Illuino FPGA
Contents |
[edit] Participants
- @STG
[edit] Project Status
Project is in brainstorming stage.
[edit] Introduction
Seems to me there are no cheap FPGA development boards available and these are my thoughts on such a device:
I wanted to design something cheap, modular, Arduino compatible and with great potential to be used in a variety of environments. I am not sure if this would fit the description, but the description topic contains information on the device as it exists in my mind at the moment.
I call it the Illuino, from the spanish word for "grid" (as in what an fpga contains - a grid of programmable logic blocks) and "uino" to acknowledge the Arduino which gave birth to the idea.
[edit] Description
[edit] Illuino FPGA-board
The basic component, contains all hardware required to get you started with FPGA development, save for a USB cable to connect the board to a computer running the development environment.
[edit] Breakout header A&B
Allows the Illuino to be connected to Illuino-shields and custom devices.
[edit] Breakout header C&D
Allows the Illuino to be connected to Illuino-expanders and custom devices. Breakout header C is dual-purpose, see PCI BACKPLANE MODULE.
[edit] PCI-capable FPGA
The core component, must support PCI signalling.
[edit] USB-capable microcontroller
Facilitates USB communications and re-programming of/communication with the FPGA.
[edit] USB connector
Hooks up to the microcontroller and possibly also directly to the FPGA.
[edit] RAM
RAM memory for the FPGA, perhaps with additional patterns so that different capsules can be mounted for different varieties of the system.
[edit] Ext. power
External power connector. Power may also be fetched from the PCI slot, USB connector or a paired Arduino.
[edit] PCI slot connector
Allows the Illuino to be connected to a computer PCI slot as an expansion board.
[edit] Backplane connector
Allows the Illuino to be connected to a variety of PCI expanders, so that it can be used for I/O in a computer. See PCI BACKPLANE MODULE below.
[edit] PCI backplane module
These expanders could be fabricated from an experiment board and a spare expansion slot cover plate which can be machined to fit custom I/O connectors or they could be bought prefab in the same manner as many Arduino shields. Will contain I/O electronics and hold the Illuino firmly in place once mounted in a PC. Examples could be an A/D and/or D/A with stereo plugs, a RAMDAC with a VGA port, etc.
[edit] Arduino shield/host A&B
Will not be mounted. Depending on whether a male or female header is mounted, the Illuino can be used as either an Arduino shield, or be host to existing Arduino shields.
[edit] Possibilities
Not only should this project be a cheap way to get started with FPGA programming, but it should also facilitate a variety of modular communications environments such as:
- Developing a variety of custom PCI cards
- Developing custom USB devices
- Interfacing Arduino with an FPGA
- Interfacing Arduino with a PC over PCI
- Interfacing an FPGA with existing arduino shields
- Some combinations of the above
