Introduction
Hello! My name is Kuramii.
In my last article, I explored the roles of various pins on the FPGA. However, this raises another question.
Even though user I/O can be placed freely, how should we actually assign pins using Quartus® Prime? In this article, we will address this question.
Explanation of Pin Assignments using Pin Planner
First, set the model number of the FPGA to be used with Quartus® Prime. Run Analysis & Elaboration to check the syntax and connectivity of the language and schematic design you want to realize in the FPGA.
If errors are found, correct them. After correcting errors, perform pin assignments.
Select Pin Planner from the Assignments menu on the toolbar.
Once selected, the following screen will appear.
The Top View in the upper right corner shows the pins of the device.
The All Pins list at the bottom shows a list of Input/Output signals in the top hierarchy of the project.
Select a pin name from the All Pins list on this screen and drag & drop it to the location where you want to place it.
For example, if you place (drag & drop) the signal "clk" to pin 25, PIN_25 will be entered in the Location column as shown in the figure above. You have now placed the pin.
An alternative is to select it from the spreadsheet:
Double-click on the Location term of the pin name you wish to set in the All Pins list.
This will bring up a screen similar to the one below, where you can select an available pin number.
You can also enter the pin number directly in the Location item. Please use whatever method is easiest for you.
When you have finished placing pins, close Pin Planner without saving.
Once you have placed the pins in Pin Planner, the settings are reflected in Quartus® Prime.
Finally, let's check to see if the assignments is as expected.
After the pin assignments is completed in Pin Planner, Start Compilation.
After that, select Processing → Compilation Report from the toolbar.
Select Fitter → Resource Section from the Table of Contents and you will see that the pin assignments you made are reflected.
Now you know how to do pin assignments in Quartus® Prime.
Conclusion
To wrap up, here is a summary of the pin assignments process:
1. After Analysis & Elaboration, launch Pin Planner
2. Enter pin numbers directly into the Location field or select them from the spreadsheet
3. Execute Start Compilation to complete pin assignments
Now you have rescued your lost pins!
Please look for our next article!