Introduction
Temperature is an important factor that can greatly affect device operation and safety, and Agilex™ 3 has a built-in temperature sensor that allows real-time temperature monitoring via JTAG.
This article describes how to check the temperature using the Configuration Debugger Tool.
Key point: The Configuration Debugger is embedded in Quartus® Prime. Therefore, you can use it if you have already installed Quartus® Prime.
Point: Although we use Agilex™ 3 as an example, the procedure is similar for other device families that use Secure Device Manager (SDM), such as the Agilex™ family and Stratix® 10.
1. number of temperature sensors installed and where they are located
Depending on the model number, Agilex™ 3 has either 3 or 6 temperature sensors. The number of temperature sensors and their locations are described below.
1-1. number of sensors
The table below shows the number of temperature sensors installed in each Agilex™ 3 model number.
[Table 1] Number of temperature sensors installed
Agilex™ 3 Model No. |
Number of temperature sensors |
A3C 025 |
3 pcs. |
A3C 100 |
6 pcs. |
1-2. location
The location of the temperature sensor also depends on the model number. The following figure shows the location of the temperature sensor on the die for each model number. The red circle indicates the location of the temperature sensor.
[Figure 1] Temperature sensor locations by model number
(Source: Power Management User Guide: Agilex™ 3 FPGAs and SoCs)
2. temperature check procedure (Configuration Debugger)
The Configuration Debugger can display the temperature as a waveform in real time, allowing you to check the actual temperature change.
2-1. configure the device
Before checking the temperature with the Configuration Debugger, the device must be configured. Any design can be configured. Please refer to the following article for the configuration procedure.
Reference material:Let's Try Agilex 3 - FPGA Configuration
2-2. start Configuration Debugger
Next, start the Configuration Debugger, which can be started from Tools -> Configuration Debugger in the Quartus® Prime menu bar.
[Figure 2] Launching the Configuration Debugger
Point: This section shows how to start the Configuration Debugger from Quartus® Prime, but it can also be started from Quartus Programmer. gt; Configuration Debugger from the Quartus Programmer menu bar.
2-3 Hardware Setup and Load Device Settings
(1) After the Configuration Debugger is launched, click the [Hardware Setup] button first. Then the GUI named "Hardware Setup" will start up.
[Figure 3] Launching the Hardware Setup GUI
(2) Available hardware items lists the available hardware . In this case, Atum A3 Nano is selected.
[Figure 4] Before selecting Hardware
Note: If Hardware is not displayed, click the "Hardware Setup" button and reboot several times.
(3) If Hardware is successfully selected, the settings will be configured as shown in the figure below.
[Figure 5] After Hardware Selection
(4) Next, click the "Load Device" button to recognize the device . If the device is successfully recognized, the model number will be displayed as shown in the figure below. In this explanation, the following model number is displayed when the [Load Device] button is clicked.
Device model number : A3C(Y135BB18A|Z135BB18A)[Figure 6] Execution of Load Device
Point: When multiple devices are included in the JTAG chain, there will be multiple devices to be recognized. In this case, select the appropriate device from the pull-down menu.
2-4. Temperature Confirmation
(1) The Configuration Debugger has several tabs for different purposes . In this case, select the Temperature Sensor tab.
[Figure 7] Select the Temperature Sensor tab.
(2) In the case of Agilex™ 3, there are four locations . In the case of Agilex™ 3, there are 4 locations, and since we will check the temperature of the SDM Block, select "0 - SDM Block".
[Figure 8] Selecting a Location
(3) Click the " Start" button to check the temperature in real time.
[Figure 9] Start Temperature Check
Point: If you select a location that contains multiple temperature sensors (Channels), the graphs of multiple Channels will be displayed at the same time.
(4) To stop, click the "Stop" button.
[Figure 10] Stop Temperature Check
The following is a GIF movie of the flow of checking temperatures in the Configuration Debugger. We hope it will be helpful in the operation procedure.
[Figure 11] GIF movie of temperature check flow
Conclusion
Agilex™ 3 and other SDM-equipped devices (Agilex™ family / Stratix® 10) are equipped with temperature sensors. These sensors allow the user to check the internal temperature of the device.
The Configuration Debugger is simple to use and intuitive even for beginners.
In addition to temperature, the Configuration Debugger can also check device information, voltage, and other information. These functions are also explained in detail in another article in the "My Experiments with Agilex™ 3 Series".
Click here for the full list of the 'Let's Try Agilex™ 3' series.