Ubitekk CC1, User Manual

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communication signal between the two CC1s). Or the CC1 could be used with other external 
devices and serial data to implement a part - or all - of a QKD communication protocol. 

Because the electrical components, connections, and user interface are already in place (and 
described in Appendix A), the CC1 can serve as a flexible platform for interrogating signals from 
single photon detectors and performing associated operations. 

4.1.1 The Rabbit RCM3400 Microprocessor 

The Rabbit RCM3400 is a microprocessor module consisting of a simple processor integrated 
with other general purpose peripheral logic. The device is programmed using a language 
proprietary to Rabbit Semiconductor called Dynamic C. Dynamic C is very similar to ANSI C, 
with extra functions for interacting with the digital I/O, analog inputs, and PWM outputs on the 
RCM3400 module.  

To program in Dynamic C, an integrated development environment (Dynamic C 9.62) and 
programmer utility (DC 9.62 RFU) must be installed on your computer. A single installation 
program (DynamicC_9.62_WebFull.exe) - available on the flash drive that came with your unit 
as well as from Qubitekk’s website (

www.qubitekk.com

) – will install both programs. A 

programming cable for uploading new firmware to your CC1 is also required and has been 
included with your unit (Rabbit Programming Cable - 2mm) 

A great resource for learning Dynamic C and how to program the RCM3400 is the book entitled, 
“Embedded Systems Design using the Rabbit 3000 Microprocessor” by Kamal Hyder. Although 
this book was published in 2004, it still contains very relevant and useful examples of how to 
program and understand the operation of the RCM3400. In addition, manuals for the RCM3400 
and Dynamic are available on the flash drive that came with your unit and Qubitekk’s website. 

4.1.2 The Altera Cyclone IV FPGA 

The Altera Cyclone IV chip is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can operate at 
frequencies in excess of 1GHz. The chip is particularly well suited to detecting and 
timestamping LVTTL pulses (as would be emitted by a single photon counting module). The 
chip can be programmed using Altera’s Quartus II Web Edition (version 13+) – which is free and 
available at both Altera’s website (www.altera.com) and Qubitekk’s website.  

In the CC1, the Altera FPGA is actually part of an off-the-shelf prototyping board (the Terasic 
DE0-Nano). This prototyping board has additional functionality that may be used in future 
versions of the CC1 product. A manual for the Terasic DE0-Nano is available on the flash drive 
that came with your unit as well as Qubitekk’s website.    

4.1.3 Default Firmware 

The CC1 comes pre-programmed for use as a general purpose coincidence counter. However, 
the Dynamic C source code and the FPGA Quartus project files (including verilog modules,