[sdiy] FPGAs - CPLDs too?

[Robin Whittle]

Hi Matthew,

I am in Melbourne, and have 60GB a month with Internode.  Do you want
me to download some stuff and write it to a DVD for you - and pop it
in the post?

As far as I know, all the really complex chips - FPGAs - typically use
an external 8 pin EEPROM chip to hold their configuration memory.  One
such chip can drive multiple FPGAs in a daisy-chain fashion.

This can be an 8 pin DIP device in a socket, so all you need is a
cheap EPROM / EEPROM programmer:

http://www.satistronics.com/Wholesale-development-tools-top-programmers_c915
http://www.satistronics.com/Wholesale-development-tools-xeltek-programmer_c913
http://www.satistronics.com/Wholesale-development-tools-easypro-smartpro_c914

But this is not counting debugging the FPGA, which I assume would be
necessary.  I have never used FPGAs - only some earlier Lattice CPLDs
which are now very expensive.

I am about to learn how to program the Altera MAX 3000 series:

  http://www.altera.com/products/devices/max3k/m3k-index.html
  http://www.altera.com/products/devices/max3k/overview/m3k-overview.html

with the 44 pin PLCC versions of the EPM3032A (32 single FF macrocell)
and 	EPM3064A (64 macrocell) devices.  This 3.3 volt MAX 3000 series
goes to 512 macrocells in 208 pin PQFP and 256 "pin" BGA.  The
software is free (Windows only) and the chips themselves are
inexpensive and available off the shelf at element14 (formerly
Farnell) etc.

These devices use on-chip EEPROM, and so need a programming cable.
The Altera USB-Blaster:


http://www.altera.com/support/devices/tools/altera/cables/tls-altera-cables.html

works with these and other Altera chips at 1.8 2.5 3.3 and 5.0 volts.
 It costs USD$300, but there are knockoffs on eBay, such as:


http://www.satistronics.com/mini-altera-fpga-cpld-usb-blaster-programmer-jtag_p2816.html

which I think I have seen on eBay for USD$13 or so, or this one, which
I should have soon - for $30 plus postage:

  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180607405070

However, the MAX 3000 series are CPLDs, which are simple compared to
full-blown FPGAs which can do astounding things.

There's a cheap knock-off Xilinx "FPGA CPLD USB download cable":


http://www.satistronics.com/xilinx-platform-cable-usb-fpga-cpld-usb-download-cable_p2817.html

which I guess can be used to debug the FPGA: "Support iMPACT and
ChipScope".

My use for the MAX 3000 is a physics experiment.  I am not attempting
FPGA music work - that would be a real brainburner.

I have had good experiences with the dsPIC, and these are available in
28 pin DIP packages, running at 40 MIPS - including 16 bit multiply
and accumulate at that rate.  Some of these have 16 bit stereo audio
DACs as well.  Microchip's IDE is free and runs on Windows.

Atmel make CPLDs but I recall their software is only free for 6
months.  I didn't look closely at the Xilinx licensing, because I
found what I wanted with Altera.

Altera make FPGAs, including the Cyclone IV family which is claimed:

  http://www.altera.com/literature/hb/cyclone-iv/cyiv-51001.pdf

to include:

  6K to 150K logic elements
  Up to 6.3 Mb of embedded memory
  Up to 360 18 × 18 multipliers for DSP processing intensive
  applications

But as far as I know, only Xilinx does things like embedded ARM 32 bit
processors:


http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-products/processors/4115523/Xilinx-puts-ARM-core-into-its-FPGAs

  "ARM's dual-core Cortex-A9 MPCore processors, each running at up to
   800 MHz."

!!!


  Cheers

    - Robin          http://www.firstpr.com.au/rwi/dfish/