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bs_explorer/doc/tutorial.md
François cacbb9d00e doc: document Digilent backend and probe-open by index
CLAUDE.md/README/tutorial: optional BS_ENABLE_DIGILENT backend, why
SMT2 modules need libdjtg, and the new jtag_open_probe index. Mark
phases 2 and 2.5 done.
2026-05-23 12:07:26 +02:00

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# Tutorial — from probe detection to SPI flash
This walks through the full `bs_explorer` flow on a Xilinx Kintex
UltraScale+ KU15P board connected via an FTDI MPSSE probe. The
commands are identical for any FPGA registered in `modules/fpga/`; only
the IDCODE and BSDL filename change.
## Prerequisites
- A JTAG probe physically wired to the target's TCK/TDI/TDO/TMS/TRST.
- `libftd2xx` reachable at runtime (already vendored under
`libs/libftd2xx/`).
- The target's BSDL in `bsdl_files/` (KU15P: `xcku15p_ffve1517.bsd` is
bundled).
- An entry for the target in `modules/fpga/fpga.c` (KU15P is bundled).
See [Adding a new FPGA](#adding-a-new-fpga-target) below.
- For SPI flashing, eventually: a BSCAN proxy bitstream — see the
[Phase 2.5 caveat](#phase-25-bscan-proxy) at the end.
If your board uses a Digilent JTAG-SMT2 / SMT2-NC module (KCU105,
ZCU102, …), you need the optional Digilent backend: install the Adept
Runtime system-wide and configure with `cmake -DBS_ENABLE_DIGILENT=ON
..`. Plain MPSSE does not work on those modules — see the README and
the `Digilent SMT2` block in `CLAUDE.md` for the why.
## Build & launch
```sh
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. && make
./bs/bs
```
You should see:
```
Boundary Scan Explorer v2.6.7.1
Based on Viveris jtag-boundary-scanner
3 probe driver(s) available.
Type 'help' or '?' to list commands, 'exit' or Ctrl-D to quit.
<Tab> completes commands.
bs_explorer>
```
`<Tab>` completes commands; `help <cmd>` shows per-command help;
Ctrl-D or `exit` quits.
## 1. Detect and open the probe
```
bs_explorer> jtag_get_probes_list
[0] 0x00000000 Digilent USB Device 210308AB06A6
[1] 0x00000300 Digilent: JtagSmt2NC
```
Open a probe by the index in brackets:
```
bs_explorer> jtag_open_probe 1
```
The `0x…` value next to each index is the raw probe id and is also
accepted (`jtag_open_probe 0x300`) — handy in scripts where you'd
rather pin the exact backend than rely on enumeration order.
If `jtag_open_probe` fails: check `lsusb` for the probe VID:PID, make
sure the user has access to the USB device (udev rule or group), and
confirm no other process holds the probe (e.g. `openocd`).
## 2. Scan the JTAG chain
The fastest path is `jtag_autoinit`: it scans the chain *and*
auto-loads every BSDL in `bsdl_files/` whose IDCODE matches a device.
```
bs_explorer> jtag_autoinit
```
Expected output for a single-FPGA board:
```
1 device(s) found
Device 0 (04A56093 - XCKU15P_FFVE1517) - BSDL Loaded : ...xcku15p_ffve1517.bsd
```
If the device count is 0 or the IDCODE is `0xFFFFFFFF`/`0x00000000`:
TDI/TDO are likely swapped, TRST not released, or the probe is
mis-wired. Power-cycle and re-check the harness before going further.
## 3. Identify the FPGA against the registry
`fpga_info` walks the chain and matches each IDCODE against the
compile-time registry in `modules/fpga/fpga.c`:
```
bs_explorer> fpga_info
Device 0 IDCODE 0x04A56093 -> Xilinx Kintex UltraScale+ XCKU15P [Xilinx UltraScale+]
quirk: CCLK routed via STARTUP primitive (not drivable in EXTEST)
```
If you get `not in registry`, add an entry — see
[Adding a new FPGA](#adding-a-new-fpga-target).
`fpga_list` prints the whole registry without needing a probe.
## 4. (Optional) Sanity-check the low-level JTAG primitives
Before doing anything fancy, you can verify that `bscan_set_ir` and
`bscan_shift_dr` actually move bits correctly on your hardware. Drop
the BSDL state (so `jtag_core` doesn't fight us on IR caching) and
shift IDCODE manually:
```
bs_explorer> jtag_open_probe 0 # index from jtag_get_probes_list
bs_explorer> jtag_init_scan # detects devices, does NOT load BSDL
bs_explorer> bscan_set_ir 9 6 # IDCODE opcode (KU15P: 0x09, IR=6 bits)
bs_explorer> bscan_shift_dr 32
DR = 04 A5 60 93 # bytes printed MSB-first
```
Match → primitives are healthy. Mismatch → wiring or clock issue, fix
that before moving on. The opcode and IR length come from the
`fpga_target` (and ultimately the BSDL `INSTRUCTION_OPCODE` block).
## 5. Read the SPI flash JEDEC ID via EXTEST (validation only)
This is the *slow* path — useful to confirm the SPI pins are wired
correctly to the flash, **not** a viable way to flash megabytes. See
[Phase 2.5](#phase-25-bscan-proxy) for the production path.
