ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port

®
Download Cable

July 2001, Version 3.1 Data Sheet

Features ■ Allows PC users to perform the following functions:

– Program MAX® 9000, MAX 7000S, MAX 7000A, MAX 7000B,
and MAX 3000A devices in-system via a standard parallel port
– Configure APEXTM II, APEX 20K (including APEX 20K,
APEX 20KE, and APEX 20KC), ACEX 1K, MercuryTM ,
FLEX® 10K (including FLEX 10KA and FLEX 10KE), FLEX 8000,
and FLEX 6000 devices and ExcaliburTM embedded processor
solutions
■ Supports operation while powered up with VCC at 3.3 V or 5.0 V
■ Provides a fast and low-cost method for in-system programming
■ Downloads data from the MAX+PLUS® II or Quartus™ II
development software
■
■
Interfaces with a standard 25-pin parallel port on PCs
Uses a 10-pin circuit board connector, which is identical to the
13
ByteBlasterTM parallel port and BitBlasterTM serial download cables

Development
Tools
Functional The ByteBlasterMV parallel port download cable (ordering code:
PL-BYTEBLASTERMV) interfaces to a standard PC parallel port (also
Description known as an LPT port). This cable drives configuration data from the PCto
APEX II, APEX 20K (including APEX 20K, APEX 20KE, and
APEX 20 KC), ACEX 1K, Mercury, Excalibur, FLEX 10K (including
FLEX 10KA and FLEX 10KE), FLEX 8000, and FLEX 6000 devices, as well
as programming data to MAX 9000, MAX 7000S, MAX 7000A,
MAX 7000B, MAX 3000A devices and configuration devices. Because
design changes are downloaded directly to the device, prototyping is easy
and multiple design iterations can be accomplished in quick succession.
See Figure 1.

Altera Corporation 1
A-DS-BYTBLMV-3.1
ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

Figure 1. ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable

MV
laster
ByteB

Download Modes
The ByteBlasterMV cable provides two download modes:

■ Passive serial (PS) mode—Used for configuring APEX II, APEX 20K,
Mercury, ACEX 1K, Excalibur, FLEX 10K, FLEX 8000, and FLEX 6000
devices
■ JTAG mode—Industry-standard Joint Test Action Group (JTAG)
interface for programming or configuring APEX II, APEX 20K,
Mercury, ACEX 1K, Excalibur, FLEX 10K, MAX 9000, MAX 7000S,
MAX 7000A, MAX 7000B, and MAX 3000A devices

ByteBlasterMV Connections
The ByteBlasterMV cable has a 25-pin male header that connects to the PC
parallel port, and a 10-pin female plug that connects to the circuit board.
Data is downloaded from the PC’s parallel port through the
ByteBlasterMV cable to the circuit board via the connections discussed in
this section.

2 Altera Corporation
 ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

1 To configure 1.5-V APEX II, 1.8-V APEX 20KE, 2.5-V APEX 20K,
and Excalibur, Mercury, ACEX 1K, and FLEX 10KE devices
using the ByteBlasterMV download cable, connect the pull-up
resistors to a 3.3-V power supply, and the cable’s VCC pin to a
3.3-V power supply, and the device’s VCCINT pin to an
appropriate 2.5-V, 1.0-V, or 1.5-V power supply. For PS
configuration, the device’s VCCIO pin must be connected to a
2.5-V or 3.3-V power supply. The ByteBlasterMV VCC pin must
be connected to 3.3 V for APEX II, Mercury, ACEX 1K, APEX
20K, and FLEX 10KE JTAG configuration, or MAX 7000A and
MAX 3000A JTAG in-system programming. The device VCCIO
pin can be connected to either a 2.5-V or 3.3-V power supply.

ByteBlasterMV Header & Plug Connections

The 25-pin male header connects to a parallel port with a standard parallel
cable. Table 1 identifies the pins and the download modes.

Table 1. ByteBlasterMV 25-Pin Header Pin-Outs

13
Pin PS Mode Signal Name JTAG Mode Signal Name

Development
2 DCLK TCK

Tools
3 nCONFIG TMS
8 DATA0 TDI
11 CONF_DONE TDO
13 nSTATUS –
15 VCC VCC
18 to 25 GND GND

Altera Corporation 3
ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

Figure 2 shows a schematic of the ByteBlasterMV download cable.

