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John Adair
Guest
Mon Aug 29, 2011 10:40 pm
Have a look at our Polmaddie3
http://www.enterpoint.co.uk/polmaddie/polmaddie3.html.
If you really want to cut costs this board has an option to drive the
JTAG chain as a bit bash from the on-board FT232 chip that also forms
a serial port connection. As yet we don't have formal support for this
feature but we do of a customer that has used it successfully in
another of products with the same feature.
This cheap JTAG connection will need the fit of resistor array, or
solder bridges, and the work of getting the bit bash to work.
Otherwise we do have our own ISE compatible USB programming cable.
Price for this board with parallel port cable GBP £40 / USD $68 + VAT
(if applys) or with USB programming cable option GBP £90 / USD $153.
We also have a another not widely known product Prog4 that has a FT245
front end but can not support the bit-bash JTAG at a similar price
point. It's main use is as a programming cable for our Altera based
products but we also sell it as a development board. It has slightly
less I/O but is physically smaller. Like the Polmaddie3 it has a
XC3S50AN FPGA. Details of Prog4
http://www.enterpoint.co.uk/programming_solutions/prog4.html.
John Adair
Enterpoint Ltd.
On Aug 28, 3:23 pm, Giuseppe Marullo
<giuseppe.marullonos...@iname.com> wrote:
Quote:
Hi,
I would like to know which is the smallest (read cheapest) board with a
Spartan3 that can be programmed directly by a usb cable.
I just need a couple to test a design that must be operated remotely and
in the need of a change in the fpga I would not bother the other party
with much software/hardware issues.
Budget is very tight, there are no many requirements for the board
itself, a bunch of I/O (less than 20) and I would need to add a serial
LCD, a couple of quad encoders and some buttons.
Serial port and/or USB data exchange at plus.
Ideally, I use a Xylo-LM that has a very easy programming method, sadly
way overbudget.
TIA.
Giuseppe Marullo
Jim Granville
Guest
Mon Aug 29, 2011 11:52 pm
On Aug 29, 1:47 pm, Giuseppe Marullo
<giuseppe.marullonos...@iname.com> wrote:
Quote:
Thanks to all for your answers, really good advices.
I need to build a "high speed" HST IAMBIC keyer.
If you want USB and cheap, then the Lattice offerings are hard to go
past.
They have 2 candidates:
$30- called 'Breakout', but includes a FT2232H for ISP.
http://www.latticesemi.com/products/developmenthardware/breakoutboardevalkits.cfm?source=topnav
and also $29, with a small LCD, and FT2232H connected for UART on the
second channel (JTAG Pgm on the other)
http://www.latticesemi.com/products/developmenthardware/developmentkits/machxo2picokit.cfm?source=banner
or, there are Micro boards, this one even has a small speaker.
http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_images/XMEGA_A1_xplained_th.jpg
Giuseppe Marullo
Guest
Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:26 am
Quote:
Stephen,
very aggressive price but I don't want the other ham to play with
parallel cables. I don't even own a USB programmer cable myself.
My Xylo-LM can be programmed by the FX2 USB chip, I did purchase the
el-cheapo parallel cable (I have a old digilent board with Sump LA
analyzer on it) and another Xilinx/Altera compatible one from KNJN but
it is a PITA on today's computers, parallel port is simply dead.
I have somewhat high end laptop (x7200) and there is no pcmcia or
parallel port.
Antoher (usual) problem is the esoteric I/O connector, otherwise it
could be a good fit.
Quote:
If you want USB and cheap, then the Lattice offerings are hard to go
past.
Jim, I have so much to learn with Xilinx I can't afford to switch
vendor...at least I know how to create a bitfile and do a very basic
simulation with WebISE.
Quote:
John, this one does not have programming capabilities from USB, which I
would like.
The Prog4 could work but I need a ready to run board, I would like
something working without much fiddling/thinkering, not only for me but
specially for my friend.
He is a fine brass pounder with his Vibroplex but I am pretty sure not
much tolerant with the quirks of bitfile programming webise/impact and
cables.
I fear that at the first problem he would ship the board back to me, so
it is really hit/miss situation.
Quote:
Gabor,
they should suffice:
2 input for the paddles
3 x 2 input for 3 quad encoders (maximum)
2 x CW output (one is the Keyout for the radio and the other is the Tone)
1 x Serial LCD output
This board is 89EUR from Trenz (that has a lot of interesting stuff,
sadly not cheap for my needs (micromodules) or lacks USB programming
(OHO Elektronik), and there is a discount if purchased during AVNet
presentation seminars.
Yes, I have enrolled in one (end of November in Milan). Maybe I could
buy two at discounted rate and my problems will be solved while I
progress in the development.
It has a device-locked SDK license and ChipScope (much more that I could
expect).
The only thing I need to understand is if I could use it to try also the
Microblaze (NOT FOR THIS PROJECT!).
Giuseppe Marullo
Jim Granville
Guest
Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:31 am
On Aug 30, 12:26 pm, Giuseppe Marullo
<giuseppe.marullonos...@iname.com> wrote:
Quote:
>If you want USB and cheap, then the Lattice offerings are hard to go
>past.
Jim, I have so much to learn with Xilinx I can't afford to switch
vendor...at least I know how to create a bitfile and do a very basic
simulation with WebISE.
It is not that hard to flip across vendor's tools ?
The two Lattice choices I gave have different tool flows, and I'd
suggest the Breakout 4256ZE : less overall logic, but the IspLEVER
tools give better reports, and run faster from my brief tests.
IspLever is a little more cumbersome on the install.
-jg
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