Spartan-4 ?

Related to this subject:

Did anybody see a XC3S500E-PQ208 out in the wild?

Uwe Bonnes schrieb:

Sure! I have a board with that chip on. It was the first S3e board being shipped at all ASFAIK (looong time before s3esk !), its the s3e usb module from cesys GmbH

Antti

Antti schrieb:

Is this paranoia or what? Or am I getting old, damm I just turned 30 ;-) Even if Spartan-3 is not TOTALLY brand new, I guess its fine for a few more years to come. What do you want, guys? A new FPGA family every 6 month, similar to new high power graphic adapters for PCs? Isnt this wheel of "inovation" spinning a little bit too fast? How about fixing silicone AND software and getting a good stable ISE platform?

Just my old two cents Falk

Falk Brunner schrieb:

Falk, your turn is OK. I have turned over 40, I think :)

if you asked for price forecast for Spartan-3 more than a year ago then Xilinx response would have been that there is no price roadmap and that S3e should be considered instead. But S3e only covers the smallest members of the S3.

regarding the fix of the silicon AND software, sure I wish that too! but I am not even hoping for the software to be fixed anymore. and I expect the silicon to have minor errata as well. The thing is that if S3 is out, and selling then whatever fixes it may need they will be applied in next family. S3e did it partially but as it is not replacement for S3, then in may eyes the modern Xilinx low cost family just isnt here yet.

The s3e advantages over S3 may look like 'small things' but they are of sufficient significance in many designs. So I think it would be a real good thing if Xilinx low cost family would be out, with all the features present in S3e and with array size and package option coverage as wide as of S3. I assume that should be Spartan-4 unless Xilinx is getting out from 'low cost FPGA' business.

Antti

Antti wrote: ...

Neither the "Xilinx" Online store nor digikey list that part...

Antti schrieb:

Do you REALLY expect a VALID forecast of prices in world/business, that changes THAT fast? Or should I say, a world that is that hectic. Or is it just fast-paced?

The minor eerata of silicone are one thing, but the software is IMHO the biggest problem. Thousands of features are getting added, and not just added, they get added in a hurry. The result is well known. After all this amount to the question, do we want a Ferrari (new devices) that is damm fast but also damm often in the workshop, or would we rather prefer a settled Audi, not quite as fast and fancy, but damm reliable? I would go for the second option without a second of hesitation!

There will never be a low cost family that satifies the customers. They ALWAYS cry for lower prices. "Geiz ist geil" as it is said here.

Sounds like a wishlist for Santa Clause ;-) You always want lower prices, more features etc. A neverending story . . .. ;-)

I dont think so.

MfG Falk

Any info out yet on what MAX3 looks like ? Does it improve Static Icc, and lack of memory of MAX II, for example ? Smallest devices / largest devices ?

-jg

I don't know about positioning but

(or

John_H schrieb:

Thanks John, its only visible from 8.2 SP2

but here is quick link to Spartan3A libraries guide :)

it looks like the ICAP and therefore self-reconfiguration is added to Spartan-3A, but it still lacks the SPI or NOR flash configuration that is available on S3e.

those the Spartan3A may be the replacement part for Spartan-3 meaning that Spartan-4 is possible even further away from being available, I was expecting Spartan-4 announcement of prelim info in 6 months from now, but guess we have to wait more.

actually no, the Spartan3e is partial downgrade from s3e ? only xc3s50a, xc3s200a, xc3s400a, xc3s700a, xc3s1400a so no large Spartan3a devices either :(

is the Spartan-3 family really the last big low cost Xilinx FPGA ??

there is now DNA port as direct primitive, to be linked with the genetic what?

Antti

I see also Actel have announced what they call Igloo

- press release claims 5uW static power, but table shows

- wait, I see FlashFreeze has 4uA in smallest device, seems the press release writer has rather confused his static power, with his flash-freese. Not the first time that's happened, but they should fix that.

Smallest device has no ram, and no sleep mode number. ( so this will be their 'loss leader' "$1.50 in volume" device.

On their bar comparison, PolarPro seems very poor, and I notice MachXO is missing - could this omission mean it has better numbers ? :)

-jg

Nope - Altera's silicon design team is quite busy with Cyclix III. If you have any good suggestions on specs outside the hobby sphere, now might be a good time to post them...

Ben

Ben,

Does this 'Cyclix' mean a CYCLone with mIXed signal - or flash based Cyclone, or just a typo for Cyclone3

Regards,

Luc

Luc, I think is more like "spartex" or "virtan" in X-world. ;-)

Aurash

Now there is a strange reply. Do you mean suggestions on MAX 3, or this Cyclix III ? If the silicon design team is quite busy, the Architecture team has therefore finished, and so suggestions are probably too late anyway ?

-jg

As Aurelian already suggested, I indeed meant Cyclone/Stratix III. I played with the word Stratone, but that sounded way too chemical.

From a few presentations I have seen, the Architecture people seem to be pretty much done with the 65nm offerings, so I guess they're now in a position to be retreating into the Stone Age for a few months while focusing on positioning and defining a new instant-on product, probably based on 130nm technology.

So, send money, cigars, whiskey and the odd bottle of perfume to 101 Innovation Drive, San Jose, CA, C/O The Max Architecture Team, along with three copies of the requirements for a CPLD for your next killer project and hope they don't just take the goodies and light the cigars with your requirements ;-)

Best regards,

Ben

Hmmm... Spandex IV - the stretchable FPGA fabric... ;-)

Ben

Antti schrieb:

just a small correction: Spartan-3A do support SPI and NOR flash configuration modes, and there are some power saving features added: SUSPEND/AWAKE pins!

I wonder why is the Spartan-3A suppport already in the ISE when there is no public information available, specially the power saving features could be interesting!

Antti