[sdiy] Re: FPGA metal detector...

[Barry Klein]

How much power do these use?  Too much for a battery powered
product?  A friend mentioned an Actel Igloo Icicle kit that just came out - 
is cheap
and supposedly low power.  But I told him of all the projects out there 
using
the Xilinx.... trying to get him to take that ship rather than Actel so I 
can pick
his brain if I ever get my feet wet with the stuff.

Barry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Gravenhorst" <music.maker at gte.net>
To: <barryklein at cox.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: FPGA metal detector...


> "Barry Klein" <barryklein at cox.net> wrote:
>>Hi Scott,
>>Another interest of mine is metal detector technology.
>>A guy is beginning to develop one using the Digilent 3E Spartan
>>board that costs like $150.  That has a display.  What would be
>>involved to port his code over to this board and support the display?
>>The reason I ask is others are hesitant to get involved due to the
>>cost of the Digilent platform.
>
> Hi Barry,
>
> I have the 3E board too, (with LCD, rotary encoder, etc).  If I read what 
> you wrote
> correctly - you are asking about porting his code from the -3E board to 
> the $49 Avnet
> board below?
>
> The code port itself is probably trivial unless the design is too big. 
> Bear in mind
> that the FPGA on the $49 board is 80% the size of the -3E board FPGA, but 
> it has the
> same number of multipliers and block RAMs.
>
> Since the Avnet board has no display, that would have to be added.  I've 
> worked with the
> code for the LCD on the -3E board, so I could probably code for a 
> different LCD that
> could be connected to the Avnet board through the 40 pin connector on the 
> board.  The
> Avnet board also has Flash on it for "booting" the FPGA though I have not 
> tried to write
> a design into it yet.  The LCD on the -3E board has logic coded for the 
> PicoBlaze
> embedded soft microcontroller and I would do the same with an Avnet -3A 
> board.
>
> I would say that it's quite likely possible and the code port should not 
> be a head banger.
>
>
>
>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Scott Gravenhorst" <music.maker at gte.net>
>>To: <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
>>Sent: Sunday, February 28, 2010 7:12 AM
>>Subject: Re: [sdiy] FPGA Synth Music
>>
>>
>>> simon.oo.o at xs4all.nl wrote:
>>>>Hi Scott,
>>>>
>>>>Scott Gravenhorst schreef:
>>>>> http://electro-music.com/forum/download.php?id=21668
>>>>>
>>>>> A modified version of my 16 voice eight operator (4 x 2-op) bell 
>>>>> synth.
>>>>> The modifications accomodate an alternative scale of 96ET.
>>>>>
>>>>> This piece was recorded using one $49 FPGA development board
>>>>>
>>>>What development board are you using? The cheapest FPGA devkit I can
>>>>find at Farnell costs some 150 euro.
>>>
>>>
>>http://www.em.avnet.com/evk/home/0,1707,RID%253D0%2526CID%253D46501%2526CCD%253DUSA%2526SID%253D32214%2526DID%253DDF2%2526LID%253D32232%2526PRT%253D0%2526PVW%253D%2526BID%253DDF2%2526CTP%253DEVK,00.html
>
>>> > The page shows that the price for the board is $49 (US). > >
>>The board has a Xilinx Spartan-3A 400K equivalent gate count
>>FPGA. The > price includes > everything to get going, board,
>>cable, etc. Can be USB powered or > external supply. > Only a DAC
>>and an electrical MIDI connection are required to turn the >
>>board into a > digital synthesizer. > >>An impressive
>>demonstration by the way :) > > Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. >
>>>>-- >>Vriendelijke groet, >>Simon Brouwer. >>
>>>>_______________________________________________ >>Synth-diy
>>mailing list >>Synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>>>>http://dropmix.xs4all.nl/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy >> > > -- 
>>ScottG >
>>________________________________________________________________________
>>> -- Scott Gravenhorst > -- FPGA MIDI Synthesizer Information:
>>home1.gte.net/res0658s/FPGA_synth/ > -- FatMan:
>>home1.gte.net/res0658s/fatman/ > -- NonFatMan:
>>home1.gte.net/res0658s/electronics/ > -- When the going gets
>>tough, the tough use the command line. > >
>>_______________________________________________ > Synth-diy
>>mailing list > Synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl >
>>http://dropmix.xs4all.nl/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
>>
>
> -- ScottG
> ________________________________________________________________________
> -- Scott Gravenhorst
> -- FPGA MIDI Synthesizer Information: home1.gte.net/res0658s/FPGA_synth/
> -- FatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/fatman/
> -- NonFatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/electronics/
> -- When the going gets tough, the tough use the command line.
>
>