Well, since my question in my first post was both vague and overly specific (graphic LCD controller for STN, not all that common) rather than create another topic, I'll start with asking questions that can help me move along. I have googled my heart out on this one but find either sources for character LCD's, large TFT's (which has a very simple interface) or stuff written in VHDL. Ideally, a peripheral that uses memory blocks - that can be written to/read by the nios II, but also accessed by custom logic in verilog. If anyone has any custom peripherals that the nios II processor can control, I would be grateful if you could share. So rather than the vague 'I get erorr, what do I do?' question (its clearly my lack of understanding rather than the software) I'm asking for relatively simple Quartus II projects that I can learn by example. Probably because using 'qsys' whenever I modify a components verilog source, I have to reload it, but it still tries to find components I removed. but given I was doing a lot in one go, alas, I'm getting errors all over the show.

I then modified the memory config to be dual port RAM, added the second interface, which is controlled a by a few counters that creates the Vsync, and Hsync, pixel clock etc. I tried to add my own SOPC component based off 'on board memory', so the verilog file it produces has an 'avalon slave' interface. It spat out the state of a timer through the jtag debug console. I did a tutorial - my 'first nois II project' and it went well proving the board, programming cable and design flow works. Its an old FPGA so I had to use Quartus II v13. The nios II is really just there to make it easier to modify the test patterns and provide a simple C program for options. I have many LCD's all with slightly different requirements, so I thought an FPGA running a basic processor (nios II) and some custom logic, external memory, I could make a controller I can configure and use as a display tester. So After a clear out I found a Cyclone II board, a USB blaster, and decided to do soemthign I've been meaning to do for ages - make a basic LCD controller to replace the s1d13700/SED1335.

Altera quartus ii legacy