FPGA selection recommendation

Which core are you using?

I don't think the V7 comes in QFP ;-)

Theo

It's the sifive freedom unleashed core, the U500.

Nope.

So that's based on Rocket. Thus far I only know about Rocket and PULP's Ariane that are able to boot Linux.

Shucks :) Might be over the OP's budget anyway... by a factor of 100.

Theo

I read much of the thread but not all. I don't think I have anything meani ngful to add to the discussion as asked by the OP. I do feel his pain abou t the available packages for FPGAs. My desire is to have FPGA devices that are similar in package and utility to smaller MCUs including price competi tiveness. I don't care about hand soldering since that is of no economic v alue and I am in business. My interest in using leaded or no-lead devices rather than BGA type packages is convenience and the cost of PWBs. While t he larger BGAs often have wider pin pitches and so are not difficult to rou te with relaxed design rules, they are big and expensive mitigating the poi nt of using low cost PWBs. Smaller pin count packages at a lower unit pric e use much finer ball pitches and require the most expensive PWB processing . As a result there are no $10 FPGA boards available much less $5 FPGA boa rds even though there are a number of FPGAs well below this price.

I recall having conversations here with Xilinx representatives about the co st basis for FPGAs and often the die size was pin count limited. So the sm allest devices were fairly large by some standards. Lattice is the only FP GA company I am aware of that makes devices that only have a couple dozen I /Os or less across all packages. Because of the market for these devices t hey end up in microscopic packages that are not practical for low cost prod uction unless very high volumes are produced.

Rick C.