ByteBlaster II Cable Definition

A parallel port download cable that allows PC users to program and configure devices in-system. The ByteBlasterII cable provides multidevice JTAG chain configuration and programming support for FPGA devices, CPLD devices, such as MAX 3000 and MAX 7000 devices, configuration devices, such as the EPC2 and EPC16, and serial configuration devices, such as the EPCS1 and EPCS4. You can also use the ByteBlasterII cable to run SignalTapII logic analysis. The ByteBlasterII cable also provides multidevice Passive Serial chain configuration support for FPGA devices. The ByteBlasterII cable can be used in 1.8-volt, 2.5-volt, 3.3-volt, and 5.0-volt systems.

The ByteBlasterII cable is connected to a parallel printer port on a PC via a fully populated DB25-to-DB25 cable. The 10-pin female plug for each cable connects to a 10-pin male header on the circuit board containing the target device(s). Programming or configuration data can be downloaded with the Quartus® Prime Standard Edition Programmer.

The ByteBlasterII cable has the same functionality as the ByteBlasterMV cable, with the additional functionality of providing programming support for serial configuration devices. The ByteBlasterII cable has the same functionality as the USB-Blaster cable and the EthernetBlaster cable, except the ByteBlasterII cable uses a parallel port while the USB-Blaster cable uses a USB port and the EthernetBlaster cable uses an Ethernet connection.

Note: On PCs running Windows, you must install the ByteBlaster driver before using the ByteBlasterII cable. Go to the ByteBlaster II Download Cable User Guide for instructions.