Re: [PATCH v1] USB: serial: ftdi_sio: add support for Altera USB Blaster 3

[David Laight <david.laight.linux@gmail.com>]

On Wed, 5 Mar 2025 15:24:53 +0100
Johan Hovold <johan@kernel.org> wrote:

> On Mon, Feb 03, 2025 at 04:48:22PM +0800, Boon Khai Ng wrote:
> > The Altera on board USB Blaster 3 utilizes a FT2232 and FT4232
> > chip.  
> 
> I assume it's either an FT2243 or an FT4232 and not both?
> 
> > Add VID/PID for the on board USB Blaster 3 so it can be used
> > as a serial device via ftdi_sio.  
> 
> Can you say something more about these devices? I guess they are used
> for programming FPGAs? Are they embedded in other products? And can the
> same PID be used for more than one type of device that they are embedded
> in?

Also, is there any actual software that can use them through this driver?
The Altera 'quartus' software that is usually used to program (etc) the
fpga is pretty proprietary.
I think some bits have been reverse engineered, but only for a few simple
actions.

I'm not even sure the Altera code even loads a driver - just uses the userspace
USB library.
I'll have used it on a system with a custom kernel to program (etc) a CycloneV.
No hint of needing to recompile a driver.
(The sheer amount of software you need to command-line program a device is
stunning! - I had to parcel it all up so we could use a usb to jtag cable
to in-situ program one of the smaller PLD devices on a small board.)

So what is the real 'use case'?

	David

> 
> Or are the PIDs tied to different types of "USB Blaster 3"s? If so this,
> should also be reflected in the naming of the defines.