ok_DoneNotHigh

I suddenly started receiving an error while trying to load a bitstream, the ok_DoneNotHigh error. Is there anything on my end that could be responsible for this? Things were working fine yesterday, and today they aren’t.

Is the switch still in the “USB Config” position – rather than the “PROM Config” position?

Yes, I just checked, and the switch hasn’t moved.

The problem seems to be intermittent, or based on the exact bitstream – I’m not quite sure yet. A moment ago I received a -5 error instead, but cycling power (unplug/replug the USB cable) seems to have fixed that. I’m trying to see if I can get a single bitstream that exhibits the -3 problem consistently. I’ve got a candidate now, but I’m letting my board sit powered down for a while before trying again. I’ll post an update.

Well… it’s not tied to the bitstream; if I let the board sit powered down a while, I’m able to use it again.

The -5 error I had was my application error (it didn’t re-open the XEM when I’d re-enumerated it). The -3 error baffles me… I’d like to get this addressed.

DONE not high refers to an FPGA programming issue where the DONE signal was not asserted after configuration. There is basically no detail available from the device on this type of error and it can mean one of several issues.

If it is occurring on a previously successful board, it may mean a semiconductor failure.

How are you powering the board? What is the current consumption with an empty configuration?

There are a variety of ways a device can go bad, but knowing details about the application helps a lot. For example, a recent situation occurred where the customer was using the FPGA outputs as a programmable current source (they’re not) and causing excessive temperatures on the I/Os. This was actually captured with a thermal imaging camera.

After a period, previously un-detected issues like this can destroy the device and cause all sorts of bizarre behavior.

What I’m suggesting is that it is difficult to say precisely what the problem could be without a lot more detail. Feel free to contact our support email directly to discuss.