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Frequently Asked Questions |
General Questions:
When/where are your office hours?How will my grade be determined?
When are the written assignments due?
Lab Questions:
Do the labs meet the first week of classes?
Do we have to read over the first lab and complete any verifications the first week?
I have an excused absence. Can I make up my missed quiz?
Who do I contact when I have questions?
Can I come in to lab while another section is in session?
Why are there red and yellow cups at each station?Software Questions:
Should I compile all files in my project or just the top-level file?
Why do I get an I/O error when I try to open files at home?
How do I remove the read-only attribute in Windows?Do I have to use Windows to run Quartus II or to create writing assignments?
Specifically, what about running Quartus II on a Mac?
Hardware Questions:
What if I cannot get parts at the bookstore?
Q: When are your office hours?
Each semester, they are included in the workbook. Sometimes, they are updated here or on the UPCP web site, in the case of Instructor. Bourgeois. They are always given in the first lecture, too. For Dr. Collins, they are currently Th 5:00-6:00 and Fr 4:00-6:00 in CCB 258. CCB is the College of Computing Building, where you may have taken introductory CS courses or Freshman Chemistry. BEFORE COMING OVER, see the detailed instructions for getting into the locked area.
Q: How will my grade be determined?
A: A final grade will be assigned based on the following submitted work.
30% - Lab Reports, including final project (CS2801 students -- your 5% for the class report is included here, with the other writing material counting 30% total)
25% - Lab Final (a practical final in the lab itself)
25% - Prelab Quizzes
20% - In-class exam(s)
Also, a subjective grade, called the "TA Perspective," determines what happens to students near a grade threshold.Q: When are the written assignments due?
A: According to the schedule provided by the time of the first lecture, unless changes are made in response to unforeseen problems that require extensions. This schedule appears in the syllabus. Note that the schedule shows what WEEK the assignments are due (or two-day period in the summer). You simply locate your lab day in that week (or two-day period), and you have the due date.
Q: When are lab checkoffs due?
A: Before the scheduled lab section where the corresponding assignment is due (see previous question). But you don't have to turn them in until the assignment is due -- they just have to be signed off by a TA. Note that "before" means just that -- you cannot try to get checkoffs in the first few minutes of lab for the previous lab assignment. Usually, that's a moot point, because the checkoffs are needed to assemble the required written assignment.
Q: How do I access my campus Windows ("Z") and Prism home directories from off campus, especially when files are too big to transfer by carrying floppy disks?
A1: (Windows "Z" drive) You can use the web-based service provided by ECE. See the instructions at the ECE computer support web site for details.
A2: (Prism) You will have to do this both at home and in the lab, since it does not mount by default in the lab. But it works. See the OIT instructions.
Q: Do the labs meet the first week of classes?
A: No. There is no need to attend your lab section prior to the first lecture. See the home page of this site for breaking information at the start of a new semester.
Q: Do we have to read over the first lab and complete any prelabs during the first week in which there is a lecture?
A: Note the distinction here between the first week of lecture and the first week of labs (see previous question). In general, reading ahead is always a good thing, but there are no assignments prior to the first lecture. In that lecture, however, you will be told what is required before the first time that your lab section meets. Since it is actually Lab #1 in the laboratory manual, you can go ahead and start sooner if you choose, and if the required materials are posted by that time.
Q: I have an excused absence -- can I make up my missed quiz?
A: Generally, no. There is one dropped quiz grade. If you don't miss a quiz, then we drop your lowest grade. This drop is to take care of the numerous situations that occur such as a plant trips, a death in the family, an interview with a prospective employer, a trip to the infirmary, etc. If you should have an excused absence, keep your documentation. The second valid excused absence grants you a makeup. If the quiz cannot be made up, your quiz average is used for the second missed quiz grade. If you "missed" a quiz (i.e., unexcused), and then you have a subsequent excused absence, you are not granted a makeup. Repeat: There must be two valid excused absences to get the makeup on the second quiz (and that makeup could be simply an extension of your average for other quizzes). In-class exams and finals are handled separately, and absences there are subject to the same rigorous proof as in any other course.
Q: Who do I contact when I have questions?
A:
1.) Check the syllabus/workbook.
2.) Check this FAQ page.
3.) Check the download page for a specific lab.
4.) Email your GTA and/or LTA. If they are unhelpful or uncertain, check with Instructor Bourgeois or Dr. Collins.Q: Can I come in to lab while another section is in session?
A: After the quiz (the first 15-20 min.) students from other sections are admitted as space permits on a first-come, first-served basis. Check in with one of the TAs when you enter the lab. They will assign you to an available stations if space permits. Also keep in mind that the TAs will have to give priority to the students in their sections.
Q: Why are there red and yellow cups at each station?
A: If you have a question, place the RED cup on top of your monitor and keep working on solving it yourself. if you need a check-off, place the YELLOW cup on top of your monitor and begin working on the next section.
Q: Should I compile all files in my project or just the top-level file?
A: In Quartus II, you compile projects, not files. The project must have a top-level file which can include any number of other files in a hierarchical fashion. So, the answer is that you effectively compile the project, which refers to a single top-level file, which in turn includes all needed subcomponents.
In somewhat more detail, what Quartus will do is start with your top-level design file, and compile everything that it finds as it descends into the structure of that file. Even if you failed to specify a file as part of your design, Quartus will find it IN THAT DIRECTORY and compile it. If it is not in that directory or a designated "library folder," you'll get an error -- so you would have to either tell Quartus to look in other "library folders" or just move the file.
