Altera® Parallel Port Cable Definition

ByteBlaster II is now Altera® Parallel Port Cable.

A parallel port download cable that allows PC users to program and configure devices in-system. The Altera® Parallel Port 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 Altera® Parallel Port Cable to run Signal Tap logic analysis. The Altera® Parallel Port Cable also provides multidevice Passive Serial chain configuration support for FPGA devices. The Altera® Parallel Port Cable can be used in 1.8-volt, 2.5-volt, 3.3-volt, and 5.0-volt systems.

The Altera® Parallel Port Cable connects 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). You can download programming or configuration data with the Quartus® Prime Programmer.

The Altera® Parallel Port Cable has the same functionality as the ByteBlasterMV cable, with the additional functionality of providing programming support for serial configuration devices. The Altera® Parallel Port Cable has the same functionality as the Altera® FPGA Download Cable and the Altera® Ethernet Cable, except the Altera® Parallel Port Cable uses a parallel port while the Altera® FPGA Download Cable uses a USB port and the Altera® Ethernet Cable uses an Ethernet connection.

Note: On PCs running Windows, you must install the ByteBlaster driver before using the Altera® Parallel Port Cable. For instructions, refer to the Altera® Parallel Port Cable Download Cable User Guide.