FPGA Simulation ISim error

[Intaris]

I'm looking to start simulating my FPGA Target in ISim and have run into an interesting error.

When I have built and exported the Simulation file (It runs in ISim although without a Testbench it doesn't show much).

When I try to write a LV VI using the Simulation VIs I get an error as shown below.

Is this functionality not supported for ISim?  THIS Webpage seems to suggest editing the VHD Files is required for interfacing int his way which is really not very comfortable.

Can someone comment on this because information ont his topic is not exactly easy to find on the NI website.  I have found that Xilinx has abandoned Modelsim so hopefully this functionality is (or will be) supported again.

Shane

[farora]

Hi,

Generally, it is possible to simulate source code on the FPGA using ISIM.

In the white paper, there is a brief example of such a simulation, and the general settings, which have to be done, are explained.

So you can simulate sources using ISIM. Can you figure out which part of your source code causes the error and could you post the faulty part?

Regards Fabian

[Intaris]

I know ISim can simulate but my problem is the difference between the two available ways of simulating.

One is to write a test routine in VHDL which, having written FPGA code in LabVIEW is really not comfortable at all. (This is possible with ISim)

The better of thwe two methods is to actually use LabVIEW to write the test code which then interfaces with the simulated hardware, allowing us to implement software for testing much more rapidly and also utilising actual project code.

At the moment this second version is only available using Modelsim SE (Which apparently no longer exists, it has changed names) which costs in the region of 20k Euros.  Kind of makes LabVIEW look cheap.

So my request was if this second, far more comfortable method, would be possible to implement in Isim or if it already IS implemented but I have performed soem wrong action in tryint to get it to work.

Best regards

Shane.

[Intaris]

I have been in touch with the local sales rep for Modelsim and I need to know which version is required for the advanced debugging facilities offered in LabVIEW.  The prices for the different versions are vastly different so if possible, I'd like to go for a cheaper version than the full-blown product (20k).

Can someone tell me which current version of Modelsim has this co-simulation support with LabVIEW?

Shane

[HoussamK]

Hi

I think ModelSim SE 6.5c in LabVIEW 2010, and ModelSim SE and PE versions either 6.5c or 6.6d in LabVIEW 2011.

[T-REX$]

Hi Shane,

For Co-Simulation support, you will need the SE version of ModelSIM, or in LabVIEW 2012, Questa will work for this as well. Information about version compatability with LabVIEW can be found here. I'll start an effort to clean up the documentation around the feature, because it's almost impossible to find.

[Intaris]

Clean-up would be cool.

It's indeed very hard to find.

Seems like a cool possibility though.... I'd love to try it out.

Might this be available sometime int he future with ISim?

Shane.

[T-REX$]

It is a possibility, though I don't know of any currently active feature development in that area. We do monitor the Idea Exchange for these sorts of things... but I see you're about a week ahead of me  It is being considered, but we don't have any sort of expected timeline at the moment. The more votes the idea gets, the better chance it has...

[Intaris]

FPGA Idea exchange.  Votes? Incompatible.....

[T-REX$]

Alright, you got me