Method and system for programming FPGAs on PC cards without additional hardware

摘要

The concept of the invention includes a method and circuitry for programming or updating electronic hardware circuits without manual intervention in the circuits. In addition, the circuit arrangement according to the invention comprises an EEPROM device (12), an FPGA device (16) accessible via a computer bus system and an intermediate MUX element, and a MUX element (14) connected between these devices. DOLLAR A Furthermore, the circuit arrangement has a PROM device (10), in which control data for the proper detection of the FPGA by the bus system are included, as well as a logic used to program the EEPROM device with an EEPROM FPGA interface such as the JTAG Interface (Joint Test Action Group) can be used. The mentioned MUX element may be controlled to select either the PROM or the EEPROM or the FPGA to read out data to properly connect the FPGA to the bus system and to initialize a configuration of the FPGA with the contents of the EEPROM. DOLLAR A During a first series of steps, the FPGA is used to program the EEPROM with the scheme received from a disk, as described above. Then, the MUX element is switched to read from the EEPROM and to feed the developed scheme programmed therein into the FPGA as intended. The PROM has only the task to provide the FPGA with the information that is necessary ...