Figure 2. ByteBlasterMV Schematic

VCC 10-Pin Plug Connections
(2) VCC
4
VCC
(2) 7
25-Pin Male Header
3
Connections
74HC244 VCC
1G VCC
14 (1) GND
2G GND
9 (1) GND
1A1 1Y1
(1)
VCC VCC VCC 1A2 1Y2
(1)
1A3 1Y3
(2) (2) (2)
GND 1A4 1Y4
2 (1) (1) 1
2A1 2Y1
3 (1) (1) 5
2A2 2Y2
8 (1) (1) 9
2A3 2Y3
2A4 2Y4
7
GND 2, 10
10
GND
13 (1)
11 (1)
12 (1)
VCC
(2)
15

18-25

GND

Notes:
(1) All series resistors are 100 Ω.
(2) All pull-up resistors are 2.2 kΩ.

The 10-pin female plug connects to a 10-pin male header on the circuit
board containing the target device(s). Figure 3 shows the dimensions of
the female plug.

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 ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

Figure 3. ByteBlasterMV 10-Pin Female Plug Dimensions

Dimensions are shown in inches. The spacing between pin centers is 0.1 inch.

0.425 Typ.

Color Strip

1 3 5 7 9
0.250 Typ.
2 4 6 8 10

0.100 Sq. 0.025 Sq.

0.700 Typ.

13

Development
Table 2 identifies the 10-pin female plug’s pin names for the
corresponding download mode.

Tools
Table 2. ByteBlasterMV Female Plug’s Pin Names & Download Modes

Pin PS Mode JTAG Mode

Signal Name Description Signal Name Description
1 DCLK Clock signal TCK Clock signal
2 GND Signal ground GND Signal ground
3 CONF_DONE Configuration TDO Data from device
control
4 VCC Power supply VCC Power supply
5 nCONFIG Configuration TMS JTAG state
control machine control
6 – No connect – No connect
7 nSTATUS Configuration – No connect
status
8 – No connect – No connect
9 DATA0 Data to device TDI Data to device
10 GND Signal ground GND Signal ground

Altera Corporation 5
ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

1 The circuit board must supply VCC and ground to the

ByteBlasterMV cable.

Circuit Board Header Connection

The ByteBlasterMV 10-pin female plug connects to a 10-pin male header
on the circuit board. The 10-pin male header has two rows of five pins,
which are connected to the device’s programming or configuration pins.
The ByteBlasterMV cable receives power and downloads data via the male
header. Figure 4 shows the dimensions of a typical 10-pin male header.

Figure 4. 10-Pin Male Header Dimensions

Dimensions are shown in inches.

Top View Side View

0.100 0.100 0.025 Sq.

0.235

Operating Tables 3 through 5 summarize the absolute maximum ratings,

recommended operating conditions, and DC operating conditions for the
Conditions ByteBlasterMV cable.

Table 3. ByteBlasterMV Cable Absolute Maximum Ratings

Symbol Parameter Conditions Min Max Unit

VCC Supply voltage With respect to ground –0.5 7.0 V
VI DC input voltage With respect to ground –0.5 7.0 V

Table 4. ByteBlasterMV Cable Recommended Operating Conditions

Symbol Parameter Conditions Min Max Unit

VCC Supply voltage, 5.0-V operation 4.5 5.5 V
Supply voltage, 3.3-V operation 3.0 3.6 V

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 ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

Table 5. ByteBlasterMV Cable DC Operating Conditions

Symbol Parameter Conditions Min Max Unit

VIH High-level input voltage VCC = 4.5 V 3.15 V
VCC = 3.0 V 2.1 V
VIL Low-level input voltage VCC = 4.5 V 1.35 V
VCC = 3.0 V 0.9
VOH 5.0-V high-level TTL output voltage TTL load. VCC = 4.5 V, IOH = 8 mA 3.80 V
3.3-V high-level TTL output voltage TTL load. VCC = 3.0 V, IOH = 4 mA 2.48 V
5.0-V high-level CMOS output CMOS load. VCC = 4.5 V, IOH = 50 µA 4.4 V
voltage
3.3-V high-level CMOS output CMOS load. VCC = 3.0 V, IOH = 50 µA 2.9 V
voltage
VOL 5.0-V low-level TTL output voltage TTL load. VCC = 4.5 V, IOL = 8 mA 0.44 V
3.3-V low-level TTL output voltage TTL load. VCC = 3.0 V, IOL = 4 mA 0.44 V
5.0-V low-level CMOS output voltage CMOS load. VCC = 4.5 V, IOL = 50 µA 0.1 V
3.3-V low-level CMOS output voltage CMOS load. VCC = 3.0 V, IOL = 50 µA 0.1 V
ICC Operating current 50 mA
13

Development
Software Altera’s Quartus II and the MAX+PLUS II design software packages

Tools
provide the programmer function required to configure or program
Instructions devices using the ByteBlasterMV download cable.

