Just wondering, does hobbyist with fund less than USD200/month could afford playing with FPGA ?
Is there any link that I can read about it ? (since looks like every FPGA developer is belonging in big company and universities).
I want to know what kind of tools that I need (like the compiler, development board, debugger, etc).
Thus, is there any link to cheap version of it :p (I've read in Altera's page, nothing is below USD200)
Thank you
There is a starting point:
ISE WebPack is free.
-nets
One of Altera's HDL toolchain is free, as well.
There's also Icarus Verilog, a part of the GPL'd gEDA toolset.
You don't need to program real FPGAs to learn VHDL or Verilog and use the toolset simulators -- although eventually you'll want to.
In addition to the links above, look at
-- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
Thank you so much for the advise.
I'm a bit crazy about building my own FPGA board. Sounds cool, though I just want it to blink some LEDs :p
BTW, how can I connect the FPGA with external device (LEDs) ?
I have read in
Is it correct or do I miss something ? Is there any good reading about how to interface FPGA with external device ?
Most of books/websites that I've read just teaching VHDL/Verilog only.
Check out the app note locatations on both Xilinx and Altera sites. Be prepared for a lot of reading though. Also, consider using a CPLD (eg. coolrunner) instead of an FPGA. The CPLD has onboard memory, so you don't have to worry about external flash memory hookup. They are a little easier to use as well, and you can program them in VHDL & Verilog.
Xilinx :
Altera :
... try this:
Not that hard. Check out
Add a chunk of perf board to hold a power connector and JTAG header and you've got a custom dev board.
The best references are the device and family datasheets. In many cases you MUST read the family datasheets for the real info; the individual device sheets don't necessarily reprise all of the family info.
The more complex devices are evolving to service more precise I/O specs than in the good ol' "LS TTL" days. Depending on the device, you may be able to chose I/O voltage, slew rate, impedence, LVDS pairs, much more.
Take a look at "The Design Warrior's Guide to FPGAs" ISBN 0-7506-7604-3.
-- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
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