moving to same chip, different board: no console output

moving to same chip, different board: no console output

[David Picard]

Hello,

I am working on a project for which we selected an Intel/Altera Cyclone 
5 SoC FPGA (an FPGA with an ARM core). As the project evolves, I have to 
change boards and I am facing issues to boot: absolutely no output on 
the serial console (USB virtual COM port), not even from Barebox.

Previous working configuration:
- SD card image produced by Buildroot with Barebox as the bootloader
- Terasic ADC-SoC demo board, booting from the SD card.
https://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&No=1061&PartNo=1

Current non-working configuration:
- Eclustra Mercury+ SA2 module, also with a Cyclone 5, plus SDRAM, RTC, 
QSPI flash, etc. I think that the main difference between both Cyclone 5 
chips is the size of the logic section is bigger on the module. The 
module has more RAM.
https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/system-on-chip-modules/mercury-sa2/
- Enclustra ST1 demo baseboard. It has a JTAG port, should this 
information be of interest.
https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/base-boards/mercury-st1/

I the current configuration, I get no output on the serial console.

What I did:
- I checked the hardware configuration (switches to select booting from 
the SD card and USB config) with a bare-metal application provided by 
Enclustra.
- I used Enclutra's .dts and .dtsi files, which differ very slightly 
from the Linux kernel tree files.
- I checked how the SD card is connected: to the exact same pins in both 
configurations.
- I had a look at Barebox menuconfig, but nothing caught my eye.

So, now I'm stuck, and I'm looking for some guidance.

David

Re: moving to same chip, different board: no console output

[Ahmad Fatoum]

Hello David,

On 06.06.25 16:43, David Picard wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I am working on a project for which we selected an Intel/Altera Cyclone 5 SoC FPGA (an FPGA with an ARM core). As the project evolves, I have to change boards and I am facing issues to boot: absolutely no output on the serial console (USB virtual COM port), not even from Barebox.
> 
> Previous working configuration:
> - SD card image produced by Buildroot with Barebox as the bootloader
> - Terasic ADC-SoC demo board, booting from the SD card.
> https://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&No=1061&PartNo=1
> 
> Current non-working configuration:
> - Eclustra Mercury+ SA2 module, also with a Cyclone 5, plus SDRAM, RTC, QSPI flash, etc. I think that the main difference between both Cyclone 5 chips is the size of the logic section is bigger on the module. The module has more RAM.
> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/system-on-chip-modules/mercury-sa2/
> - Enclustra ST1 demo baseboard. It has a JTAG port, should this information be of interest.
> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/base-boards/mercury-st1/
> 
> I the current configuration, I get no output on the serial console.

So you tried to use the exact same image on both boards or were
there changes?

> What I did:
> - I checked the hardware configuration (switches to select booting from the SD card and USB config) with a bare-metal application provided by Enclustra.
> - I used Enclutra's .dts and .dtsi files, which differ very slightly from the Linux kernel tree files.
> - I checked how the SD card is connected: to the exact same pins in both configurations.
> - I had a look at Barebox menuconfig, but nothing caught my eye.
> 
> So, now I'm stuck, and I'm looking for some guidance.

You can try enabling CONFIG_DEBUG_LL and CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL and see if you
get some debugging output maybe. You'll have to choose which UART to use.

I think your new SoM may have different RAM and thus you can't use the
same image, but need one suitable to RAM integrated on your new board.

Cheers,
Ahmad

> 
> David
> 
> 
> 


-- 
Pengutronix e.K.                           |                             |
Steuerwalder Str. 21                       | http://www.pengutronix.de/  |
31137 Hildesheim, Germany                  | Phone: +49-5121-206917-0    |
Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686           | Fax:   +49-5121-206917-5555 |

Re: moving to same chip, different board: no console output

[David Picard]

Hello,

I took the same Buildroot configuration. I replaced the .dts* files with 
the ones provided by the new board BSP. Actually, they differ quite a 
lot from the Altera SoC FPGA .dts* files in the Linux tree. Then, I 
compiled and flashed the SD card.

I enabled CONFIG_DEBUG_LL with no change. CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL doesn't exist 
in my case. For some reason, the defconfig I built upon, uses Barebox 
v2021.07.0, which is probably outdated...

