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, ISPVME.exe. You must run the utility from DOS, not a DOS window in a higher-level OS.

Note: See the private 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:

  • On the private support page for your VersaLogic computer, identify the appropriate PLD code version (VME file). Each board model requires a unique VME file. For example, the EPM-5g (Puma) would use the EPM5gR506.vme file, whereas the EPM-5h (extended-temperature Puma) would use the EPM5hR506.vme file.
  • If necessary, 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 VME and ISPVME.exe files. Note: If the name of the VME 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 would rename the file EPM5gR506.vme to EPM5gR~1.vme.
  2. Copy the ISPVME.exe utility and the VME 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:
    ispvme -board board vme_file

    Where board is the VersaLogic SBC model and vme_file is the DOS-renamed VME file. For example:

    ispvme -board epm-5 epm5gr~1.vme

    The process takes about a minute and will complete with a pass or fail message. If the process fails, call VersaLogic Customer Support at 503-747-2261 for assistance.

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

 

Update Utility

The ISPVME 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 the latest version below.

ISPVME Utility rev 1.09
This utility writes new PLD code to the on-board PLD. (Includes the ISPVME.ID file, which must be present to determine the PLD version of a board.)

To determine the intalled PLD version on your VersaLogic SBC, use the command syntax below (available with ISPVME version 1.04 and later). The ISPVME.ID file must be in the same directory as the utility.

ispvme auto id

The results show the PLD set version, as well as the versions of the PLD_A and PLD_B images; for example:

VersaLogic PLD version details
------------------------------
EPM-5 PLD Set version 6.00 (standard temperature)
PLD_A version 1.02
PLD_B version 1.10