Overlap loading issue

Support
1

Hi,

In a previous project, the PYNQ-Z1(v2.4) image works well with my AXI slave hardware accelerator. Now I’m porting to ZCU-104. The Python driver is leveraged from what it worked in PYNQ-Z1. However, it occurred the following error on both v2.4 and v2.5 on ZCU-104 while executing the Python driver.

/usr/local/lib/python3.6/dist-packages/pynq/overlay.py:299: UserWarning: Users will not get PARAMETERS / REGISTERS information through TCL files. HWH file is recommended.
warnings.warn(message, UserWarning)
INFO: FPGA bitstream loading time: 0.5471346378326416

Traceback (most recent call last):
File “mlp_float_test_adv_0217.py”, line 80, in
mlp_ip = overlay.mlp_core
File “/usr/local/lib/python3.6/dist-packages/pynq/overlay.py”, line 327, in getattr
return getattr(self._ip_map, key)
File “/usr/local/lib/python3.6/dist-packages/pynq/overlay.py”, line 601, in getattr
"Could not find IP or hierarchy {} in overlay".format(key))
AttributeError: Could not find IP or hierarchy mlp_core in overlay

—Code snippet------

from pynq import Overlay

end = time.time()

print("INFO: FPGA overlay class loading time: ",end-start,‘\n’)

start = time.time()

overlay = Overlay(ol_path)

end = time.time()

print("INFO: FPGA bitstream loading time: ",end-start,‘\n’)

mlp_ip = overlay.mlp_core

However, after some debug attempts, I came up with the following solution that resolved the issue. My question is how to explain the issue. Appreciate for any comments. Thank you

--------------After revised, it worked…

from pynq import Overlay

from pynq import MMIO

end = time.time()

print("INFO: FPGA overlay class loading time: ",end-start,‘\n’)

start = time.time()

overlay = Overlay(ol_path)

overlay.download()

end = time.time()

print("INFO: FPGA bitstream loading time: ",end-start,‘\n’)

mlp_ip = MMIO(0xA0000000,0x4000)

#mlp_ip = overlay.mlp_core

2

You need to make sure you have <your_design>.bit and <your_design>.hwh are in the exact same folder; otherwise pynq will not be able to parse information correctly.

3

Thank you.

In my previous work, I’m not aware that the .hwh is a must to have file together with .bit. I only copy .tcl and .bit over the overlays directory.
However in the previous PYNQ-Z1 v2.4 case, the same Python SW can work nicely without the .hwh file. How does it explain the scenario? If it needs the .hwh in the exact same folder to work, why does the case on PYNQ Z1 v2.4 can work well? I’m confused.

4

Hi @NS_Huang,

In PYNQ version 2.5 reading the design from the .tcl was deprecated and .hwh is a must. That is the reason why you are seeing differences between these two PYNQ versions.

5

You will see the warning message when you use the tcl file in 2.5. And starting from 2.6, HWH will be the only allowed metadata file. It contains much more info we need than the tcl file.