What are thoughts on these two vendors goods? I like that they have cheap(er) PCIe options. My intended use case is to learn about HW and HDL development with an existing strong OS development background so I want to write device drivers to interface etc.
Right now I'm leaning toward Lattice but I like that Microsemi is embracing RISC-V.
Kevin - I'm in the process of learning FPGA and the advice I would give is (general not just fpga advice - it's just my conclusions from starting this path myself recently:) :
Dont start with manufacturers:
Look for the best supported devices - look for the very best toolchain you can get - then look for a manufacturers forum (their OWN forum not some third party link) - then look around the internet to see how much public support you can find for the company (not a specific product) - next look for quality of supplied documentation. Then look for a range of development boards in your price range (and below - you dont need the most expensive to learn on - but be careful of 'garden shed' board manufacturers) Some sub $100 boards are great to learn on but go to a reputable supplier - dont buy from the manufacturer unless you are spending big sums..
Dont' fall for the high level design language approach - that's only worth looking at when you are fully conversant with the lower level.
You need to be able to:
Ignore individual chip prices and speeds and features. Buy the best books you can get your hands on and read them. FPGA as you no doubt know is a much more complex subject than simple software writing. Good books help a lot - sadly there are very few 'good' books as far as I can see. If you have no electronics experience be prepared for some suprises. If you are experienced in electronics and software - be doubly prepared for twice as many suprises. (some good - some entertaining)
If you plan to use it at all professionally - choose VHDL - dont be fooled into thinking otherwise - yes it's more specific - than the alternatives but that's exactly what you need when designing hardware. Verilog and the others may not be exactly 'sloppy' but there are good reasons governments demand VHDL - There is a big learning curve so dont waste it on something you can't use later.
In short - look for a support network first - then worry about the chip details later.
I hope thats helpful - to someone anyway.
-- john ========================= http://johntech.co.uk =========================
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