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Click the double square icon at right to expand or contract the window |
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The Help menu at far right of the main toolbar at top contains the following options:
Open Help and Documentation
The Help and Documentation page gives access to NX FPGA range datasheets, Impulse User Guide and beginner-level troubleshooting articles and FAQ’sFind Technical Support
Access to our Support Team for any questions about our products or licencesReport Issue
Opens the NanoXplore Support Portal with access to Ticket Creation, Knowledge Base Articles, Release Notes, etc.)Licence Manager
Displays list of all features enabled by the NanoXplore licence file management toolAbout Impulse
Displays the current software version with the associated distribution informattion
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Help & Troubleshooting
When you click on the Help > Open Help and Documentation option, the Help & Troubleshooting section at bottom of the page provides basic help and troubleshooting tips for beginners. These describe key concepts of the software, or provided step by step instructions to perform basic operations or resolve known issues.
How To
The How To guides provide step by step instructions to perform basic operations such as project creation, I/O pad configuration or bitstream generation.
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Design Flow Overviews
These short guides are general functional descriptions of the Impulse Design Flow features, including conceptual presentations of the Synthesis, Place and Route processes.
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Known Issues
These describe common issues and their workarounds, such as oversize, overflow behaviour or blending tile errors you may encounter during execution of the placing and routing phases.
...
Licence Manager
The Licence Manager lists all features enabled under the current licence file, such as the various FPGA models or specific options and attributes available.
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About Impulse
Click on Help > About Impulse to view Licence information and Distribution details.
Note: This information is required when you contact NanoXplore Support with queries or issues
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Create New Project
Open an Example Project
Impulse enables you to create new projects based on existing test cases which are bundled with the tool.
To do so do one of the following:
In the welcome screen, click Open an Example Project in the Start section at centre-left, or
In the main toolbar at top, click File > New > Project Example
Either option will open the 5-step Project Creation Wizard.
Open and select a Project Template
2. Select a device and an associated package:
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3. Then define a name and a location for the current project:
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4. Check and validate the creation of the example project:
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a. Creation of a new project
Impulse gives access at several configuration settings in order to create an entire project environment from scratch.
To do so => select File rolling menu → New → Project
1. For project creation, define a project name and project location where files, logs, reports and data during the flow execution will be written:
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The project name consists in the directory name of the folder where scripts, files and reports will be written.
2. Select either HDL source files or a full directory containing HDL files to be added to sources of the current project:
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3. Once sources have been defined, you also have the possibility to set the Top cell name and the Top cell library of the project:
Top cell name field must respect the name of top cell as it is declared in the top level HDL file of the project.
Top cell library field is used to specify the library in which the top cell is defined, work library is defined by default)
Both parameters can be modified after the project creation in Project Settings.
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Specify generic HDL parameters for the top level design of the project can be done during the same step of the project creation:
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nxpython can also assign generic parameters to the top level of the user’s design through python script execution. For assignment of parameters by nxpython, see the commands addParameter(name, value) or addParameters(parameters).
4. Then you can choose to specify physical & timing constraints associated to the project if you have an existing constraints file at .sdc, .xdc or .py format:
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5. Select a device and an associated package:
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Each device among NanoXplore FPGAs - NG-Medium, NG-Large, NG-Ultra - can be fitted into different available packages or without package (Package → embedded selected, without IOs pads included). The different packages available for selection are:
- NG-Medium => CQFP-352, LGA-625, PBGA-625
- NG-Large => CLGA-1752, FBGA-1752
- NG-Ultra => FF1760
6. Check and validate the information of the new project before confirming creation:
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Open an existing project
The starting panel of Impulse allows to either create a new project or open an existing one. In the second case, you have the choice to select Open Project in the panel or to scroll in the Recent history to search among various projects. Impulse supports and loads only .nym database file format:
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Getting Started
Create New Project
Impulse gives access at several configuration settings in order to create an entire project environment from scratch.
To do so => select File rolling menu → New → Project
For project creation, define a project name and project location where files, logs, reports and data during the flow execution will be written:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
The project name consists in the directory name of the folder where scripts, files and reports will be written.
