hello.... i wanted to know if fpgas were reprogrammable... if i have a virtex2pro board, use it for a system, and later want to make changes/ additions (hardware), do i lose the already used gates? also, if applications are changed, and downloaded, are the older ones overwritten or do i lose the space?
thanks
Yes they are reprogrammable. Most FPGAs load configuration data from an external FLASH memory chip every time they are switched on (or reset).
In the case of your Virtex2Pro board, that Flash chip is probably included on the board too. So all you have to do is to reprogram the Flash chip with your new programming file, and the FPGA will load that new configuration after power cycle or reset. Alternatively. you can directly program the FPGA from your PC (without using the Flash). But when you turn off the power, the FPGA loses the configuration.
There's absolutely no sense of "overwriting" space or losing it. As I say, the FPGA cannot permanently store configuration data itself.
(A few recent FPGAs have integrated the Flash onto the same die or chip, but that is not relevant to your situation and the same principles apply).
Tom
Sure, your Virtex stores configuration in RAM. While testing and debugging, use JTAG to configure it, when it's ready program the configuration flash on the board.
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