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AR# 39493 LogiCORE IP RXAUI - GTX Transceiver Delay Aligner Errata and Work-around

Description

The Virtex-6 GTX Delay Aligner errata item described in (Xilinx Answer 39430) affects the RXAUI v1.2 and earlier cores when targeting Virtex-6 devices. For more information, refer to the EN142 errata and the Xilinx Product Change Notice XCN11009.

Designs using the RXAUI IP core for Virtex-6 devices bypass the TX buffer to minimize TX lane to lane skew and need to implement the work-around below. The RX buffer is not bypassed so no changes are needed on the RX side.

Symptoms of this problem include loss of MMCM lock and link up problems.

The RXAUI v2.1 core which is to be released in ISE 13.1 includes the fix.

Follow the four steps below to work around this problem.

Solution

<pSTEP 1

In RXAUI v1.2 and earlier, the GTX attributes need to be modified to disable the delay aligner. To fix this problem, edit the <rxaui_core_name>/example_design/gtx_wrapper.v[hd]. The POWER_SAVE[5:4] needs to be modified and all other bits should be left as is.

For Verilog change:
.POWER_SAVE(10'bxxxx10xxxx),

To

.POWER_SAVE(10'bxxxx11xxxx),

For VHDL change:
POWER_SAVE => "xxxx10xxxx",

To:

POWER_SAVE => "xxxx11xxxx",

STEP 2

Modifying the POWER_SAVE attribute results in software errors in ISE software 12.4, 12.3 and 12.2. (Xilinx Answer 39434) provides a method for working around these errors.


STEP 3

In RXAUI v1.2 and earlier, the MMCM is using the internal feedback loop. A BUFG needs to be added to the MMCM feedback path.

For Verilog in <core_name>_example_design.v:
a) Add a wire for the output of the BUFG:
wire clkfb_bufgout;
b) Add a bufg instantiation for the feedback clock:
BUFG clkfb_bufg_i (
.I(clkfb),
.O(clkfb_bufgout));
c) Change the MMCM instantiation to drive the CLKFBIN with the output from the BUFG:
.CLKFBIN(clkfb_bufgout),

For VHDL in <core_name>_example_design.vhd:

a)Add a new signal name declaration for the output of the BUFG:
signal clkfb_bufgout : std_logic;
b) Add a bufg for the feedback clock:
clkfb_bufg_i : BUFG
port map (
I => clkfb,
O => clkfb_bufgout);
c) Change the MMCM instantiation to drive the CLKFBIN with the output from the BUFG
CLKFBIN => clkfb_bufgout,

STEP 4

Part of the requirement to fix the Delay Aligner issue is that the GTX TXOUTCLK must drive the MMCM directly with no BUFG in the path. By default, in the wrapper, TXOUTCLK already drives the MMCM directly with no BUFG in the path. The only change needed is to modify the POWER_SAVE attribute. However, this means the MMCM is restricted to the same region as the MGTs and users must not add a BUFG to move the MMCM out of the region. Each GTX Quad spans an entire clocking region and there are two available MMCMs per clocking region, the MMCM used must be constrained to the same clock region otherwise a BUFG will automatically be inserted. These locations can be determined using the Virtex-6 Package and Pinout Guide (UG365): http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/user_guides/ug365.pdf

If users have modified the wrapper to add a BUFG to this path in order to move the MMCM out of the region with the MGTs, it must be removed and the MMCM should be located in the region with the MGT providing TXOUTCLK.

Revision History:
1/24/2011 - Added Step 3 - need to insert BUFG in MMCM feedback clock path

Linked Answer Records

Master Answer Records

Answer Number Answer Title Version Found Version Resolved
35243 LogiCORE IP RXAUI v1.2 - Release Notes and Known Issues for the 12.1 ISE software N/A N/A

Associated Answer Records

Answer Number Answer Title Version Found Version Resolved
39430 Virtex-6 GTX Transceiver - Delay Aligner Errata and Work-around N/A N/A

Actions

AR# 39493
Date Created 01/14/2011
Last Updated 12/15/2012
Status Active
Type General Article
IP
  • XAUI
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