Quartus II Instructions
To configure or program one or more devices with the ByteBlasterMV
cable and the Quartus II programmer

1. Compile a project. The Quartus II compiler generates a .sof file to

configure APEX II, APEX 20K, Mercury, and Excalibur devices. To
program an EPC configuration device, a .pof or JAM STAPL format
file should be used.

2. Attach the ByteBlasterMV cable to a parallel port on a PC and insert

the 10-pin female plug into the prototype system containing the
target device. The board must supply power to the ByteBlasterMV
cable.

Altera Corporation 7
ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

1 For the Windows NT operating system, a driver must be

installed before using the ByteBlasterMV cable. For instructions
on installing ByteBlasterMV drivers, go to the “ByteBlaster MV
and MasterBlaster Installation” section in the Quartus II
Installation and Licensing for PCs Manual. If you do not see a
selection for the ByteBlasterMV cable in the hardware setup
windows, the ByteBlasterMV driver is not installed.

3. Open the Quartus II programmer by selecting Open Programmer

from the (Processing menu). Choose Setup... in the Programming
Hardware section. Specify the ByteBlasterMV cable and the
appropriate LPT port. Please see “Changing Setup” under the
ByteBlasterMV cable in the Quartus II software Help menu for more
information.

4. Select either passive serial or JTAG programming mode and then

add the files and/or devices you want to program or configure using
the add file... or add device... buttons to create a chain description
file (.cdf).

1 The programmer has two programming modes: passive serial

and JTAG. In passive serial mode, you select which SOFs to
include in the device chain. In JTAG mode, you add specific
devices and configuration devices to the device chain, in
addition to POFs and SOFs, and you have several programming
options for each configuration device in the chain. In JTAG
mode, you can verify an EPC configuration device’s contents
against its programming file data, check that a device is blank,
examine a programmed device and save its data to file, or use its
data to program or verify another configuration device.

5. Choose the start button in the Quartus II software to program or

configure the device(s). The ByteBlasterMV cable downloads the
data from the SOF and/or POF file(s) into the device(s).

1 For more instructions, please refer to Quartus II Help.

MAX+PLUS II Instructions
To configure or program one or more devices with the ByteBlasterMV
cable and the MAX+PLUS II programmer:

1. Compile a project.The compiler automatically generates an SRAM

Object File (.sof) for FLEX 10K, FLEX 8000, and FLEX 6000 device
configuration, or a Programmer Object File (.pof) for MAX 9000,
MAX 7000S, MAX 7000A, MAX 7000B, and MAX 3000A device
programming.

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 ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

2. Attach the ByteBlasterMV cable to a parallel port on a PC and insert

the 10-pin female plug into the prototype system containing the
target device. The board must supply power to the ByteBlasterMV
cable.

1 For the Windows NT operating system, a driver must be

installed before using the ByteBlasterMV cable. Go to the
MAX+PLUS II Getting Started Manual for instructions on
installing ByteBlasterMV drivers. If you do not see a selection for
the ByteBlasterMV cable in the hardware setup windows, the
ByteBlasterMV driver is not installed.

3. Open the MAX+PLUS II programmer. Choose the Hardware Setup

command (Options menu) to specify the ByteBlasterMV cable and
the appropriate LPT port. See “Changing the Hardware Setup” in
MAX+PLUS II Help for more information.

4. The MAX+PLUS II software automatically loads the programming

file for the current project (either a POF or SOF), or the first
programming file for a multi-device project. To specify another
programming file, choose Select Programming File (File menu) and 13
specify the correct file. For a FLEX 10K, FLEX 8000, or FLEX 6000

Development
device, select an SOF; for a MAX 9000, MAX 7000S, MAX 7000A, or
MAX 3000A device, select a POF.

