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Propeller 1-2-3 FPGA Board (#60054) available to Forum Members $375 - Page 6 — Parallax Forums

Propeller 1-2-3 FPGA Board (#60054) available to Forum Members $375

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Comments

  • David BetzDavid Betz Posts: 14,511
    edited 2015-10-13 03:10
    What code is loaded into the 1-2-3 A7 board when it ships? Is the source available?
  • Ctrl-G in Pnut reveals what's available for the connected board.
  • There is a zip file posted early in this thread by Chip that has the sample program I believe.
  • ozpropdev wrote: »
    Ctrl-G in Pnut reveals what's available for the connected board.
    So it does and the number is 12 indeed. Thanks. I guess my A7 board is working fine.

  • Is there a test program that I can load to test the RGB LEDs?
  • cgraceycgracey Posts: 14,131
    David Betz wrote: »
    Is there a test program that I can load to test the RGB LEDs?

    You'd have to write one.
  • cgracey wrote: »
    David Betz wrote: »
    Is there a test program that I can load to test the RGB LEDs?

    You'd have to write one.
    I was afraid you'd say that. :-)
    I guess it will be a good way to get my feet wet. Actually, I was kind of hoping for a Verilog program to drive the RGB LEDs that I could use as a sample program to get me going with Verilog programming. I guess I should look around and find a version of P1v that runs on the 1-2-3 board.

  • David
    There is a test program for the A7 board , sadly you need the PLL fix for it to work.
    It was a P1V program I wrote a while back.
    See here
  • ozpropdev wrote: »
    David
    There is a test program for the A7 board , sadly you need the PLL fix for it to work.
    It was a P1V program I wrote a while back.
    See here
    Thanks for the link. How hard would it be to convert it to using the 50mhz clock on the 1-2-3 board?

  • JM's WS2812 driver requires a system clock of a least 80MHz. :(
  • This p1 pasm code was for driving 5 ws2812 strips off a single 100MHz cog, using interleaving. It should be easy enough to convert to driving 1 or 2 strips at 50 MHz
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/155211/ws2812-fast-multi-driving-4-or-5-addressible-led-strips-with-a-single-cog
    Unfortunately I have a busy few days, but should be able to do it at the weekend

  • Tubular wrote: »
    This p1 pasm code was for driving 5 ws2812 strips off a single 100MHz cog, using interleaving. It should be easy enough to convert to driving 1 or 2 strips at 50 MHz
    http://forums.parallax.com/discussion/155211/ws2812-fast-multi-driving-4-or-5-addressible-led-strips-with-a-single-cog
    Unfortunately I have a busy few days, but should be able to do it at the weekend
    Thanks for the offer but it probably isn't worth your time to port this. I was just looking for a quick way to test the RGB LEDs. If anyone is going to put effort into this, it would be better to write code for P2 to do it. I appreciate the offer though!

  • SeairthSeairth Posts: 2,474
    edited 2015-10-13 11:28
    (deleted.)
  • fpalmans wrote: »
    I shall write back in a couple of days after it has been ordered :)

    hehe, 'a couple', right? Let's say I am on Belgian time now :-). If there were still boards available, I have just ordered one for international shipping. Looking forward!
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 13,767
    edited 2015-10-19 17:38
    Was just thinking... It might be useful for me to have another P123 board with a P1 image on it. Does Parallax intend to provide that (the P1 FPGA code that is)?

    Would be nice if PORTB was enabled and connected to the second 40-pin I/O header.
    Also, would like the DACs and VGA to work, if possible.

    While I'm at it, I'd wish for a uSD card on the board...

    And... Is there a way to add EEPROM so can boot?
  • Ray,

    There is working P1V configurations for the 1-2-3 board on Jac Goudsmit's GitHub repository

    It lets you build a standard P1V that runs on the 1-2-3. From there you can add the modifications that people have come up with. PORTB is one of the easier verilog changes.

    Unless you particularly want a second 1-2-3 or the features on that board, there are other boards that should fit a P1V with room to grow (BEMicro-CV A9 comes to mind) and cost you less money.
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 13,767
    edited 2015-10-19 18:11
    Well, I like that don't need PropPlug. Hopefully VGA port could be used (maybe via PortB?).

    Are there no advantages to using the P123 over BEMicro-CV A9 ? I'm assuming there are advantages, but don't really have any idea...
  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,140
    Rayman wrote: »
    Well, I like that don't need PropPlug. Hopefully VGA port could be used (maybe via PortB?).

    Are there no advantages to using the P123 over BEMicro-CV A9 ? I'm assuming there are advantages, but don't really have any idea...
    P123 hopefully has everything for testing on one board. (ADCs DACs P2 'infrastructure' ...)

    Some of this is historic, as the BEMicro-CV A9 did not exist when P123 was started, and even if it had, at that time the A9 was a $$$ option on Altera tools.

    It is only quite recently that the A9 is added to free-tools, and the benefit of hindsight today would have a daughter card done for a BEMicro-CV A9.

    Given the BEMicro-CV A9 is (way) less $ than Parallax pay for their A9 (?!) that is still a viable alternative - it's really just a fork of the P123 design to swap the BGA for a CV-A9 connector, and buy a CV-A9 instead of the BGA.FPGA

  • jmg wrote: »
    Rayman wrote: »
    Well, I like that don't need PropPlug. Hopefully VGA port could be used (maybe via PortB?).

