How many Xilinx devkits does one need?

Hi

I do have have plenty of Xilinx development hardware. I did thinkt hat for sure enough that i can pick up some board for almost any task.

Now I just wanted to check out the Xilinx standard webserver demo, should be easy i did think. Ok first I picked up Memec/Avnet Spartan3 Microblaze Board. This i have used before, and it used to work. But the Avnet reference design is made for EDK 8.1, after update to EDK

8.2 the DDR memory did not work anymore.

Oh, well this is not so recent board, they have not updated the design to pass memory test with EDK 8.2, so what lets take some more recent development board. Then all should work?

So I startup the Spartan-3A Board.. goto Xilinx website to download the EDK reference designs.

I look and I look I and I get upset more and more...

There are NO REFERENCE designs for the Spartan-3A board!!!! Except some picoblaze thingies that are currently of zero interest for me.

So I am still short of development boards? Which one should I try next? Memec VP20 board? Some Xilinx or Digilent board?

I think Digilent S3E board would have working reference design, but this board I dont have.

Disappointed really. Not to mention that the S3A board was supposed to be fully preloaded with demos, but all I see is led chaser. And when I plug the USB cable WinXP asks me to insert Xilinx installation disk, what isnt included in the package.

Xilinx platform cable drivers are all installed so it should all work without "installation disk", but now it does not.

Antti Who really doesnt want to troubleshoot "small things that Xilinx and related vendors just forget..."

Sure I will now try to make the EDK design for S3A board myself, but should the DDR2 IP core not work out of the box on the S3A board, then I will be way more .....

I have DDR2 experience with Xilinx FPGA's... should it not want to work on S3A, I really dont want to seek down the issues. If Digilent is offering a low cost board with DDR2 memory, then there should be also at least ONE working design demonstrating the EDK DDR2 IP core use with S3A

Reply to
Antti
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Hi Antti,

Regarding your specific concerns on the Spartan-3A Starter Kit, there is a known issue where the board assembler failed to set the jumpers correctly. On the Spartan-3A Starter Kit product page, under the documentation banner, there is a "Product Notification" addressing this issue. You can view it directly at

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Hope that helps, Eric

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Eric Crabill

at

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Thank you Eric,

well, installing jumpers i already did, but seeing the preloaded demos wasnt my priority. besides I have seen those demos long before, I dont need additional proove that they work on my board. If the my board passed factory testing (as indicated by the label) the factory tests and demos should run.

The PN as you pointed out only explains that I may have to desolder some 0402 SMD ferrites and replace them should I experience "sub optimal" DDR2 performance. (this is also explained in the Schematic of the S3A board, that made me scared already! )

Well, as there is no reference design to even test, I would say the performance is defenetly sub-obtimal at the present state, so I am still holding back, hoping that:

Xilinx RELEASES S3A DDR2 Reference Design, that has "optimal" (as opposed to sub-optimal) performance. Should THAT reference design NOT work on my board, then I will sit down on the workplace with stereo microscope and seek those ferrite beads and replace them as suggested in the PN document.

If Xilinx has NO INTENTION to provide a working DDR2 reference designs for the Xilinx Spartan-3A board then I will throw it out of the window, to save further frustration.

Antti

Reply to
Antti

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