Specifications

CHAPTER 12: DEBUGGING
USING SIGNALPROBE
206 ■ INTRODUCTION TO QUARTUS II ALTERA CORPORATION
The SignalProbe feature allows you to specify which signals in the design to
debug, perform a SignalProbe compilation that connects those signals to
unused or reserved output pins, and then send the signals to an external
logic analyzer. You can use the Node Finder when assigning pins to find the
available SignalProbe sources. A SignalProbe compilation typically takes
approximately 20% to 30% of the time required for a normal compilation.
To use the SignalProbe feature to reserve pins and perform a SignalProbe
compilation on a design:
1. Perform a full compilation of the design.
2. Select signals for debugging and the I/O pins to route the signals, and
turn on the SignalProbe feature in the Assign SignalProbe Pins dialog
box, which is available from the SignalProbe Settings page of the
Settings dialog box (Assignments menu). See Figure 7 on page 207.
3. Perform a SignalProbe compilation using the Start > Start SignalProbe
Compilation command (Processing menu). A SignalProbe compilation
compiles a design without affecting the design’s fit, and routes the
SignalProbe signals faster than a normal compilation. Alternatively,
you can turn on Automatically route SignalProbe signals during
compilation in the SignalProbe Settings page of the Settings dialog
box and then choose Start Compilation (Processing menu) to include
SignalProbe connections in a full compilation, which may affect the
placement and routing of the design.
4. Configure the device with the new programming data to examine the
signals.