    Are there no advantages to using the P123 over BEMicro-CV A9 ? I'm assuming there are advantages, but don't really have any idea...
    P123 hopefully has everything for testing on one board. (ADCs DACs P2 'infrastructure' ...)

    Some of this is historic, as the BEMicro-CV A9 did not exist when P123 was started, and even if it had, at that time the A9 was a $$$ option on Altera tools.

    It is only quite recently that the A9 is added to free-tools, and the benefit of hindsight today would have a daughter card done for a BEMicro-CV A9.

    Given the BEMicro-CV A9 is (way) less $ than Parallax pay for their A9 (?!) that is still a viable alternative - it's really just a fork of the P123 design to swap the BGA for a CV-A9 connector, and buy a CV-A9 instead of the BGA.FPGA
    I guess that depends on how much the add-on board would sell for. It would have to be considerably less than $475 (the projected cost of the 1-2-3 A9 board) - $150 = $325 to be worth making. Can a BeMicro add-on board be made to sell for, say, $200?

  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,140
    David Betz wrote: »
    I guess that depends on how much the add-on board would sell for. It would have to be considerably less than $475 (the projected cost of the 1-2-3 A9 board) - $150 = $325 to be worth making. Can a BeMicro add-on board be made to sell for, say, $200?
    Probably, but I think Ken mentioned what they paid for A9's somewhere, and it was quite high, however that also means they have A9's in stock, so that rather commits to an A9 build.
    When all those are sold, could be a time to explore a CV-A9 connector-variant ?

    Altera has 5CEBA9F23C8N for 209.76 60+
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 13,767
    edited 2015-10-19 22:04
    I do like the idea of a single board that does everything though. Instead of a pile of interconnected boards that I have to plug a PropPlug into...

    BTW: Has no one plugged a DIP eeprom into the proto area of P123 and tried to get the PI image to boot from eeprom?
  • P1v image? Sure, it will boot from an eeprom connected to pins 28 and 29. It's a fully functional P1.
  • RaymanRayman Posts: 13,767
    In that case, I'll add to my wishlist a dip socket that a eeprom can be plugged into to enable P1 programming...
  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,140
    Rayman wrote: »
    I do like the idea of a single board that does everything though. Instead of a pile of interconnected boards that I have to plug a PropPlug into...
    Of course.
    The problem is the price skew whereby a BeMICROCVA9 costs less than the FPGA alone (and includes Power supplies, assembly, memory, USB loader.... ) - and Parallax will be supporting BeMICROCVA9 code builds.
    I think this is more of a long term question. If Parallax have A9's already, logically they build P123's
    - there may be future educational markets for an expansion board + test codes for teaching P2V
  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,091
    I'm starting to hang out for the P123 board. I do ultimately want the A9 and since I'm outside USA I figured it best to wait for the finished product before purchasing. It's a little tempting to order the Nano now it's got an image (2-Cog?).
  • evanh wrote: »
    I'm starting to hang out for the P123 board. I do ultimately want the A9 and since I'm outside USA I figured it best to wait for the finished product before purchasing. It's a little tempting to order the Nano now it's got an image (2-Cog?).

    I'm thinking the same thing re the A9, like you I'm outside USA.

    The Nano image does have two cogs. It can also take a P1V, I do not remember if it's the full thing due to limited RAM bits. The Nano does have an SDRAM chip on board too if you'd like to tweak P1V for that.
  • evanhevanh Posts: 15,091
    Thanks for clarifying the Nano.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-10-28 10:46
    Well, I think the P123 A7 or A9 will be a far more necessary tool for developers that really desire to confirm the P2 architecture.

    At this juncture, I just want to try to load Tachyon Forth for P2 to get some idea of what is going on. Neither the BeMicroCV or CVA9 have all the proper supporting chips or space in right configuration that the P123 does, and likely there will never be a add-on board that achieves that.

    I am just pondering a minimal means to follow P2 progress. Even a Nano board may have more added features than a BeMicroCVA9 that are appropriate to the P2. The CVA9 Terasic interface is NOT complete. The BeMicroCV (A2) appears to have the complete Terasic interface that might do well with Parallax boards intended to adapt the Nano.

    In sum, just having the A9 on the BeMicroCVA9 may never be enough to fully emulate a P2. Don't get your hopes up. And the BeMicroCV is an A2 that limits available FPGA logic
    . But the BeMicroCV and BeMicroCVA9 do nicely with the P1V.
  • cgraceycgracey Posts: 14,131
    This morning I finished testing the first Prop123 -A9 board off the line.

    It all checked out perfectly, so I gave the go-ahead and they built 20. We'll build another twenty very soon.

    We need to establish a quick test procedure so that we can get these out.
  • cgracey wrote: »
    This morning I finished testing the first Prop123 -A9 board off the line.

    It all checked out perfectly, so I gave the go-ahead and they built 20. We'll build another twenty very soon.

    We need to establish a quick test procedure so that we can get these out.
    That's great news! What's the procedure going to be for trading in A7 for A9 boards? Do we need some sort of RMA number for returning the A7? How do we order the A9 and pay the extra $100?

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