[sdiy] FPGAs

[Matthew Smith]

Once again, thanks to all for the awesome responses on this topic and my 
apologies to any Analogue Purists for all the "digital noise" :-)

As I'm not trying to implement a "synth on chip," but just looking at 
the feasibility of replacing some discrete logic, I might start off with 
CPLDs. I've got a copy of "Digital Electronics Laboratory Experiments 
Using the Xilinx XC95108 CPLD with Xilinx Foundation Design and 
Simulation Software" on the way with all those other books - and this is 
looking to be an attractive device to me, $12 for the device, 84 pin 
PLCC, 5V supply, no external memory requirement - should certainly 
replace the counter/gate array I was going to have driving the 
addressing of my E2PROM. (Don't know if it can replace the E2PROM 
itself, that will be part of the learning process.)

Parallel port programming is probably out for me - I work on laptops. I 
have a desktop machine under (very) slow construction but can't even get 
Xorg to run on it properly due to issues with ATI video card drivers. 
I've been pointed to some Chinese equivalents of USB programmers, 
supposedly fully compatible with the originals, at reasonable prices.

Board-wise, I'd rather stay away from development boards. Unlike Scott 
G., the hands-on *is* the important part for me. My work has no 
tangibles - I just code and have no physical stuff to show for what I 
do, which is why I'm keen to make as much from scratch as possible. (And 
also why I have recently acquired a lathe and have been designing and 
building bookcases.)

I might, if using larger devices (like when I get to the point of using 
actual FPGAs) get breakout boards made though, to gain the benefit of 
soldermask, as I mentioned previously and as Jason has done.

Great to know that all the software I'm likely to come against works on 
Linux (although the Altera would need a VM due to the free version being 
32 bit only) - and all the more so to know that there are NATIVE Linux 
tools.

So now I just need to wait for my books to arrive - should be in about a 
fortnight.

Cheers

M

-- 
Matthew Smith
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