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From: bluds on 14 Apr 2010 08:46
>>
>>Do you know anywhere where i can find information about how to access
the
>>compact, because i never used a FPGA and i don't know how to access a
>>remote device.
>>
>
>http://www.google.com/search?q=compact+flash+interface&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
>
>Are you going to code in Verilog or VHDL?
>
>
>---------------------------------------
>Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com
>

I'm going to code it using Verilog

---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.FPGARelated.com
From: Gabor on 14 Apr 2010 09:10
On Apr 14, 6:23 am, glen herrmannsfeldt <g...(a)ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote:
> bluds <vtescandell(a)n_o_s_p_a_m.n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
>
> (snip, I wrote)
>
> >>One of the modes of CF looks exactly like an IDE disk driver.
> >>A CF to IDE converter can be made with pretty much no logic.
> >>I believe there is also a mode that looks like a RAM.
> > What do you refer when you talk about modes??
>
> You can use CF cards in different ways.  It seems that newer
> ones even have an SATA mode.  
>
> > Do you know anywhere where i can find information about how to access the
> > compact, because i never used a FPGA and i don't know how to access a
> > remote device.
>
> http://www.compactflash.org/
>
> Newer versions of the standard seem to cost $100.00, though
> it says that students can get a copy free.  I thought that
> older versions were available free, but I don't see that now.
>
> I believe that you can get some information from CF card
> manufacturers, too.
>
> -- glen

Most of the modes are selected by strapping resistors. Make
sure your hardware is wired to support the mode you want to use.
Memory mode would be simplest, but the IDE mode often allows
faster access, at least for writing large blocks of memory.

When you say "the Compact Flash" do you mean one on an existing
board? Or is this a new hardware design?

Regards
Gabor
From: bluds on 14 Apr 2010 09:31
>On Apr 14, 6:23=A0am, glen herrmannsfeldt <g...(a)ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote:
>> bluds <vtescandell(a)n_o_s_p_a_m.n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> (snip, I wrote)
>>
>> >>One of the modes of CF looks exactly like an IDE disk driver.
>> >>A CF to IDE converter can be made with pretty much no logic.
>> >>I believe there is also a mode that looks like a RAM.
>> > What do you refer when you talk about modes??
>>
>> You can use CF cards in different ways. =A0It seems that newer
>> ones even have an SATA mode. =A0
>>
>> > Do you know anywhere where i can find information about how to access
t=
>he
>> > compact, because i never used a FPGA and i don't know how to access a
>> > remote device.
>>
>> http://www.compactflash.org/
>>
>> Newer versions of the standard seem to cost $100.00, though
>> it says that students can get a copy free. =A0I thought that
>> older versions were available free, but I don't see that now.
>>
>> I believe that you can get some information from CF card
>> manufacturers, too.
>>
>> -- glen
>
>Most of the modes are selected by strapping resistors. Make
>sure your hardware is wired to support the mode you want to use.
>Memory mode would be simplest, but the IDE mode often allows
>faster access, at least for writing large blocks of memory.
>
>When you say "the Compact Flash" do you mean one on an existing
>board? Or is this a new hardware design?
>
>Regards
>Gabor
>


I just bought the xilinx XUPV5-LX110T board, which mainly is a Xilinx ML505
with a more powerful virtex 5 FPGA.

It is possible to connect to this board a compact flash, this compact can
be used to load designs to the FPGA.

My objective is to use the compact flash as my hard this. This is going to
be a special hard disk, because i don't need it has any format. I only need
to read the bits that are stored there.

The problem is have is that i don't know how can I access the compact from
the FPGA. I have never used FPGA's, so i have no idea how external devices
can be accessed.

Somebody told me that, as the compact cannot be read bitwise (i think he
told me that is read blockwise) i thought about reading the whole content
from it and copy it to memory, and from there read it as i want.

The idea is to feed the design with this information.

My main problem, is that i'm a newbie with FPGA and i don't have any idea
how can i do this. I tried to find examples, or information about how to
manage all this but i didn't succeed.

All the information that anybody can provide is really welcome :D

Thanks

---------------------------------------
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From: Chris Maryan on 14 Apr 2010 13:51
On Apr 13, 6:42 pm, "bluds" <vtescandell(a)n_o_s_p_a_m.gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm going to use the compact flash as a store unit. It wouldn't have any
> filesystem format. I will copy raw binary data to it starting from the
> first sector.
>
> Then the objective is to read this data from the compact and then copy it
> to the fpga memory in order to use it to feed my design.
>
> Can somebody give me some references about how should i implement the
> compact flash controller. I'm new with FPGA and i don't have too much
> idea.
>
> Thanks a lot
>
> ---------------------------------------        
> Posted throughhttp://www.FPGARelated.com

The easiest way is to use the compact flash card's True IDE mode,
which is more or less identical to ATA.

You should be able to get the CF card spec here:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3A*&q=compact+flash+specification+filetype%3Apdf&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
The meat of it is in the ATA spec:
http://www.t13.org/Documents/UploadedDocuments/project/d1410r3b-ATA-ATAPI-6..pdf

Follow the ATA spec and build your software up through the layers
described in the spec. Start with getting the card through
initialization, being able to talk to the registers, then implement
the ATA commands you need. Stick to PIO mode and get that workign
first; odds are you'll find that's plenty fast for what you need. If
you decide you need FAT, that's another layer and another spec.

CF/ATA is easier to do than you might at first guess from looking at
the spec, just don't get carried away with how much of the spec you
implement. Just get what you need working.

If CF isn't necessary, SD cards have a SPI mode that's a bit easier to
work with.

Cheers,

Chris
From: glen herrmannsfeldt on 14 Apr 2010 14:13
Chris Maryan <kmaryan(a)gmail.com> wrote:
(snip)

> The easiest way is to use the compact flash card's True IDE mode,
> which is more or less identical to ATA.

> You should be able to get the CF card spec here:
> http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3A*&q=compact+flash+specification+filetype%3Apdf&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
> The meat of it is in the ATA spec:
> http://www.t13.org/Documents/UploadedDocuments/project/d1410r3b-ATA-ATAPI-6.pdf

> Follow the ATA spec and build your software up through the layers
> described in the spec. Start with getting the card through
> initialization, being able to talk to the registers, then implement
> the ATA commands you need. Stick to PIO mode and get that workign
> first; odds are you'll find that's plenty fast for what you need. If
> you decide you need FAT, that's another layer and another spec.

In addition, CF has the 8 bit transfer mode that was originally
part of IDE/ATA but somehow forgotten along the way. Somewhat
easier for some systems than 16 bit mode.

-- glen

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