Build A ByteBlaster: Introduction

Project Info
Author: Chris
Difficulty: Medium
Time Invested: 3 Hours

Prerequisites:
  • None
You only need the parts
to complete this tutorial.
For testing you will need
Quartus II installed.
           PLDs and other programmable field array type devices have become very popular in the last decade. The portability and quick time to market that they offer make them a valuable asset to any company. The old archaic pld progammers required that you take the pld out of your circuit to program it, not anymore!
           Newer PLD devices now let you do in circuit programming. The ByteBlaster cable is a generic JTAG style programmer that is compatible for programming Altera & Max PLD devices.
           The normal ByteBlaster cable is a bit expensive! We can build it for $15!

The Altera ByteBlaster

Our ByteBlaster!

Overview of this project
           The purpose and primary goal of this project is to build a working standard ByteBlaster cable. We'll do this by taking a generic DB-25 connector and adding some simple extra circuitry & wire to it. This will essentially create a programming cable for the following devices:

           -Program MAX 9000A, MAX 7000S & MAX 7000A devices.
           -Configure FLEX 10K, 8000 & 6000 Devices.



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