David

Le 06/06/2025 à 19:46, Ahmad Fatoum a écrit :
> Hello David,
>
> On 06.06.25 16:43, David Picard wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> I am working on a project for which we selected an Intel/Altera Cyclone 5 SoC FPGA (an FPGA with an ARM core). As the project evolves, I have to change boards and I am facing issues to boot: absolutely no output on the serial console (USB virtual COM port), not even from Barebox.
>>
>> Previous working configuration:
>> - SD card image produced by Buildroot with Barebox as the bootloader
>> - Terasic ADC-SoC demo board, booting from the SD card.
>> https://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&No=1061&PartNo=1
>>
>> Current non-working configuration:
>> - Eclustra Mercury+ SA2 module, also with a Cyclone 5, plus SDRAM, RTC, QSPI flash, etc. I think that the main difference between both Cyclone 5 chips is the size of the logic section is bigger on the module. The module has more RAM.
>> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/system-on-chip-modules/mercury-sa2/
>> - Enclustra ST1 demo baseboard. It has a JTAG port, should this information be of interest.
>> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/base-boards/mercury-st1/
>>
>> I the current configuration, I get no output on the serial console.
> So you tried to use the exact same image on both boards or were
> there changes?
>
>> What I did:
>> - I checked the hardware configuration (switches to select booting from the SD card and USB config) with a bare-metal application provided by Enclustra.
>> - I used Enclutra's .dts and .dtsi files, which differ very slightly from the Linux kernel tree files.
>> - I checked how the SD card is connected: to the exact same pins in both configurations.
>> - I had a look at Barebox menuconfig, but nothing caught my eye.
>>
>> So, now I'm stuck, and I'm looking for some guidance.
> You can try enabling CONFIG_DEBUG_LL and CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL and see if you
> get some debugging output maybe. You'll have to choose which UART to use.
>
> I think your new SoM may have different RAM and thus you can't use the
> same image, but need one suitable to RAM integrated on your new board.
>
> Cheers,
> Ahmad
>
>> David
>>
>>
>>
>

Re: moving to same chip, different board: no console output

[Ahmad Fatoum]

Hi David,

On 6/11/25 13:46, David Picard wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I took the same Buildroot configuration. I replaced the .dts* files with
> the ones provided by the new board BSP. Actually, they differ quite a
> lot from the Altera SoC FPGA .dts* files in the Linux tree. Then, I
> compiled and flashed the SD card.

The device trees don't have the whole story. There is Quartus-generated
C board code that sets up the DRAM controller for example, so just
replacing the device tree doesn't work so early.

> I enabled CONFIG_DEBUG_LL with no change. CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL doesn't exist
> in my case. For some reason, the defconfig I built upon, uses Barebox
> v2021.07.0, which is probably outdated...

v2021.07.0 predated CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL, yes.

Cheers,
Ahmad

> 
> David
> 
> Le 06/06/2025 à 19:46, Ahmad Fatoum a écrit :
>> Hello David,
>>
>> On 06.06.25 16:43, David Picard wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I am working on a project for which we selected an Intel/Altera
>>> Cyclone 5 SoC FPGA (an FPGA with an ARM core). As the project
>>> evolves, I have to change boards and I am facing issues to boot:
>>> absolutely no output on the serial console (USB virtual COM port),
>>> not even from Barebox.
>>>
>>> Previous working configuration:
>>> - SD card image produced by Buildroot with Barebox as the bootloader
>>> - Terasic ADC-SoC demo board, booting from the SD card.
>>> https://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?
>>> Language=English&No=1061&PartNo=1
>>>
>>> Current non-working configuration:
>>> - Eclustra Mercury+ SA2 module, also with a Cyclone 5, plus SDRAM,
>>> RTC, QSPI flash, etc. I think that the main difference between both
>>> Cyclone 5 chips is the size of the logic section is bigger on the
>>> module. The module has more RAM.
>>> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/system-on-chip-modules/mercury-
>>> sa2/
>>> - Enclustra ST1 demo baseboard. It has a JTAG port, should this
>>> information be of interest.
>>> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/base-boards/mercury-st1/
>>>
>>> I the current configuration, I get no output on the serial console.
>> So you tried to use the exact same image on both boards or were
>> there changes?
>>
>>> What I did:
>>> - I checked the hardware configuration (switches to select booting
>>> from the SD card and USB config) with a bare-metal application
>>> provided by Enclustra.
>>> - I used Enclutra's .dts and .dtsi files, which differ very slightly
>>> from the Linux kernel tree files.
>>> - I checked how the SD card is connected: to the exact same pins in
>>> both configurations.
>>> - I had a look at Barebox menuconfig, but nothing caught my eye.
>>>
>>> So, now I'm stuck, and I'm looking for some guidance.
>> You can try enabling CONFIG_DEBUG_LL and CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL and see if you
>> get some debugging output maybe. You'll have to choose which UART to use.
>>
>> I think your new SoM may have different RAM and thus you can't use the
>> same image, but need one suitable to RAM integrated on your new board.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Ahmad
>>
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Pengutronix e.K.                  |                             |
Steuerwalder Str. 21              | http://www.pengutronix.de/  |
31137 Hildesheim, Germany         | Phone: +49-5121-206917-0    |
Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686  | Fax:   +49-5121-206917-5555 |

Re: moving to same chip, different board: no console output

[Ahmad Fatoum]

Hello David,

Adding mailing list to CC.

