I am doing my first steps in designing an FPGA project with NIOS and RS-485 interface. I have looked through a bunch of tutorials and books, but haven't found useful info about how to add RS-485 interface in an FPGA with NIOS. I know there is an option in QSYS to add "UART(RS-232 Serial Port)" but can i use it to get my 485's with an appropriate coverter ic ?
I am using Quartus. FPGA is 5CEBA4F23.
Adding a UART rs232 serial port interface is done through a software programming, allowing the device to transceive rs232 data communication. Thats the job of your device to send and receive data by rs232 communication protocol.
rs232 to rs485 conversion is done through hardware implementation using one of the available converter ICs such as this one MAX3160 from digikey.
So in software programming you still control your device to behave like its using rs232 protocol, but implementing rs485 conversion can allow your device to communicate with rs485 devices and extend your network from one slave IC to a certain number of slave ICs "according to the specification of the IC".