Perhaps even more arcane is to note that if you specifically add a file to the project (on the Navigator pane, for example), Quartus will compile it even if it is not needed by the top-level design file.
Q: Why do I get an I/O error when I try to open source files (copied from CD) at home?
A: The files on the CD-ROM are "read-only" and Quartus II has to write to most them. When you copy the files from the CD-ROM to your hard drive, remove the "read-only" attribute (see next question). This is a Windows thing, where it treats copied CD files as being read-only by default.
Q: How do I remove the read-only attribute in Windows?
A: Open the folder containing the files you wish to change. Press CTRL+A to select all the files. Go to the File menu and select Properties. Uncheck the "Read-only" box. Click OK to save the attribute changes.
Q: Do I have to use Windows to run Quartus II or to create writing assignments?
A: The intent of the all-Windows software policy is not meant to be punitive for students nor to support certain software vendors, but merely to provide a common set of tools and a consistent set of instructions. That being said, you can do whatever makes your life easier and still produces the desired results, as long as you realize that other software is not supported directly by the faculty and TAs of ECE 2031. Along those lines, you can use other word processing software, including tools that run on other operating systems, as long as the results meet the requirements on the UPCP site.
On the technical side, it is possible to run Quartus II on Linux. We have some old methods for using Wine listed below, but there is now a Linux version at the Altera web site that would seem to be a better choice (although still not guaranteed -- use at your own risk).
Method I Get Altera Linux version of Quartus 9.1, on the same page where students are told to get the Windows version (go to the download page for Lab 1). If there are compabiility issues or bugs, we would be interested in hearing about them, so we can steer students away from using the Linux version, if necessary.
Method II A couple years ago, 2031 student Andrew Ray noted:
Quartus II can be installed natively under wine on Linux.
http://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?iAppId=2847
I followed the directions for version 6.x, and changed my windows version (using winecfg, which is included with the default install of wine) and then ran the installer, and everything seems to be working just fine.Method III If the above does not work, you may find this useful, but it involves installing FIRST to a Windows PC:
Former 2031 student Matt Britt provides Linux/Unix support information on Running Quartus II with Wine.
Q: Specifically, what about running Quartus II on a Mac?
I polled recent students to see what works best on a Mac. The answer from six students seems to be that a lot of things work.
- Installing Quartus through a normal bootcamp Windows setup (probably one of the easiest installation options and least demanding for memory)
- Use the ECE-provided virtual lab client and access ECE hosts (a very low overhead option, since the client is minimal). See http://www.ece-help.gatech.edu/labs/virtual.html. There have been issues with the virtual lab setup not always having support for all features, such as missing devices, library components, etc. Contact help@ece.gatech.edu if you have problems, but be very specific.
- Use Parallels Desktop to create a Windows VM and install Quartus there (this is the only option that was chosen by more than one user)
- Same, but with VMware instead of Parallels
- Same, but with VirtualBox.
The students didn’t always mention the version of Windows, but Windows 7 x64 was used at least once, and it seems to work fine. (Does for me, too, but I’m not virtualizing it.)
A common comment is that the resulting Mac installations ran faster than the lab machines, but everyone (EVEN NON-MAC USERS) should take note that the main slowdown with the lab machines is compiling from a network drive. Don’t do it, and they will run much faster (I’d be surprised if a VM-based solution would be significantly faster). But be careful to remove your work from the local hard drive when you are done.
Q: What if I cannot get parts at the bookstore?
A: You can find the protoboard (breadboard), wire kit, and LS TTL parts at electronic retailers. Locally, you may find them at Ack Electronics (Northside Drive) or Fry's. By mail order, you can try www.jameco.com and www.digikey.com or others. All parts must be DIP packages (i.e., not SOIC or other surface mount variations). Following are some part numbers. These are subject to change and provided only as a courtesy to students, so check before you order. There may be other equivalent parts at the same vendors, if these are not in stock. These vendors will ship overnight.
Part Jameco Digikey Fry's† or Allied‡ Protoboard 20791 922318-ND 4612358† Wire Kit 19290 923351-ND 4612408 † (wires)
3849287 † (both board and wires)74HCT00N
or
CD74HCT00E44871 568-1499-5-ND
296-1603-5-ND
296-2081-5-ND236-1711 ‡ 74HCT02N,
74ACT02PC
or
CD74HCT02E211967 296-8380-5-ND
568-1501-5-ND236-1715 ‡ 74HCT04N
or
CD74HCT04E44898 MM74HCT04N-ND
568-1503-5-ND
296-2083-5-ND236-1719 ‡ 74HCT20N
CD74HCT20E
or
74HCT20DB45583*
47095**568-4583-5-ND
296-2135-5-ND236-1769 ‡ 74HCT27N,
74ACT27PC
or
CD74HCT27E47378** 296-14890-5-ND 236-0235 ‡ 74HCT74N,
74ACT74PC
or
CD74HCT74E45137
212011296-1625-5-ND 236-1870 ‡ * HC part, not HCT. Datasheets harder to interpret, since it is specified for several voltage levels, and is only nominally TTL-compatible when powered at +5V. But acceptable for lab.
** LS part. Acceptable as last resort
† Fry's is in Metro area(Gwinett Place and North Fulton)
‡ Allied Electronics: www.alliedelec.com