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General PLD Information

Background

VersaLogic CPU boards feature one or more programmable logic devices (PLDs) that control various functions of the board. PLDs are factory programmed and may, on certain boards, be re-programmed with updated code in the field. Updating to the latest PLD code might improve performance or correct errors. To update PLD code, you must download the file that contains the code and the update utility, ISPDAT.exe. You must run the utility from DOS, not a DOS window.

Note: On some VersaLogic SBCs, such as the EBX-22, the PLD version is contained in a special register; see the reference manual for details. See the support page for your board for PLD and BIOS compatibility information.

 

PLD Update Instructions

Before you update the PLD code of your VersaLogic SBC board, make sure you do the following:

  • Identify the appropriate PLD code version (DAT file) for your VersaLogic computer. Note: Some board models require a unique DAT file. For example, the EBX-22g (Sidewinder) uses the PEBX22gR201.dat file, whereas the EBX-22h (extended-temperature Sidewinder) uses the PEBX22hR201.dat file.
  • Update the BIOS of your VersaLogic SBC to a version that supports the PLD you are installing.
  • Configure your board with a keyboard, display, power supply, and a DOS-bootable drive (floppy, hard drive, or other device).

 

Procedure:

  1. Download the ZIP file containing the appropriate PLD code and extract the DAT and ISPDAT.exe files. Note: If the name of the DAT file exceeds eight characters, DOS will rename it to conform to the 8.3 file naming convention. The new name will consist of the first six characters of the original name, a tilde (~), and a digit. For example, DOS will rename the file PEBX22gR201.dat to PEBX22~1.dat.
  2. Copy the ISPDAT.exe utility and the DAT file to the DOS-bootable drive.
  3. If necessary, configure CMOS setup to boot from the DOS-bootable drive.
  4. Reboot the computer.
  5. At the DOS prompt, enter the following command: ispdat -board SBC -aprogram dat_file
    Where SBC is the VersaLogic SBC model and dat_file is the DOS-renamed DAT file. For example:

    ispdat -board ebx-22 -aprogram PEBX22~1.dat

    Note that the process takes about two minutes and should not be interrupted. A pass or fail message is displayed when the process is complete. If the process fails, contact VersaLogic Customer Support at 503-747-2261 for assistance.

  6. Reboot the system and configure CMOS Setup as needed.

Note: When programming multiple boards in a version-controlled operation, you may speed up programming by using the -nv (no verify) option. This option is available only with ISPDAT.exe version 1.01 and later.

 

Update Utility

The ISPDAT utility writes new PLD code to the on-board PLD. The utility is included in the PLD download files on the support page for your board, but you can download it separately below.

ISPDAT Utility rev 1.07
This utility writes new PLD code to the on-board PLD.