Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my results
Hi Jack, Cc: Casper list Sorry it’s taken me so long to come back – I got sucked into a few side projects. Unfortunately I have to report that the problem still exists: I am unable to use the tut3_noquant designs to produce a spectrum – they all contain zeroes. For the record (and for the sake of anyone else reading this in future), below is a link to an archive containing snips of the back end of my designs (vacc onwards), print statements of the first 20 channels, and a plot for one of the scenarios. In short, the problem appears to be in the propagation of data between the vacc and the brams. I’ve eliminated the brams and vaccs individually. The only scenario in which I can produce a proper spectrum is where a 32-bit slice is implemented straight after the vacc. Why this would help is beyond me, however it does and is the design I am going to have to continue with unless a proper solution can be found. I should add that this problem appears to be independent of the design speed (tested down to 100 MHz FPGA clock), and the problem was seen on a ROACH2 with the ADC in either port, and also on a ROACH1. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38103354/r2_spectra.zip BW Michael From: Jack Hickish [mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com] Sent: 12 January 2016 21:28 To: Michael D'Cruze Subject: Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my results Hi Michael, That's weird. The adc should be fine in either port. As long as the adc yellow block zdok port and the adcX_clk match in the mssge block. Jack On Tue, 12 Jan 2016 1:09 pm Michael D'Cruze <michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk<mailto:michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk>> wrote: Hi Jack, Thanks for that. I can’t see any differences between your model file and mine, EXCEPT that my iADC is in ZDOK1. I recall seeing some advice to use ZDOK0 instead however I was under the impression any of the issues were sorted. This also doesn’t explain why the spectrum forms correctly when requantisation and 32-bit accumulators are used. Because of BBC Stargazing, I won’t be able to get at the ROACH to move the iADC to ZDOK0 and test your boffile, so I’ll drop you a line when I’ve got the results. I did, however, try my model file which was compiled to run at 800 MHz (now that I’ve had a chance to get at the sig gen which clocks the ADC) and the result was essentially the same. There were still zeroes. I’ll update you Thursday afternoon. Cheers Mike From: Jack Hickish [mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com<mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com>] Sent: 12 January 2016 19:38 To: Michael D'Cruze Subject: Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my results On Mon, 11 Jan 2016 at 16:03 Michael D'Cruze <michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk<mailto:michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk>> wrote: Jack, Please send me your model and boffiles. I need to try these here. Attached. I've also attached the python script, for good measure. I’ve just done exactly what you specified here, and this is how the first 20 channels appear: [image001.png] Now, I compiled the design to run at 256 MHz as is required by the sampling speed we need to use, and as such there were some timing errors initially. I deleted the three LED readouts as they weren’t needed, but I also needed to add a clock cycle of latency to the adder in each of the VACCs. There was negative slack between the readout of the delay_bram’s RAM block and the adder. I can’t see how this could cause such zeroes but nevertheless please add your thoughts. I don't see how this would cause zeros (I'm not sure changing the adder delay doesn't subtly mess up the timing in the vacc, but I'd need to take a second to think about it). For what it's worth, I'm running mine adc0_clk @ 200MHz (adc in ZDOK one with sample rate 800MHz). Jack I will not be able to try the design at 800 MHz until I get to Jodrell in the morning, but I’ll eat my hair if it outputs a proper spectrum…. BW Michael From: Jack Hickish [mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com<mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com>] Sent: 11 January 2016 19:34 To: Michael D'Cruze; casper@lists.berkeley.edu<mailto:casper@lists.berkeley.edu> Subject: Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my results Hi Michael, I just cloned https://github.com/casper-astro/tutorials_devel.git and compiled tut3_noquant_r111 against mlib_devel b6e70b660910482b1f1028d32d29284468e38cda using Xilinx 14.7 and MATLAB 2012b (I ran update_casper_blocks(bdroot) on the model, and changed the target for roach2 before compiling). The resulting boffile outputs reasonable looking spectra when snapped with tut3_noquant_r111.py from the tutorials_devel repository (with default options, specifying only the boffile and roach2 host). I printed the first 20 channels and there are no zeros. Jack On Tue, 5 Jan 2016 at 05:21 Michael D'Cruze <michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk<mailto:michael.dcr
Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my results
