You may experience configuration failure with an uncompressed file due to CONF_DONE rising too early in Stratix® III or Cyclone® III LS devices during Active Serial (AS) configuration. This is also referred to as early CONF_DONE failure and this type of failure can be verified by successful configuration with a compressed file. The failure is related to a known issue with the Program Length Count (PLC) settings in the uncompressed programming file.
There are two workarounds to solve this issue:
- Use a compressed file to configure the device or
- Change the PLC option in Quartus® II software (File>Convert Programming Files>Advanced Option) before converting the programming file. The PLC value has to be adjusted to a negative value with a step size of -8.
This issue has been fixed in Quartus II software version 9.1.