Put the FPGA in EXTEST, then map the four SPI signals onto the FPGA's
BSDL pin names:
```
bs_explorer> jtag_autoinit
bs_explorer> jtag_set_mode 0 EXTEST
bs_explorer> jtag_set_spi_cs_pin 0 <PIN_CS> 0
bs_explorer> jtag_set_spi_clk_pin 0 <PIN_CLK> 0
bs_explorer> jtag_set_spi_mosi_pin 0 <PIN_MOSI> 0
bs_explorer> jtag_set_spi_miso_pin 0 <PIN_MISO> 0
```
Pin names depend on the board: dump `jtag_get_pins_list 0` to discover
them. On Xilinx FPGAs, the SPI flash is typically wired to the
configuration bank (e.g. `D00_MOSI_0`, `D01_DIN_0`, `FCS_B_0`) —
**except** `CCLK`, which goes through the `STARTUPE3` primitive and is
not drivable in EXTEST (the `CCLK_VIA_STARTUP` quirk on the target).
Send the JEDEC ID command (`0x9F` + 3 dummy bytes):
```
bs_explorer> jtag_spi_rd_wr 9F000000
SPI TX: 9F 00 00 00
SPI RX: FF XX YY ZZ # XX YY ZZ identifies the flash vendor/part
```
This takes several seconds even for 4 bytes — that's the
~30 bytes/sec EXTEST ceiling. Don't try to read the whole flash this
way; you'd be there for weeks.
## 6. Add a new FPGA target
For an FPGA that's not in the registry yet:
1. **Drop the BSDL** in `bsdl_files/`. The file you want is on the
vendor's site (Xilinx: in the device download under
"BSDL files"; Intel: in Quartus install dir; Lattice: per part).
2. **Read the facts you need** from the BSDL:
```
attribute IDCODE_REGISTER ... -> IDCODE pattern (4-bit version
masked, lower 28 bits matter)
attribute INSTRUCTION_LENGTH ... -> ir_length
attribute INSTRUCTION_OPCODE ... -> opcodes for IDCODE, EXTEST,
SAMPLE, BYPASS, and private
instructions for the family
(USER1, CFG_IN, JPROGRAM,
JSTART, JSHUTDOWN, ISC_DISABLE
on Xilinx)
```
3. **Add an entry** to `fpga_registry[]` in `modules/fpga/fpga.c`,
mirroring the existing KU15P entry. Set `proxy_bitstream` to
`NULL` for now; wire it up when you have one. Set quirks as
appropriate (e.g. `FPGA_QUIRK_CCLK_VIA_STARTUP` for any
Xilinx 7-Series/UltraScale/UltraScale+).
4. **Rebuild**. The registry is compile-time, no runtime registration.
5. **Verify** with `fpga_info` after `jtag_autoinit`.
## Phase 2.5: BSCAN proxy
Flashing tens of megabytes via the EXTEST SPI bridge is not feasible
(~30 B/s, days to weeks). The realistic path is to load a tiny "BSCAN
proxy" bitstream into the FPGA fabric, then talk SPI through the
`USER1` instruction at fabric speed (~50200 KB/s).
The infrastructure is in `modules/bscan_spi/`:
```
bs_explorer> jtag_autoinit
bs_explorer> bscan_load_bitstream 0 bscan_spi_xcku15p.bit
```
This runs JPROGRAM → CFG_IN → shift → JSTART. The bitstream itself is
**not yet bundled**. Sources:
- `quartiq/bscan_spi_bitstreams` on GitHub (BSD-2). Pre-built `.bit`
files for most Xilinx parts; Migen sources to rebuild any missing
part using Vivado.
- OpenOCD reference: `src/flash/nor/jtagspi.c` documents the host
side protocol.
Once a proxy is loaded, the matching `bscan_spi_xfer()` function (and
the script command that will wrap it) will run real SPI transfers. The
proxy protocol detail is still a TODO in `modules/bscan_spi/bscan_spi.c`
— it will be wired against an actual `.bit` so we can validate
end-to-end.
## Troubleshooting cheat sheet
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---------|--------------|
| `jtag_get_probes_list` returns nothing | FTDI not enumerated. Check `lsusb`, udev permissions, conflicting process. |
| `jtag_autoinit` finds 0 devices | TDI/TDO swap, TRST held low, voltage mismatch, or chain broken. |
| All IDCODEs read `0xFFFFFFFF` | TDO floats high — broken TDO link, wrong voltage reference, or a Digilent SMT2 module being driven via raw FTDI MPSSE (use the Digilent backend instead). |
| All IDCODEs read `0x00000000` | TDO tied low or no clock reaching the target. |
| `fpga_info` says "not in registry" | Add the part to `fpga_registry[]`. |
| `bscan_shift_dr 32` doesn't return the expected IDCODE | Wrong IR opcode/length, wrong device index, or a multi-device chain (current primitives assume single device). |
| `jtag_spi_rd_wr` is hopelessly slow | That's expected via EXTEST — switch to BSCAN proxy (Phase 2.5). |
## Where to go from here
- `help` in the REPL lists all commands; `help <cmd>` gives details.
- `CLAUDE.md` at the repo root captures the architecture, roadmap and
technical decisions (machine-independent).
- `README.md` is the user-facing summary.
- The original Viveris library and its docs live untouched under
`modules/jtag_core/`, `modules/bsdl_parser/`, `modules/bus_over_jtag/`.