JTAG_repeater - david-macmahon/wiki_convert_test GitHub Wiki

JTAG Repeater

The goal of this active circuit board is to allow 1 computer to use 1 JTAG programmer, such as the Xilinx_Platform_Cable_USB_II, to reliably program, verify and configure 1 to 8 unmodified JTAG devices like the iBob. Where the number of devices, 8, was somewhat arbitrary but does match the number often installed into 1 standard rack mount chassis. The devices are treated individually so they may be programmed to be the same design or not as the application requires.

Programming reliability is improved by a number of techniques:

• point to point connections, no shared signals, between the JTAG Repeater and JTAG devices.
• source series termination for the signals from the JTAG Repeater to the JTAG devices.
• appropriately valued pullup resistors on open drain signals from the JTAG devices.

Please request more information via the CASPER email list.

Schematics

The PDF version of the schematics may be found at JTAG_schematics.

The connectors on the JTAG Repeater for the Repeater to JTAG device links do not have pins with the common 0.1" pitch. Instead polarized connectors with latches and 2.5mm pitch are used. This has the unfortunate consequence that new cables need to be made for the Repeater to device link. Such cables are discussed below.

Place and Route and Mechanical

Overviews of the place and route files may be found here :

• JTAG_place_and_route
• JTAG_mechanical

There was some discussion of shrinking the board down so that it would fit onto a 1U, 1.75" tall, rack mount panel. However, the final size of just over 1U and using very large thru hole components was unchanged to use up stock of existing parts and for ease of lab debug and hand reworking.

Assembly

Jtag_Repeater_BOM.txt

Jumpers

JTAG_jumpers shows the location of all 2 pin shunts and jumper cable for programming 1 to 8 devices, such as iBobs, via the JTAG Repeater board.

System Integration

The RAL convention has been to have the left most iBob in the iBob chassis, when looking from the front, be the first iBob in the chain connect to JTAG Repeater J2 and then work right and up in J-numbers. This way upper left most in the impact gui is leftmost physically installed in the chassis.

Mechanical Mounting

RAL mounts 2 of the JTAG Repeaters per 2U_panel. This panel is then mounted near, above or below, the chassis holding the JTAG devices.

Debugging

After installation one may find only a partial JTAG chain as in the impact gui only sees 2 iBobs when you think you've got all 8 connected. Often times it is best to find the program by starting at the last iBob and count towards the front the number of devices that are visible. The ID bits from the missing iBobs are replaced by logic high by the pullups and the iBobs still in the signal path for the final JTAG data out == data into the Xilinx programmer must all be connected thus count back from the end.

One simple source of failure is when the 1x9 connector at the device, eg iBob, has become dislodged. Those connectors have no latch of any kind so it is quite possible for them to be moved when connecting another cable to a nearby connector such as the RS-232 port.

As of 2011jul27 none of the 5 or so units in the field have ever burned out the VCC fuse F1. If that were to blow it would prevent the entire board from functioning and would need to be replaced.

JTAG Repeater to JTAG device cables

Connector housings and terminals

• JTAG Repeater end:
  • housing JST Sales America Inc: EHR-9 Digikey 455-1007-ND
  • terminal JST Sales America Inc: SEH-001T-P0.6 Digikey 455-1042-1-ND

• JTAG device end:
  • housing Molex: 22-01-3097 Digikey WM2007-ND
  • terminal Molex: 22-01-3097 Digikey WM1114-ND

RAL had a leftover spool of Belden Cat 5E cable and decided to use some of this to make JTAG cables. This cable is nice in that it fits through the preexisting iBob faceplate holes and is easy to work with. Lots and lots of other cables would work as well.

Length: 18 "

This works well for JTAG Repeaters mounted just above or below the iBob chassis for example. Some testing was done with cables as long as 8ft but more tweaking is required for viable operation with that length.

Individual pins:

 twisted pair 1    pin 1:  Orange      Vref    pin 2:  white w/ Orange GND

 twisted pair 2    pin 3:  white w/ Brown  GND    pin 4:  Brown       TCLK ---> from JTAG Repeater to JTAG device

 extra ground (on JTAG Repeater)    pin 5:          is unused on JTAG devices like the iBob. When used often times twisted w/ pins 6 and 7.

 twisted pair 3    pin 6:  Blue        TDO <---- from JTAG device to JTAG Repeater    pin 7:  white w/ Blue   TDI ----> from JTAG Repeater to JTAG device

 twisted pair 4    pin 8:  white w/ Green  GND    pin 9:  Green       TMS ----> from JTAG Repeater to JTAG device

Pictures

top side of assembled JTAG Repeater board.

Two JTAG Repeater boards mounted on a single 2U rack mount plate.

closeup picture of the simple fuse on the JTAG Repeater's VCC signal. The component with reference designator F1 is a simple length of approximately 30-32 AWG copper wire. The idea is that it will destroy itself in an over current condition and save the rest of the board.

JTAG Repeater cable thru the iBob faceplate. The couple turns of black electrical tape around the CAT-5E cable are to prevent the sharp edges of the face plate from cutting into the cable jacket as the cable tie pinches the cable in place. Without the cable tie it is quite easy for the cable to be dislodged as the iBob is installed and removed or the JTAG cable is bumped.

Software

The JTAG Repeater may be used using the Xilinx impact program via the gui or command line mode. RAL has found only the command line mode config command to be reliable. The verify and programming commands seem to work via both the gui and command line. The maximum CCLK setting is a function of the JTAG Repeater to device cables used. For the 18" cables described above 6 MHz works reliably. 12 MHz never failed during lab testing but isn't recommended because of the very small timing margins.

Some users have experienced unix systems getting confused and loosing its USB connection to the JTAG Repeater as we disconnect and reconnect it. To revive the connection when run as root these may help :

• On the RedHat/CentOS systems it is "/sbin/start_udev".
• On the Debian/Ubuntu systems it is "/sbin/service udev restart" (or something like this)