add-on boards for Parallax's new FPGA board

rjo__

As a hacker... I couldn't be happier than when I am hacking verilog. As long as I can keep my compile times down to about 10 minutes so I don't forget what it is that I just did, I am just FINE:)

I also couldn't feel more indebted to Parallax for releasing the P1V... it really has opened up a whole new area for development to me... which is only limited by my time and talent. But unlike most... I could care less about the schedule for the P2. I will be happy when it gets here, but I am in no hurry. Exploring the P1v could keep me busy for the next two years. AND I am far more interested in licensing the verilog than I am in using the actual chip:)

I am interested in an arcane area of image processing... which heavily depends upon random access to memory... the faster the better. I have been slowly inching myself in that direction. In my other active thread I have posted verilog for m9k based dual ported memory. What I really like is the ease and flexibility of the memory. I am sure I can use it to great effect... but it is limited. Parallax's new board will have millions and millions of bits of m10k memory so I can't wait for that board... but I would like more.
What kind of add-on board could I get that would give me the same degree of ease & flexibility of this kind of dual-ported m9k ram?... no muss, no fuss... just there... all hooked up to Port B:)

Thanks

Rich

Ken Gracey

We would be thrilled if the community produced some add-on boards for the Parallax FPGA 1-2-3 Development Board, Rich. We can't cost-effectively due this due to process setup.

An A/D converter would be a good start, for one. There's discussion of an image processor add-on, too.

As soon as possible I'll have Daniel post the schematic and mechanical connection so this process could get started.

Ken Gracey

rjo__

Thanks Ken... and I think you will agree that it would be far less painful for some of our gurus to do it than answer a million questions from me:)

Ken Gracey

rjo__ wrote: »

Thanks Ken... and I think you will agree that it would be far less painful for some of our gurus to do it than answer a million questions from me:)

I wouldn't say that. You're learning Verilog programming so you can give yourself a little more credit. But, yes, it's true that we need to get Daniel and Jeff to talk on the forums about some of our needs as soon as that board is nearly available. At the moment we're waiting for the final PCBs, then it's P&P programming. We have an internal schedule that puts the board availability date in late May.

Ken Gracey

rjo__

Late May sounds fine. What I'm currently working on would be best done using three synchronized cameras... doesn't really matter if they are analog or digital. I am currently using digital cameras. I have them littering my workspace... but I don't actually have the ones I want yet:)

The algorithm is fairly immune to noise and I do have analog cameras that can be synchronized... and which cost $5.

The problem with two cameras is that there is no way to deal with spectral scatter... which is all around us at all times, it seems. There are two ways that I know of to get rid of this problem: either rely on motion... which slows everything down (and requires faster cameras) or have three cameras, which allows an analysis to identify the artifact.

I can make a three camera board... feeding the output of it to another board that has the right stuff in terms of memory is another kettle of fish. When I say random access... I mean exactly that... there is literally no way to guess apriori, which pixel data you will be looking at. So, streaming data from single ported ram to get the pixels you want is very inefficient and is largely defeated by this aspect of the analysis. Of course, I am willing to take what I can get:)