded" banner!

A dialog has appeared (that I missed amid other windows) asking if I want to assign configuration defaults. I click Yes. I get a file chooser dialog and see "test.bit" (the only bit file I am offered). This is not what I want (it is my first project). I switch project directories to "ise_simple" and I see "trivial.bit". This is what I want. I select it and click "Open". Now it wants to know if I want to attach flash proms. I say no. Now another dialog asking to assign a new configuration file. I click "bypass twice", now we are on to "programming properties". I click OK to accept the default and maybe we are done?

No, we aren't there yet. I right click on the xc3s500e image (which is now colored green) and select "Program". There is a brief progress bar and we are done. A yellow LED on the board labeled "XC-DONE" is lit up now.

I move switch 0 on the board and LED 0 lights up. It works!