The receiver or transceiver link Auto Sweep panel allows you to automatically sweep through transceiver control settings to determine the best collection of physical media attachment (PMA) settings for your design. The following options are available:

• Test mode—Allows you to specify Auto Sweep test mode or Auto Sweep + EyeQ test mode.

• Test pattern—Allows you to choose from various test patterns that are transmitted across the transceiver link for testing purposes.

• Bypass—Allows you to bypass the data pattern from the Data Pattern Generator and send user-design data from the TX to the RX. This feature is available when you turn on Enable Bypass interface from the Data Pattern Generator and Data Pattern Checker.

• Checker mode—Allows you to choose between the Data pattern checker or Serial bit comparator for checking BER. This feature is available when you turn on Enable EyeQ block and Enable Bit Error Rate Block in the Transceiver Reconfiguration Controller. Checker mode is only available for Stratix V GX.

• Run length—Allows you to set the following parameters for test runs:

• Time limit—Allows you to specify the time limit unit and value to have a maximum bounds time limit for each test iteration.

• Maximum tested bits—Allows you to set the maximum number of tested bits for each test iteration.

• Error rate limit—Allows you to turn on or off error rate limits. When you turn on Error Rate Limit, you can then specify further parameters, including:

• Start checking after—Waits until the set number of bits are satisfied until it starts looking at the bit error rate (BER) for the next two checks.

• Bit error rate achieves below—Allows you to set upper bit error rate limits. If the error rate is better than the set error rate, the test ends.

• Bit error rate exceeds—Allows you to set lower bit error rate limits. If the error rate is worse than the set error rate, the test ends.

• Transmitter settings—Allows you to control transmitter settings during auto sweep tests.

• Receiver settings—Allows you to control receiver settings during auto sweep tests.

• Populate with—Right-click in the Advanced panel to load current values on the device as a starting point, or initially load the best settings determined through auto sweep. The method chosen depends on if you are starting the tool for the first time or you have been actively testing settings. The Quartus II software automatically applies the values you specify in the drop-down lists for the Transmitter settings and Receiver settings.

• Increase test range—Right-click in the Advanced panel to use the span capabilities of Auto Sweep to automatically increase the span of tests by one unit down for the minimum and one unit up for the maximum, for the selected set of controls. You can span either PMA Analog controls (non-DFE controls), or the DFE controls. You can quickly set up a test to check if any PMA setting combinations near your current best could yield better results.

• Auto sweep status—Reports the current and best tested bits, errors, bit error rate, and case count for the current auto sweep test.

• Create Report—Generates a report containing statistics about your test run.

• Rules Based Configuration (RBC) validity checking—Displays invalid combination of settings in red in each list under Transmitter settings and Receiver settings, based on previous settings. If selected, the settings remain in red to indicate the currently selected combination is invalid. This feature helps you to avoid manually testing invalid settings that cannot be compiled into your design. Also, this feature helps to prevent you from setting the device into an invalid mode for extended periods of time and potentially damaging the circuits.

 

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