Unified FPGA Development Suite
in [Design]
|
Prev: my lab
Next: Beta sucked?
From: Michael A. Terrell on 14 Oct 2009 01:20 krw wrote: > > On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:38:21 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" > <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > > > > >krw wrote: > >> > >> On Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:09:53 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" > >> <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > >> > >> > > >> >"David L. Jones" wrote: > >> >> > >> >> Altium's schematic-only (+FPGA/embedded) solution is either $999 outright or > >> >> $49/month if your accountants prefer the 12month lease thing. > >> > > >> > > >> > Somthing is wrong with your math: $49/month *12 = $588. > >> > >> Didn't say how many months. > > > > > > 'If your accountants prefer the 12month lease thing' sure implies 12 > >months. > > ...and at the end of 12 months you have? Nothing. > >> Ever bought a used car? ;-) > > > > > > Yes, but I always paid cash. The only monthly bills I've ever had > >was the utilities & house payment. > > That's just un-American! (That's all I have now, though we do buy > things with the "no payment for 12 months" thing.) -- The movie 'Deliverance' isn't a documentary!
From: JosephKK on 16 Oct 2009 09:28 On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 21:18:47 -0500, "Jon Slaughter" <Jon_Slaughter(a)Hotmail.com> wrote: >Is there a development suite that is good but can target multiple fpga >manufactures? I don't really want to install a bunch of 1GB+ light versions >for each manufacture just to see which one is best. In fact I can't even get >libero to run because it crashes on startup. > >Also, know of any links for DIY fpga programmers? How hard is it to >program? I figured that one just has to feed a bitstream into the fpga >similar to how a pic is programmed(or most devices actually). Looking at >the proASIC's makes me think it's a bit different but I haven't found any >conclusive way to program them except by using DirectC or the STAPL Player. >Since I'm experimenting with these different manufactures I don't want to >have to buy a programmer for each chip. For as much as they cost I could get >nanoboard with 10^10x the functionality. > As far as i know very many of them have JTAG interfaces for programming. The problem areas is translating the VHDL / Verilog to appropriate control maps to program the device. That is what the (possibly free) chip maker proprietary software does. So to even use their devices you are tied to the vendor/manufacturer tool chains, or $n*1e5 to $n*1e6 major house tools (if you can afford them, and they support that chip).
From: JosephKK on 16 Oct 2009 09:53 On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:55:34 -0700, Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:55:32 -0500, krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > >>On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:33:24 -0700, Jim Thompson >><To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)My-Web-Site.com> wrote: >> >>>On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:04:43 -0500, krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: >>> >>>>On Fri, 9 Oct 2009 21:18:47 -0500, "Jon Slaughter" >>>><Jon_Slaughter(a)Hotmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>>Is there a development suite that is good but can target multiple fpga >>>>>manufactures? I don't really want to install a bunch of 1GB+ light versions >>>>>for each manufacture just to see which one is best. In fact I can't even get >>>>>libero to run because it crashes on startup. >>>> >>>>I had to download Libero four times at home before it would run. It >>>>worked fine at work though. >>>> >>>>You can use Synplify, or a number of others, as the front end tool. If >>>>you buy the license directly from Synopsis with the necessary >>>>libraries for all vendors, but you're stuck with the manufacturer's >>>>tools for the back end. Be warned, this approach is not for the poor >>>>and is generally only done by those that either need really big >>>>devices (and pay through the nose already) or need really fine tuned >>>>logic. >>> >>>Is there a cheap synthesis tool for us poor analog guys that will >>>synthesize a modest sequential task (in gates)? >> >>Not sure what you want to do. Describe a function in HDL and have it >>spit out unit logic? I don't know of anything that does that. Some >>tools have a logic viewer that might do it. I think Actel's is >>included in the free tools, but I haven't used it yet (trying not to >>use Actel, right now). > >Clearly I'm not a digital guy... at least beyond pure combinational >reduction, which I actually used to teach about 40 years ago. > >What I'd like is some tool that took in a truth table, each line >representing states at that clock tick, spitting out gates, flops, >etc., to implement that ;-) I have seen products that do this. They may have been programming course assignments though. > >I know. I know. Hire you ?:-) > > ...Jim Thompson Sounds like lower division coursework for digital students. Maybe have undergrad student competitions and the local uni for a $50 first prize. Or maybe for $500 to write the software for you. Say isn't one of your descendant(in-law) a pretty good programming type?
From: JosephKK on 16 Oct 2009 10:31 On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:01:03 -0500, "Jon Slaughter" <Jon_Slaughter(a)Hotmail.com> wrote: >http://chitlesh.fedorapeople.org/FEL/ > >Free but not sure if it is used for fpga simulation. > Browsed the website a bit. It seems to provide full VHDL with simulation. It will not feed into a FPGA design anything more than VHDL of icarus Verilog. It does seem to be able to support OpenHardware and full ASIC design.
From: Jim Thompson on 16 Oct 2009 11:39
On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:53:44 -0700, "JosephKK"<quiettechblue(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >On Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:55:34 -0700, Jim Thompson ><To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)My-Web-Site.com> wrote: > [snip] >> >>I know. I know. Hire you ?:-) >> >> ...Jim Thompson > >Sounds like lower division coursework for digital students. Maybe >have undergrad student competitions and the local uni for a $50 first >prize. Or maybe for $500 to write the software for you. Say isn't >one of your descendant(in-law) a pretty good programming type? Son. But he's so busy he has no time for Dad :-( ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. |