There are three primary components to a complete Opal Kelly FrontPanel system as well as a fourth standalone application.

• FrontPanel Firmware(FW) - This is the firmware that resides on the XEM module and is executed by the USB microcontroller. Note that this is not to be confused with the “code” inside the FPGA. This firmware may only be upgraded by the FrontPanel Application under Windows.
• FrontPanel HDL - HDL modules incorporated into your FPGA design. These are the *.ngc files you use to build your Xilinx bitfile. They enable your hardware design to communicate through the USB microcontroller and API to your software on the PC.
• FrontPanel API - The FrontPanel API is the PC-side of the equation. This involves the library your software will interface to in order to communicate with the Opal Kelly hardware. Since this is the most flexible component, the API is generally backward compatible with older FrontPanel firmware versions.
• FrontPanel Application (optional) - The standalone application that can interpret XML profiles

Overall, there are two versions of FrontPanel: FrontPanel-1 and FrontPanel-3. These are generally incompatible versions that are different on an architectural level to allow for improved performance in FP-3. Within these architectural levels, there are versions of the underlying components.

The firmware version is easiest to identify. Within the FrontPanel Application, click on FrontPanel → Set Device ID.... The firmware version will be shown. Firmware versions 1.x and 2.x correspond to FP-1 releases. Firmware versions 3.x correspond to FP-3 releases.

Releases of the Application, API, and HDL modules always come together. FP-1 versions were shipped in various installer packages named something like FrontPanel-Win-1.4.0.exe. On the installation CD, this was renamed Setup.exe but the version of the installed FrontPanel Application can be found by pressing F1 within the application.

IMPORTANT RULE: The single most important rule is that the FrontPanel HDL and FrontPanel Firmware must be compatible. This can be somewhat confusing because the HDL and Firmware are released in separate packages. Luckily there are relatively few firmware releases.

The following rules apply:

• FP-3 firmware MUST be used with FP-3 HDL and vice versa.
• FP-1 firmware MUST be used with FP-1 HDL and vice versa.
• FP-3 API may be used with EITHER FP-1 firmware or FP-3 firmware.

So, while you can install the FrontPanel-3 release of software on your computer and use the API to communicate with your XEM3010 with 1.4 firmware (for example), the samples and NGC files in the installation will not work with the board. This is because all the samples were built with FP-3 HDL modules that are only compatible with FP-3 firmware.

If you’re using a module with an older firmware, you can request a free update to the **FP-3 firmware**. NOTE: You MUST include enough information for us to find your original order. If we cannot find the original order for your XEM, the request will be discarded.