DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Component Selection
Selecting the right components for your design is crucial. Not only must the choice be made between boundary-scan and non-boundary-scan devices, but also, in some cases, one has to verify that boundary-scan devices are compliant. Making the wrong choice can mean the difference between a successful boundary-scan test and no test possible.

Devices not Fully IEEE-1149.1 Compliant In many cases, if the selected device is not fully compliant to IEEE-1149.1, it will show the first indications in the BSDL file provided by the manufacturer. The file will have the following sections labeled as DESIGN_WARNING or COMPLIANCE_PATTERNS. A Design Warning of the BSDL for an Altera EP20K200 looks like: attribute DESIGN_WARNING of EP20K200F484 : entity is "The APEX 20K devices support IEEE 1149.1 testing before and after "& "device configuration; however, the devices do not support this "& "testing during device configuration. The easiest way to avoid "& "device configuration is to hold the nCONFIG pin low during "& "power-up and testing.";

BSDL
BSDL is a subset and standard practice of VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language) that describes how IEEE Std 1149.1 is implemented in a device and how it operates. BSDL captures the essential features of any IEEE Std 1149.1 implementation.

Boundary-Scan Chain
Connectors, Signals and Termination The IEEE-1149.1 standard specifies the signal names. However, there is no standard on the actual pin-out or mechanical definition of the connector to be used. Corelis pin configurations are commonly found in 10, 16 or 20-pin connectors. Depending on the requirements for the design, e.g., for a standard boundary-scan chain or for In-SystemProgramming (ISP), one of the next three pin-outs can be selected. Corelis controllers support any of the following pin-outs. 10-Pin TAP Connector The typical schematic of a target 10-pin TAP connector and recommended termination resistors is shown in Figure 5. The 1K pull-up resistors can be connected to any Vcc supply with voltage between 1.25V to 3.3V, matching the boundary-scan devices in the chain. Recommended resistor values are 5%. Connect all grounds directly to the targets ground plane.

Group Components with Similar Logic Characteristics

In some cases, you will use devices with different logic characteristics on the same design (e.g., a mixture of 2.5V logic and 3.3V logic). By grouping the devices with similar logic characteristics together in the boundaryscan chain, it minimizes the amount of special interfacing required.

Bypassing
In some cases (such as for JTAG emulation), it is required to keep certain boundary-scan components (such as a microprocessor) isolated in a chain by themselves. This can be done using jumpers or through the addition of electronic components to the board design.

Avoiding Problems with the TAP Signals

To avoid problems with the scan chain, do not connect I/O pins to the TAP signals.

Compliance Enable Pins

Compliance enable pins are pins that need to be controlled in a particular way to allow the device to operate in boundary-scan mode. Various aspects of compliance enables pin on boundary-scan devices are discussed in this section.

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