Tools
5. For JTAG or FLEX-chain programming or configuration, perform the
following steps: To program or configure devices in a JTAG chain
(multi- or single-device chain), turn on Multi-Device JTAG-Chain
(JTAG menu) and choose Multi-Device JTAG Chain Setup to set up
the multi-device JTAG chain. See “Setting up Multi-Device JTAG
Chains” in MAX+PLUS II Help for more information.

6. If the JTAG chain includes either FLEX or MAX devices exclusively,

set up and create just one JTAG Chain File (.jcf). Likewise, if the
JTAG chain includes a mixture of FLEX and MAX devices, set up
and create two separate JCFs. One JCF will configure the FLEX
devices, and the other JCF will program the MAX devices.

7. To configure multiple devices in a FLEX chain, turn on Multi-Device

FLEX Chain (FLEX menu) and choose Multi-Device FLEX Chain
Setup to set up the multi-device FLEX chain. See “Setting Up Multi-
Device FLEX Chains” in MAX+PLUS II Help for more information.

8. Choose the Program or Configure buttons in the MAX+PLUS II

software to program or configure the device(s).The ByteBlasterMV
cable downloads the data from the SOF or POF File(s) into the
device(s).

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ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

1 For more instructions, please refer to MAX+PLUS II Help.

Conclusion Downloading configuration and programming data directly to the device

via the ByteBlasterMV cable allows designers to verify multiple design
iterations in quick succession, thereby speeding the design cycle.

References For more information on configuration and in-system programmability

(ISP), see the following sources:

■ Application Note 116 (Configuring APEX 20K, FLEX 10K & FLEX 6000
Devices)
■ Application Note 33 (Configuring FLEX 8000 Devices)
■ Application Note 38 (Configuring Multiple FLEX 8000 Devices)
■ Application Note 39 (IEEE 1149.1 (JTAG) Boundary-Scan Testing in
Altera Devices)
■ Application Note 95 (In-System Programmability in MAX Devices)
■ Search for “Configuring a Single Device with the BitBlaster,
ByteBlaster, or FLEX Download Cable”, Setting Up Multiple-Device
JTAG chains,” “Configuring Multiple Devices in a JTAG Chain with
the BitBlaster or ByteBlaster “, and “Programming Multiple Devices
in a JTAG Chain with the BitBlaster or ByteBlaster” in MAX+PLUS II
Help.
■ Search for “ByteBlasterMV,” “Programming a Single Device or
Multiple Devices in JTAG or Passive Serial Chains with the
MasterBlaster or ByteBlasterMV”, “Configuration Scheme
Description”, “Programmer Introduction,” and “Programming” in
Quartus II Help.

Revison History The information contained in the ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download
Cable Data Sheet version 3.1 supersedes information published in
previous versions.

The ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet version 3.1
contains the following change:

■ The resistor value for Note 2 in Figure 2 has been updated.

10 Altera Corporation
 ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

Notes:

Altera Corporation 11
ByteBlasterMV Parallel Port Download Cable Data Sheet

®
Altera, ACEX, ACEX IK, APEX, APEX II, APEX 20K, APEX 20KE, APEX 20KC, BitBlaster, ByteBlasterMV,
101 Innovation Drive Excalibur, FLEX, FLEX 10K, FLEX 10KA, FLEX 10KE, FLEX 8000, FLEX 6000, MasterBlaster, MAX, MAX 9000,
San Jose, CA 95134 MAX 7000S, MAX 7000A, MAX 3000A, MAX+PLUS II, Mercury, Quartus, Quartus II, and specific device
designations are trademarks and/or service marks of Altera Corporation in the United States and other
(408) 544-7000 countries. Altera acknowledges the trademarks of other organizations for their respective products or services
http://www.altera.com mentioned in this document. Altera products are protected under numerous U.S. and foreign patents and
Applications Hotline: pending applications, maskwork rights, and copyrights. Altera warrants performance of its semiconductor
products to current specifications in accordance with Altera’s standard warranty, but reserves the right to
(800) 800-EPLD make changes to any products and services at any time without notice. Altera assumes no responsibility or
Customer Marketing: liability arising out of the application or use of any information, product, or service
(408) 544-7104 described herein except as expressly agreed to in writing by Altera Corporation. Altera
customers are advised to obtain the latest version of device specifications before relying on
Literature Services: any published information and before placing orders for products or services.
[email protected]
Copyright  2001 Altera Corporation. All rights reserved.

12 Altera Corporation

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