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MicroPython on Numato Mimas V2 FPGA

Prerequisites

Before you begin it would be a very good idea to check that the Numato Mimas v2 sample.bin code will run on your Mimas v2, and that you can successful replace it with a program of your own (eg, the Numato tutorial synthesis example.

Gateware

Setup

Clone repository, which originated with HDMI2USB (hence the dependencies listed):

git clone https://github.com/upy-fpga/upy-fpga-litex-gateware

Install the relevant bits of the environment in two parts, firstly as root:

cd upy-fpga-litex-gateware
sudo bash -x scripts/download-env-root.sh

which will install dozens of packages as direct or indirect dependencies, including some from Tim’s Ubuntu PPA.

And then as a non-root user (eg, your own user) for the remaining parts:

cd upy-fpga-litex-gateware
bash -x scripts/download-env.sh

which will download a bunch more packages, and execute/install them. Among other things it installs lm32 cross build tools (binutils, gcc, etc), as pre-built binary tools. The install process is managed with [conda](https://conda.io/docs/intro.html), a Python environment management tool. (It currently actually installs a Python 3.6 environment, and then downgrades it to Python 3.5.1 for compatability, as well as a lot of other old tools.)

It also automatically git clones the relevant Enjoy Digital litex git modules, as listed in the README.

The environment install process will take several minutes, mostly depending on the download speed.

Build

From a terminal which has not entered the Xilinx ISE WebPack environment, set the desired PLATFORM and TARGET to select what will be built, then enter the upy-fpga environment:

cd upy-fpga-litex-gateware
PLATFORM=mimasv2
TARGET=base
export PLATFORM TARGET
source scripts/enter-env.sh

All going well, it should do some checking, report the directories being used, and then change the prompt to include the PLATFORM and TARGET values. Eg,

(H2U P=mimasv2 T=base)

make help will show you the valid PLATFORM and TARGET values, but cannot be run until after scripts/enter-env.sh has been done; to change platforms or targets it would be best to start with a fresh terminal. (README.targets has some information on the possible TARGET values.)

From there, you can build the “gateware” for your selected PLATFORM/TARGET combination with:

make gateware

which will result in a lot of output, most of it from the Xilinx ISE WebPACK tools. This step will also take a few minutes, and will keep your CPU pretty busy. All going well you should end up with a build/mimasv2_base_lm32/gateware/top.bin file which can be loaded onto the Mimas V2.

Next you can build the “firmware” to run on the softcore CPU to provide MicroPython on the FPGA. You can build this for your selected PLATFORM/TARGET combination with:

make firmware

This step appears build quite quickly. It should result in a build/mimasv2_base_lm32//software/firmware/firmware.bin file.

Install

Ensure that the Numato Mimas v2 “operation mode” switch (SW7) is set to program mode – the side nearest the USB connector is program mode (see the Numato Mimas V2 documentation).

Install the gateware with:

make gateware-flash-mimasv2

Because the upload happens at 19200 bps, this will take a couple of minutes to complete – it does an erase cycle, a write cycle, and a read-back verification cycle.

The process looks something like:

(H2U P=mimasv2 T=base) ewen@parthenon:~/work/naos/src/upy-fpga/upy-fpga-litex-gateware$ make gateware-flash-mimasv2
python $(which MimasV2Config.py) /dev/ttyACM0 build/mimasv2_base_lm32//gateware/top.bin
****************************************
* Numato Lab Mimas V2 Configuration Tool *
****************************************
Micron M25P16 SPI Flash detected
Loading file build/mimasv2_base_lm32//gateware/top.bin...
Erasing flash sectors...
Writing to flash 100% complete...
Verifying flash contents...
Flash verification successful...
Booting FPGA...
Done.
(H2U P=mimasv2 T=base R=nextgen) ewen@parthenon:~/work/naos/src/upy-fpga/upy-fpga-litex-gateware$

Get & Build MicroPython

It needs to be built from an in-development repository with changes for MicroPython on FPGA and the Mimas v2.

Get toolchain and clone the forked MicroPython repository, with Mimas V2 support in it:

(H2U P=mimasv2 T=base R=nextgen) ewen@parthenon:~/work/naos/src/upy-fpga/upy-fpga-litex-gateware$ ./scripts/build-micropython.sh

That should build fairly quickly, and result in a ``build/mimasv2_base_lm32/micropython.bin` file.

Installing MicroPython on the Numato Mimas v2

Return to the gateware build top directory, with the environment set up, ie as before (possibly you still have a suitable terminal open):

cd upy-fpga-litex-gateware
PLATFORM=mimasv2
TARGET=base
export PLATFORM TARGET
source scripts/enter-env.sh

Then this custom flash image can be loaded onto the Numato Mimas v2, by ensuring that the “operation mode” switch (SW7) is in “program mode” (nearest to the USB connector), and then unplugging and plugging in the Numato Mimas v2 to reset it.

Once /dev/ttyACM0 appears on the system again, run:

MimasV2Config.py /dev/ttyACM0 build/mimasv2_base_lm32/flash.bin

to program MicroPython onto the Mimas v2. This will take a few minutes to write, as it is uploading at 19200 bps.

The result should look something like:

(H2U P=mimasv2 T=base R=nextgen) ewen@parthenon:~/work/naos/src/upy-fpga/upy-fpga-litex-gateware$ MimasV2Config.py /dev/ttyACM0 build/mimasv2_base_lm32/flash.bin
****************************************
* Numato Lab Mimas V2 Configuration Tool *
****************************************
Micron M25P16 SPI Flash detected
Loading file build/mimasv2_base_lm32/flash.bin...
Erasing flash sectors...
Writing to flash 100% complete...
Verifying flash contents...
Flash verification successful...
Booting FPGA...
Done.
(H2U P=mimasv2 T=base R=nextgen) ewen@parthenon:~/work/naos/src/upy-fpga/upy-fpga-litex-gateware$