Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition
from Altera Corporation
Order this evaluation kit now for $449.00!
 Download the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit v8.0 Update 
Includes new design examples listed below and secure digital (SD) card demos. Go to update instructions.
The Nios® II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone® III Edition makes evaluating Altera’s embedded solutions easier than ever. A dozen different processor systems targeting the low-cost, low-power Cyclone III FPGA can be evaluated by simply using the LCD color touch panel to scroll through and load your demo of choice.
These processor systems showcase the unique benefits of FPGA-based processors such as reducing bill of material (BOM) costs by integrating powerful graphics engines within the FPGA, reducing operating costs by upgrading your system over the Internet, or increasing system performance while reducing power using C-to-Hardware (C2H) acceleration.
The Nios II Embedded Evaluation kit, Cyclone III Edition comes with a comprehensive suite for software development—the Nios II Embedded Design Suite (EDS)—as well as sample Nios II processor systems that include full source code.
Get the latest ready-to-run SD card demos by downloading them from this site and adding them to the SD card that comes with the kit. You can also build your own ready-to-run SD card demos and share them via the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit Community Wiki.
Figure 1. Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition
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Ordering Information
Tables 1 and 2 show the ordering code and pricing information for the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition and the kit upgrade license.
| Table 1. Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition Ordering Code and Pricing Information |
| Ordering Code |
Price |
Ordering Information |
| DK-N2EVAL-3C25N |
$449 |
Purchase online via Altera's eStore or contact your local Altera® distributor to place your order. |
| Table 2. Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit Upgrade License |
| Ordering Code |
Price |
Ordering Information |
| IP-NIOS |
$495 |
Upgrade your kit with a perpetual use, royalty-free license for the Nios II processor. Contact your local Altera distributor to place your order. |
Design Examples and Demos
Nios II Standard Processor System
This Nios II processor system is the default hardware image that boots up on your Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit. The system has been put together using SOPC Builder and can be a starting point for your own Nios II processor system design.
The following design examples include the source code and design files. This is a great way to see example of software drivers for various hardware peripherals on your board.
Table 3 lists the designs available for the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition.
Ready-to-run SD card demos can be loaded using the application selector utility, and are provided for demonstration and evaluation to showcase Altera’s embedded partners for operating systems, middleware, intellectual property (IP), and software tools. These demos are provided in binary format only. Full Quartus® II development software projects, source code, IP licensing etc can be obtained by contacting the partner listed
Table 4 lists the ready-to-run SD card demos designs available for the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition.
Note:
-
Design supported by Altera's software partner.
Check the Nios II embedded processor design example page to see all available new designs and download them to your kit today.
Evaluation Kit Contents
The Nios II Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition is composed of the Cyclone III FPGA Starter Kit and an LCD/VGA HSMC daughtercard and features:
- Cyclone III Starter Board
- Cyclone III EP3C25F324 FPGA
- Configuration
- Embedded USB-Blaster™ circuitry (includes an Altera® EPM3128A CPLD) allowing download of FPGA configuration files via your USB port
- Power and analog devices from Linear Technology
- Switching power supply LTM4603EV-1
- Switching and step-down regulators LTC3413, LT1959
- Memory
- 32 Mbytes of DDR SDRAM
- 1 Mbyte of synchronous SRAM
- 16 Mbytes of Intel P30/P33 flash
- Clocking
- 50-MHz, on-board oscillator
- Switches and indicators
- Six push buttons total, four user controlled
- Seven LEDs total, four user controlled
- LCD daughtercard
- Color LCD touch-screen display
- 24-bit CD-quality audio CODEC with line-in, line-out, and microphone-in jacks
- 10/100 Ethernet physical layer/media access control (PHY/MAC)
- Connectors
- VGA output
- Composite TV-in
- Audio-out, audio-in, and microphone-in
- SD card
- Serial connector (RS-232 DB9 port)
- PS/2
- Ethernet connector (RJ-45)
- Nios II Evaluation Kit CD-ROM
- Example applications
- Application selector
- Picture viewer
- Mandelbrot acceleration with the Nios II C2H compiler
- Web server/remote FPGA configuration
- Hardware tutorials
- Create an FPGA design in one hour
- Build a 32-bit soft processor system inside an FPGA
- Software tutorials
- My First Software Application
- Complete documentation
- Quick start guide
- User guide
- Reference manual
- Board schematic, layout, and bill of materials
- Product and partner information
- Cables and accessories
- 128-Mbyte secure digital card and USB-to-secure digital card adapter
- USB cable
- 9-V power supply
- International power cords
- Ethernet (RJ-45) cable (7 ft.)
- Ethernet crossover adapter
- Altera Complete Design Suite DVD (free):
Documentation
Table 5 lists the documents available for the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit, Cyclone III Edition.
Update Instructions
The Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit v8.0 update includes new design examples, demos, and documentation. Follow the steps below to update your Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit.
- The update requires Quartus II and the Nios II EDS v8.0 or above. Download and install if you haven't already.
- Download and install the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit v8.0 update pack.
- The new SD card demos will be located in your Quartus II v8.0 directory similar to this:
\altera\80\kits\cycloneIII_3c25_niosII\factory_recovery\flash_contents
Loading SD Card Demos
To load all the SD Card Demos just copy the contents of the following directory to your SD card:
\altera\80\kits\cycloneIII_3c25_niosII\factory_recovery\sdcard_contents
Updating the Application Selector Utility
The application selector utility has been updated with a new look and now supports remote system update from Ethernet. To update your application selector utility, follow the directions in the Restoring the Original Flash Image chapter of the Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit User Guide v8.0 (PDF). Use the design flies in the following directory: \altera\80\kits\cycloneIII_3c25_niosII\factory_recovery\flash_contents
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