Altera

At UBC, we make extensive use of Altera tools and technology. On this page, you will find instructions on how to download and install the Altera software tools on your own computer. There are also some basic tutorials to get you started using the software as quickly as possible.

Downloading Altera Software

A comprehensive matrix of available Altera software is located here. Alternatively, this page may be easier to follow. There are a number of different tools and versions that you can download and use -- these are described below.

This page was last updated 8 September 2013.

1. Quartus II. The initial software to compile VHDL/Verilog into a bitstream that can configure the DE1 and DE2 boards. The Web Edition is free. Consult the list below to see which version is being used in your course. For the rest of the tools below, always download the same version (same row) that matches that Quartus version.
   • Don't be alarmed if your course is using an older version of Quartus. In the world of real-life engineering tools, this is often done because the older versions have known bugs and workarounds, which will make your life easier. You can waste a lot of time, and risk the success of the project, if you encounter unknown bugs with unknown solutions.

   EECE 259, 353

   Quartus II Web Edition 13.0 SP1

   EECE 355, 381

   Quartus II Web Edition 12.1 SP2

   Note

   The acronym SP means Service Pack. If you are asked to download 13.0 SP1, you should click the link named SP1 in the same row as 13.0.

   Subscription Edition vs Web Edition

   You can read about the differences between these editions here.

2. ModelSim-Altera. This is the advanced VHDL/Verilog simulator. For home use, you want the Starter Edition, which is free.

   EECE 259, 355, 381

   You are not using ModelSim.

   EECE 353

   Choose the version of ModelSim that matches your Quartus II distribution (eg, 10.1d for 13.0 SP1).

   Note

   A simple simulator and waveform editor, called QSim, is built-in to some versions of Quartus II. If it is missing (eg, in 11.0), it can be installed separately. Read about it here.

3. Nios II Embedded Design Suite (EDS). This is the C compiler and Integrated Development Environment (IDE -- a combined editor and compiler) for programming Altera's Nios II processor. The latest versions of Quartus II (12.1 or higher) already includes this software. However, for older versions of Quartus II (eg, prior to 11.0), you must download this separately.

4. Altera University Program Software. This is a set of Verilog/VHDL files for the DE1/DE2 boards, as well as an easy-to-use C compiler and debugger interface for Nios II.
   • Download the University Program Installer from here. Be sure to select the version that matches your Quartus II distribution.

5. Quartus II Programmer. This program will upload a .sof or .pof file to your DE1/DE2 board. This tool is already included as part of Quartus II, so don't install it again. However, this is useful as a standalone programmer if your laptop has insufficient space to install the full Quartus II. Here is the latest version.

6. USB-Blaster Device Driver. This device driver is essential so that Altera software can communicate with your DE1 or DE2 board. Normally, this comes bundled with Quartus II. However, if you are using Windows 7 (or later) with Quartus II versions prior to 10.0, you must separately download a copy of the USB Blaster driver from Quartus II version 10.0 or above. Further details. Here are general install instructions and Windows 7 instructions.

Installing Altera Software

You should install Altera software in the order listed above in the download section. Below, we will give any additional hints on installing each tool.

1. Before installing Quartus II, be sure you have enough free disk space. Depending upon the version, you could need 20GB or more free space before beginning. The Quartus II installation file is highly compressed -- you need space to (a) store the download, (b) create a decompressed copy, and (c) create the installation copy from the decompressed copy. You can recover some of this space by deleting the download afterwards.

2. When installing Quartus II, you should try to stick with all of the default options. To save disk space, you may choose "Custom" instead of "Complete" and then choose to keep only "Cyclone II" but no other devices.

3. To install the USB-Blaster Cable Device Driver, you need to plug in the DE1/DE2 board into your computer and turn it on.

4. Install the rest of your Altera tools to the same disk (e.g., all on C:, or all on D:). This should also be the disk you use for your source files (VHDL, C, etc.). To avoid potential trouble down the road, avoid using long pathnames and avoid using spaces in folder names.

Licensing Quartus II

At UBC, we have licenses to the full versions of the Altera software. The lab computers will have the full Subscription Edition of Quartus installed, and these require the license to be properly set up. The subscription edition has a larger database of FPGA chips that are supported, and allows you to do some more advanced things. You can read about the differences between these editions here.

In Quartus II, go to Tools and select License Setup... at the bottom. Then, set the 'License file:' field as follows:

• 27001@altera-tlm.ece.ubc.ca for undergraduate teaching
• 27001@mflex1.ece.ubc.ca for graduate research and teaching

In response, the 'Current License' box should read Full License under 'License Type:'.

On your own laptops and home computers, the 'License file:' entry should be left blank. In response, the 'Current License' box should read Web Edition under 'License Type:'.

Even though you have the web edition on your own computer, you can access most of the features of the Subscription Edition when you are at UBC. First, you must be connected with an Ethernet wire in the departmental UPS rooms. Then, set the license fields as above with your Web Edition software. This unlocks extra features (eg, compiling a Nios II processor design into a stand-alone programming file), but it cannot make up for any missing files (eg, missing databases for additional FPGA chips).

If you cannot generate .sof/.pof files, you probably do not have the license configured properly. In particular, generating a stand-alone design with a Nios II processor requires a license. That is, if your design uses a Nios II processor and you run Quartus II without a license, you cannot generate a .pof file, only a restricted .sof file which is either time-limited or must remain USB-tethered to operate.

Altera Software Tutorials

We will place tutorials online later.