Introduction to CPLD
Martin Hodge
Posts: 1,246
After having just spent at least 5 days downloading, installing and learning to use each of the Altera and Xilinx IDE's for their products (around 3 GB each!!!!) and henceforth apologizing to my computer. I find myself wishing Parallax had an introduction to the world of FPGA/CPLD. We know it would be lean and lightweight and just enough to get started with some simple logic applications.
Probably far into the future, what with all you have going on currently. But keep it in the back of your minds.
Probably far into the future, what with all you have going on currently. But keep it in the back of your minds.
Comments
Which is exactly what I did. Would have felt better buying it from Parallax, though. To the point of my previous message.
A highly subjective statement. I strenuously disagree.
I think Andre' LaMothe made a CPLD learner's kit.
This is a picture of the board we considered for the kit initially:
Ken Gracey
Parallax Inc.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190501210627&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
It's a two-layer board (I'd have made it four layers) but it should be OK for less-demanding applications. I'm designing an add-on board for it with an LED display and a couple of push-buttons, with a prototyping area. It's ideal for use with the book I mentioned.
I've also got a Digilent Spartan-3 kit (available from $109), and a couple of home-made PCBs using an Altera MAX-II CPLD and a Xilinx CPLD,
Andre's CPLD kit is very expensive at $159.95.
I bought this back in '02. I forget for how much. It came with a MAX7000 series CPLD, an LPT programming cable and a copy of MAX+II BASELINE (which is less than 100 MBytes.) What caused me to post my suggestion was the gigabytes that needed to be downloaded/installed in order to use "non-legacy" software. I felt like I was having to load up a 700 piece tool set in order to have that 18mm socket. I was comparing this experience with getting started with the Propeller or BS2. (Or even the SX).
As you can see it's all up and working now and I'm slogging through Quartus II.
At any rate I changed the thread title for accuracy.
That does not make much sense, as they simply pass-on the tools, and Eval Boards.
Or did you mean a Prop + CPLD Combo Board ?
If you want small tools, then Atmel's WinCUPL is just 20MB, and very fast.
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/tools_card.asp?tool_id=2759
It suits their CPLDs up to 128 Macrocells, and uses Boolean Eqn so is quick to learn.
The ATF1502/04/08 in AS/ASL/BE/RE families are JTAG ISP models, in PLCC/TQFP
Atmel do have a couple of DIP CPLDs in the ATF750CL & ATF2500, but those need a device programmer.
If you need more complexity, then look at Lattice's new family
http://www.latticesemi.com/products/developmenthardware/developmentkits/machxo2picokit.cfm
Having got my board, I see they use a FT2232H (wow: high speed) in the download link.
This MachXO2 family is still new, but has RAM and PLLs in a sub $10 device, and can swallow their smallest SoftCPU.
On this thread, most certainly! On programmable logic, no sir!
The point of this thread was missed badly. I understand now why real suggestion boxes are locked and anonymous. Being told publicly that one's suggestion does not make much sense is inexcusably rude and a powerful way to discourage others from offering their own ideas. I guess I have a strange notion about how a suggestion forum should function. This thread was not supposed to be about me, but about a suggestion to Parallax.
As an example; get an XC9536, which is a sub $1 CPLD and very simple. Put it on a DIP-44 carrier board with a little JTAG header. Bundle a programmer and a Design Suite or Quartus II DVD with it and sell it as an introduction to programmable logic. Target it to those who are highly intimidated (again, not me) by multi-gigabyte design suites and 200 pin BGA chips.
I realize there are many hurdles to making something like that feasible, but I thought it would be a good idea to at least mention it.
That's all.
I doubt if Parallax would sell very many if they produced something like it.
Then maybe I'll try it.
But you have not avoided the "multi-gigabyte design suites" by doing this at all ?
You still have to use whatever the device vendor has, for chip design.
I agree that tends to be bloated, but they seem to prefer to load tools for ALL parts into one large bucket.
Only Atmel have anything like tools that could be called small. (but it has the associated caveats of Boolean Entry and Smaller device ceiling )
You may again want to check what others actually offer, eg Lattice already have $29 Breakout Boards
http://www.latticesemi.com/products/developmenthardware/breakoutboardevalkits.cfm
Each Breakout board is a 3” x 3” form factor and features a USB B-mini connector for power and programming, an LED array, and prototype area. { No MachXO2 yet, likely coming, meanwhile the MachXO2 Pico Kit is the same price }
Notice they do not include a CD/DVD, as the software changes too often for that, and such kits may have long shelf lives.
Yes, those are a good idea, but they are already available ?
I've suggested to Atmel that they do a similar [USB Power + Pgm + Chip] minimal release, but so far, no product.
Fortunately I picked up four a couple of years ago to play with