You get the same problem even when using the boffile and python script that worked on my ROACH2 in Berkeley? What's your clocking arrangement? Cheers, Jack On Fri, 29 Jan 2016 at 07:20 Michael D'Cruze < michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk> wrote: > Hi Jack, > > > > Cc: Casper list > > > > Sorry it’s taken me so long to come back – I got sucked into a few side > projects. Unfortunately I have to report that the problem still exists: I > am unable to use the tut3_noquant designs to produce a spectrum – they all > contain zeroes. For the record (and for the sake of anyone else reading > this in future), below is a link to an archive containing snips of the back > end of my designs (vacc onwards), print statements of the first 20 > channels, and a plot for one of the scenarios. In short, the problem > appears to be in the propagation of data between the vacc and the brams. > I’ve eliminated the brams and vaccs individually. The only scenario in > which I can produce a proper spectrum is where a 32-bit slice is > implemented straight after the vacc. Why this would help is beyond me, > however it does and is the design I am going to have to continue with > unless a proper solution can be found. > > > > I should add that this problem appears to be independent of the design > speed (tested down to 100 MHz FPGA clock), and the problem was seen on a > ROACH2 with the ADC in either port, and also on a ROACH1. > > > > https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38103354/r2_spectra.zip > > > > BW > Michael > > > > *From:* Jack Hickish [mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com] > > *Sent:* 12 January 2016 21:28 > > *To:* Michael D'Cruze > *Subject:* Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my > results > > > > Hi Michael, > > > > That's weird. The adc should be fine in either port. As long as the adc > yellow block zdok port and the adcX_clk match in the mssge block. > > > > Jack > > On Tue, 12 Jan 2016 1:09 pm Michael D'Cruze < > michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk> wrote: > > Hi Jack, > > > > Thanks for that. I can’t see any differences between your model file and > mine, EXCEPT that my iADC is in ZDOK1. I recall seeing some advice to use > ZDOK0 instead however I was under the impression any of the issues were > sorted. This also doesn’t explain why the spectrum forms correctly when > requantisation and 32-bit accumulators are used. > > > > Because of BBC Stargazing, I won’t be able to get at the ROACH to move the > iADC to ZDOK0 and test your boffile, so I’ll drop you a line when I’ve got > the results. I did, however, try my model file which was compiled to run at > 800 MHz (now that I’ve had a chance to get at the sig gen which clocks the > ADC) and the result was essentially the same. There were still zeroes. > > > > I’ll update you Thursday afternoon. > > > > Cheers > > Mike > > > > *From:* Jack Hickish [mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com] > *Sent:* 12 January 2016 19:38 > *To:* Michael D'Cruze > > > *Subject:* Re: [casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my > results > > > > > > On Mon, 11 Jan 2016 at 16:03 Michael D'Cruze < > michael.dcr...@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk> wrote: > > Jack, > > > > Please send me your model and boffiles. I need to try these here. > > > > Attached. I've also attached the python script, for good measure. > > > > I’ve just done exactly what you specified here, and this is how the first > 20 channels appear: > > > > [image: image001.png] > > > > Now, I compiled the design to run at 256 MHz as is required by the > sampling speed we need to use, and as such there were some timing errors > initially. I deleted the three LED readouts as they weren’t needed, but I > also needed to add a clock cycle of latency to the adder in each of the > VACCs. There was negative slack between the readout of the delay_bram’s RAM > block and the adder. I can’t see how this could cause such zeroes but > nevertheless please add your thoughts. > > > > I don't see how this would cause zeros (I'm not sure changing the adder > delay doesn't subtly mess up the timing in the vacc, but I'd need to take a > second to think about it). For what it's worth, I'm running mine adc0_clk @ > 200MHz (adc in ZDOK one with sample rate 800MHz). > > > > > > Jack > > > > > > I will not be able to try the design at 800 MHz until I get to Jodrell in > the morning, but I’ll eat my hair if it outputs a proper spectrum…. > > > > BW > Michael > > > > *From:* Jack Hickish [mailto:jackhick...@gmail.com] > *Sent:* 11 Jan
[casper] ROACH2 spectrum zeroes: request to verify my results
Dear all, First of all a happy new year to everyone! I continue to chase the problem I've been having for some time now, i.e. spectrometer designs accumulating using 64-bit vacc blocks output zeroes for every other channel. This happens with the tut3_noquant tutorial design as well which is worrying. I've tried compiling the raw tut3_noquant design on three separate machines using all perturbations of the 14.x ISE versions, MATLAB 2012b and 2013a, as well as a few different versions of the CASPER libraries. I have also run the design on both a ROACH-1 and a ROACH-2. I believe this eliminates most random possibilities... I am hoping, if you have some time, that a few of you could try to verify what I'm seeing. This should just involve compiling the tut3_noquant design, running it, then pulling off a spectrum. Many thanks in advance Michael
