Nvidia graphics cards on Linux: PCIe link speed and width

Why is it at 2.5 GT/s??? With all said about Nvidia’s refusal to release their drivers as open source, their Linux support is great. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a flawless graphics card experience with Linux. After replacing the nouveau driver with Nvidia’s, of course. Ideology is nice, but a computer that works [...]

PCIe on Cyclone 10 GX: Data loss on DMA writes by FPGA

TL;DR DMA writes from a Cyclone 10 GX PCIe interface may be lost, probably due to a path that isn’t timed properly by the fitter. This has been observed with Quartus Prime Version 17.1.0 Build 240 SJ Pro Edition, and the official Cyclone 10 GX development board. A wider impact is likely, possibly on Arria [...]

Quartus / Linux: Programming the FPGA with command-line

Command-line? Yes, it much more convenient than the GUI programmer. Programming an FPGA is a repeated task, always the same file to the same FPGA on the same board connected to the computer. And somehow the GUI programming tools turn it into a daunting ceremony (and sometimes even a quiz, when it can’t tell exactly [...]

Quartus / sdc: Constraining I/O ports clocked by an internal clock

Introduction This post is an expansion for another post of mine, which deals with register I/O packing. It’s recommended reading that one first. Timing constraining of I/O ports is typically intended to ensure timing relations between an external clock and the timing of signals that are clocked by this clock (or derived from this clock, [...]

UPS, Fedex or DHL: Will your neighbor get your package?

Is that for me? I had some $1,200 worth package sent to me from an electronics vendor (Mouser) with UPS. Free shipping. Got an SMS saying when the courier was expected to arrive. Took a nap and didn’t hear the phone ringing nor the doorbell. Woke up to an SMS saying “thank you for choosing [...]