xtclsh.exe cannot be found....need help

[nvance]

I work for a school district and support students and faculty with hardware and software issues. 

There is a class who is using this software for a program called Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and they havent had any issues until today.

A student has designed a circuit and is trying to 'Export to PLD'

When it tries to complete this task it gives the error:

xtclsh.exe cannot be found.   

Please re-install Xilinx tools and try again.

This student has been able to export to PLD before.... and it happens on every computer he tries it on. Also I can find xtclsh.exe just fine.

Anyone have any ideas what the issue could be?

Thank you in advance for anyone who helps.

[derekdb]

Hi there,

Have you tried "Export to PLD" with other projects? If the problem still persists, can you create a service request and send your design to our AE support for a better understanding of the causes? Other thing you can try is to make sure that the path of the Xilinx tool is set correctly. Please navigate to Options->Global Preferences->Miscellaneous->Xilinx Tool Path for a quick check. 

Regards,

[nvance]

The student has successfully exported to PLD with other projects before. I will check xilinx tool path you mentioned. If he still has issues I will submit a service request along with a copy of the design. Thanks for your help!!!!!

[derekdb]

Sounds good. You are welcome:)

[nvance]

Well I checked the Tools path, was set to C:\Xilinx....

Tried setting it to:

C:\Xilinx\13.2\

C:\Xilinx\13.2\ISE_DS\ISE\bin\nt\

C:\Xilinx\13.2\ISE_DS\ISE\bin\nt64\

I also reset the software after each change to make sure it took effect. Still getting same message.

Was going to submit to AE support but not sure how to get there, clicked on the Support link at the top but did not see anything that could stand for AE... can you give me a little more direction? Thanks again.

[derekdb]

Hi,

You can click on this thread: https://lumen.ni.com/nicif/US/GB_SRM/content.xhtml?du=https://sine.ni.com/srm/app/myServiceRequests

or go to NI.com->Support->Service Request Manger to create your service request.

[nvance]

Thanks again for replying.  The problem is I don't have access to the service request manager because we acquired this software and license through an educational program called Project Lead the Way (pltw.org). So I have no way of submitting a service request. =(

[derekdb]

Oh, that's okay. We can still try to solve your problem on the forum. Please go check the versions of your Multisim software and the Xilinx Tool. Currently, Multisim 11 can only support 32-bit Xilinx ISE 10.1 tool.

[nvance]

Well, we only have versions 13.2 and 13.1 so I'm assuming that is the issue.  

Tried downloading an evaluation version of 10.1 but evidently it is not compatible with the OS (7 Pro x64) on these machines. Have any suggestions?

[GarretF]

Hi,

I thought I would chime in to provide the definitive word.

Automated programming within the Multisim 11 environment will only work with Xilinx ISE 10.1 SP3 (and later versions of 10.x). If you cannot use or access 10.1 SP3 (which isn't supported on Win 7 64-bit), then your only option is to export the PLD to VHDL, and then use Xilinx ISE to do the programming. I think the PLTW curriculum outlined these steps, but if not, I've give an overview. Unfortunately, I don't have the software in front of me right now, but the steps are essentially:

In Multisim

1. Build the PLD schematic

2. Transfer > Export to PLD

3. Select the option to Generate and Save VHDL files. Click Next

4. Select where you want to save the files (you'll need these in a second)

In Xilinx ISE

1. Create a new project

2. Follow the wizard. Where appropriate, set the following

  a. Family: Spartan 3E

  b. Device: XC3S500E

  c. Package: FT256

  d. If the wizard allows you to select Source files, select the VHDL files you exported from Multisim and C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Circuit Design Suite 11.0\pldconfig\DEFB.ucf

3. Finish the wizard

4. If the wizard didn't prompt to select source files, click Project > Add Source to add the VHDL files you exported from Multisim and C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Circuit Design Suite 11.0\pldconfig\DEFB.ucf

5. In the Module View window, select XC3S500E (I might be wrong here - if you can't find the processes in the next step, try selecting other items in this window)

6. In the Processes window, right click the Implement Design step, select Properties, and check "Allow Unmatched LOC Constraints" (I'm not certain as to the name

7. In the Processes window, right click the Generate Programming File step, and select Run. This step will take some time to complete

8. When the previous step completes, it will ask if you want to create an iMPACT project. Ensure that the Digital Electronics FPGA Board is connected. Select yes

In iMPACT

This part I'm really fuzy on. If you can't figure it out, let me know, and I'll locate a board and give more detailed instructions

1. iMPACT should start automatically. Select to initialize the chain

2. I think you will get a prompt for a file, skip the first one (it is for the on-board ROM)

3. I think you will get a second prompt, select the bit file in the default directory

4. Program the device

Lastly, I should add a plug for the new functionality in Multisim 12. The new release supports programming using Xilinx ISE 10.1 SP3, 12.x, and 13.x.

I hope this is clear enough (and my memory was good enough). If not, just let me know.