On 6/25/25 11:54, David Picard wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I am trying to create a new board for the Enclustra Mercury+ SA2 module
> (Intel/Altera Cyclone 5 SoC FPGA).
> 
> I'd like to run the scripts/socfpga_import_preloader script, but I can't
> figure out what the so-called Altera Embedded SDK is. I found:
> - Altera SoC Embedded Development Suite (EDS), https://www.intel.com/
> content/www/us/en/docs/programmable/683227/current/installing-the-
> altera-soc-embedded-development.html
> - Arm DS Development Studio for Altera SoC FPGA, https://
> developer.arm.com/splash-screen/altera-welcome-screen

I haven't done so myself either. Adding Steffen to Cc, who added much of
the SoCFPGA support.

Cheers,
Ahmad

> 
> David
> 
> Le 16/06/2025 à 12:39, Ahmad Fatoum a écrit :
>> Hi David,
>>
>> On 6/11/25 13:46, David Picard wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> I took the same Buildroot configuration. I replaced the .dts* files with
>>> the ones provided by the new board BSP. Actually, they differ quite a
>>> lot from the Altera SoC FPGA .dts* files in the Linux tree. Then, I
>>> compiled and flashed the SD card.
>> The device trees don't have the whole story. There is Quartus-generated
>> C board code that sets up the DRAM controller for example, so just
>> replacing the device tree doesn't work so early.
>>
>>> I enabled CONFIG_DEBUG_LL with no change. CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL doesn't exist
>>> in my case. For some reason, the defconfig I built upon, uses Barebox
>>> v2021.07.0, which is probably outdated...
>> v2021.07.0 predated CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL, yes.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Ahmad
>>
>>> David
>>>
>>> Le 06/06/2025 à 19:46, Ahmad Fatoum a écrit :
>>>> Hello David,
>>>>
>>>> On 06.06.25 16:43, David Picard wrote:
>>>>> Hello,
>>>>>
>>>>> I am working on a project for which we selected an Intel/Altera
>>>>> Cyclone 5 SoC FPGA (an FPGA with an ARM core). As the project
>>>>> evolves, I have to change boards and I am facing issues to boot:
>>>>> absolutely no output on the serial console (USB virtual COM port),
>>>>> not even from Barebox.
>>>>>
>>>>> Previous working configuration:
>>>>> - SD card image produced by Buildroot with Barebox as the bootloader
>>>>> - Terasic ADC-SoC demo board, booting from the SD card.
>>>>> https://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?
>>>>> Language=English&No=1061&PartNo=1
>>>>>
>>>>> Current non-working configuration:
>>>>> - Eclustra Mercury+ SA2 module, also with a Cyclone 5, plus SDRAM,
>>>>> RTC, QSPI flash, etc. I think that the main difference between both
>>>>> Cyclone 5 chips is the size of the logic section is bigger on the
>>>>> module. The module has more RAM.
>>>>> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/system-on-chip-modules/mercury-
>>>>> sa2/
>>>>> - Enclustra ST1 demo baseboard. It has a JTAG port, should this
>>>>> information be of interest.
>>>>> https://www.enclustra.com/en/products/base-boards/mercury-st1/
>>>>>
>>>>> I the current configuration, I get no output on the serial console.
>>>> So you tried to use the exact same image on both boards or were
>>>> there changes?
>>>>
>>>>> What I did:
>>>>> - I checked the hardware configuration (switches to select booting
>>>>> from the SD card and USB config) with a bare-metal application
>>>>> provided by Enclustra.
>>>>> - I used Enclutra's .dts and .dtsi files, which differ very slightly
>>>>> from the Linux kernel tree files.
>>>>> - I checked how the SD card is connected: to the exact same pins in
>>>>> both configurations.
>>>>> - I had a look at Barebox menuconfig, but nothing caught my eye.
>>>>>
>>>>> So, now I'm stuck, and I'm looking for some guidance.
>>>> You can try enabling CONFIG_DEBUG_LL and CONFIG_DEBUG_PBL and see if
>>>> you
>>>> get some debugging output maybe. You'll have to choose which UART to
>>>> use.
>>>>
>>>> I think your new SoM may have different RAM and thus you can't use the
>>>> same image, but need one suitable to RAM integrated on your new board.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Ahmad
>>>>
>>>>> David
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>>
> 
> 

-- 
Pengutronix e.K.                  |                             |
Steuerwalder Str. 21              | http://www.pengutronix.de/  |
31137 Hildesheim, Germany         | Phone: +49-5121-206917-0    |
Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686  | Fax:   +49-5121-206917-5555 |