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Question & Answer
Classification: FAQ_CLASSIFICATION
Date: FAQ_DATE
Sending data to/from the XS Board through the parallel port
Q:
I'm working on building a functional digital tester using the XS-40 board, but I can't figure out how to send test vectors and receive results between the FPGA and the PC parallel port. I am currently using C as an interface at the PC end. Can you help me sort out how the communication between the two works?
A:
You can use the parallel port's 8 data bits to send test vectors to the XS Board. You can use the parallel port's status bits to get data from the XS Board back to the PC. There is a code sample that shows how to send data to the XS Board via the parallel port in the FAQ section. Sending data in the opposite direction is similar but uses a different port address. (Check out some of the tutorials on the parallel port on the web.) Also, you will have to reserve some of the bits for signaling the presence of data and the completion of data transfers.