Hi! I'd like to make a "monitor" for the PCI bus, on a card. On the same card, however, there will also be a FPGA chip used as a PCI controller. The FPGA won't always be active, but I want to monitor the PCI bus on that card all the time.
What family of 74xxx chips should I use? My best guess for now is the AHC family. Am I off track? Will it require too much input current (unlikey, I think) that it will violate the PCI specs, also considering the additional presence of the (Altera Cyclone) FPGA?
I'm thinking about using 74AHC573 chips to buffer the AD lines, and the various PCI bus control lines.
Please do not tell me to use a PLX, AMCC or any other expensive chip for the monitor. I have to keep the costs down. Using the FPGA for the monitor is also out of the possibilities. Will 74AHCxxx chips work well? If not, what other family should I use, which is fast enough but doesn't load the PCI bus too much?
The card/PCB is pretty small, no line will be longer than a couple of inches max.
Thanks! John