Select either HDL source files or a full directory containing HDL files to be added to sources of the current project:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Once sources have been defined, you also have the possibility to set the
Top cell name and the Top cell library of the project:
Top cell name field must respect the name of top cell as it is declared in the top level HDL file of the project.
Top cell library field is used to specify the library in which the top cell is defined, work library is defined by default)
Both parameters can be modified after the project creation in Project Settings.
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Specify generic HDL parameters for the top level design of the project can be done during the same step of the project creation:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
nxpython can also assign generic parameters to the top level of the user’s design through python script execution. For assignment of parameters by nxpython, see the commands addParameter(name, value) or addParameters(parameters).
Then you can choose to specify physical & timing constraints associated to the project if you have an existing constraints file at
.sdc, .xdc or .py format:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Select a device and an associated package:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Each device among NanoXplore FPGAs - NG-Medium, NG-Large, NG-Ultra - can be fitted into different available packages or without package (Package → embedded selected, without IOs pads included). The different packages available for selection are:
NG-Medium => CQFP-352, LGA-625, PBGA-625
NG-Large => CLGA-1752, FBGA-1752
NG-Ultra => FF1760
Check and validate the information of the new project before confirming creation:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Open an existing project
The starting panel of Impulse allows to either create a new project or open an existing one. In the second case, you have the choice to select Open Project in the panel or to scroll in the Recent history to search among various projects. Impulse supports and loads only .nym database file format:
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Impulse can load a project at each flow milestone called Synthesise, Place & Route with their associated flow steps as long as a file at .nym format has been generated during flow execution of the corresponding step.
Open an Example Project
Impulse enables you to create new projects based on existing test cases which are bundled with the tool.
To do so do one of the following:
In the welcome screen, click Open an Example Project in the Start section at centre-left, or
In the main toolbar at top, click File > New > Project Example
Either option opens a 4-step Project Creation Wizard which will guide you through the steps to create an example project:
Select a Project Template
Use your mouse wheel or cursor to select a Template from the available list and
Click the Next button at bottom-right to move to Step 2
Select a Device
Use the drop-down menus to select your device and associated package then
Click the Next button at bottom-right to move to step 3
Set Project Information
Type your desired name in the Project name field
Type the path of yoour choice in the Project location field or the click the Browse button at right to define the location for your project
Tick the Use as Default Project Location checkbox to set your choice as default for all New Projects Click the Next button at bottom-right to move to step 4
Project Summary
Check the details in the Project Summary screen and and
Click the Finish button at bottom to confirm creation of your Example Project, or
Click the Back button to go back to any previous step and modify the details as desired
Help Menu
The Help menu at far right of the main toolbar at top contains the following options:
Open Help and Documentation
The Help and Documentation page gives access to NX FPGA range datasheets, Impulse User Guide and beginner-level troubleshooting articles and FAQ’sFind Technical Support
Access to our Support Team for any questions about our products or licencesReport Issue
Opens the NanoXplore Support Portal with access to Ticket Creation, Knowledge Base Articles, Release Notes, etc.)Licence Manager
Displays list of all features enabled by the NanoXplore licence file management toolAbout Impulse
Displays the current software version with the associated distribution informattion
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Help & Troubleshooting
When you click on the Help > Open Help and Documentation option, the Help & Troubleshooting section at bottom of the page provides basic help and troubleshooting tips for beginners. These describe key concepts of the software, or provided step by step instructions to perform basic operations or resolve known issues.
How To
The How To guides provide step by step instructions to perform basic operations such as project creation, I/O pad configuration or bitstream generation.
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Design Flow Overviews
These short guides are general functional descriptions of the Impulse Design Flow features, including conceptual presentations of the Synthesis, Place and Route processes.
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Known Issues
These describe common issues and their workarounds, such as oversize, overflow behaviour or blending tile errors you may encounter during execution of the placing and routing phases.
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
Licence Manager
The Licence Manager lists all features enabled under the current licence file, such as the various FPGA models or specific options and attributes available.
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
...
About Impulse
Click on Help > About Impulse to view Licence information and Distribution details.
Note: This information is required when you contact NanoXplore Support with queries or issues
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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Editing & running an existing project
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