CPLD and FPGAs – Mike Richards G4WNC

Cypress – Super-Cheap PSoC Development Boards

Mike Richards — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:38:11 +0000

Cypress have recently introduced a new range of PSoC 4 development boards that are well worth a look Based on the 4100 and 4200 series of PSoC devices they feature a powerful Cortex M0 processor, include a programmer and are available from Farnell for less than £4 each. The PSoC Creator visual design software is free so you can get up and running with PSoC programming with very little outlay. There are also plenty of example programs plus extra user components available on the Cypress website.

The one weak point is the programming instructions that don’t really cover the USB connected development boards but assume you have a PSoC programmer. The solution to is use the following excellent Wiki that provides step-by-step instructions on USB bootloader programming: Bootloader Wiki.

Cypress System on Chip Entry Kit

Mike Richards — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 13:53:33 +0000

System on a Chip (SoC) devices are becoming ever cheaper and represent a great way to develop micro controller apps with the minimum of external components. A typical SoC device comprises a micro controller core along with a stack of logic and analogue blocks that can be configured in firmware to create a specialist device.

Up until recently, development kits for this technology have been too pricey for the enthusiasts market but that is changing rapidly. The latest to come to my attention is the Cypress CY8CKIT-042 PSoc Pioneer Kit. This has everything you need to get started including an on-board programmer, USB lead and some patch wires. The development software is completely free and downloadable from the Cypress site. One of the great things about this system is the PSoc 4 Creator software that allows you to create and program your dedicated applications by simply drawing the circuit diagram! The kit also has Arduino compatible pin layout and sockets for Digilent Pmod accessories so it’s easy to expand the board.

At the time of writing the kit was available from Farnell for about £17 which is a real bargain. Here’s a link for more information: http://uk.farnell.com/cypress-psoc-4-pioneer-kit

New STM32 Development board with 2.4″ Touch Screen for £17!

Mike Richards — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:27:41 +0000

I spotted this new development board from STM a few weeks ago and stock has now arrived at Farnell. This is an amazing value board that features a STM32F4 180MHz cpu with 3-axis MEMS sensor and a 2.4″ QVGA touch-screen display. The board comes preloaded with a neat graphic display example.

Development with this board has been made easy thanks to the provision of free example software, development IDE and the STemWin professional graphical library.

The package cost just under £17 which is remarkable value. You can order yours from Farnell using this link.

FPGA and CPLD Cores

Mike Richards — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 13:21:29 +0000

When you start working with CPLDs and FPGAs, the easiest way to get going is to look at existing modules and adapt them for your needs. Xilinx provide some excellent and very comprehensive cores but they tend to be fairly complex and thus a bit more difficult to unpick. A better option can be to look at tutorial sites such as the excellent Papilio Learning Centre at the Gadget Factory. Another good starting point is the FPGA4FUN site as this has a good selection of simple cores complete with functional descriptions. Don’t worry that they are FPGA orientated as many can be loaded into a CPLD. For a more comprehensive selection of cores, OpenCores maintains an extensive library of cores that are free to download. These are great when you need to add specific functionality to your project.

MathWorks News

Mike Richards — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 18:30:05 +0000

MathWorks is used extensively by professional engineers as a design tool. One of the products that caught my eye was SimuLink which is a visual programming environment. SimuLink can be used for a wide variety of design problems but of particular interest to me is its use for Software Defined Radio. SimuLink has strong ties to hardware manufacturers (Xilinx, etc.) so it is possible to create a visual SDR design and then download the design into a suitable FPGA or SoC (System On a Chip). The team at MathWorks are very keen to encourage youngsters into hardware programming and have recently added SimuLink modules for the Raspberry Pi and Arduino. A great place to see some examples and to keep up with the developments is through MathWorks MakerZone. It’s still early days but there’s huge potential here.

Papilio

Mike Richards — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 17:23:22 +0000

If you are thinking of getting into FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) it’s worth paying a visit to Gadget Factory’s Papilio project. Not only do they have some great value boards available but the new Schematic Library really helps you get going with minimal programming. The Schematic library provides computing modules that can be arranged and connected together using simple block schematic diagrams. A processor is included in the set, so it’s remarkably easy to program your FPGA board with an Arduino like processor along with a wide assortment of interfaces.

I’ve bought one of the Papilio One FPGA boards with a 250k gate Spartan 3E chip. In addition to the obvious FPGA chip, the board comes with all the essential voltage regulators, a clock source and its own JTAG programmer. There are two expansion wings for all the ins and outs and a USB port for the programmer. With the Palipio One board selling at just $38 (~£23) it’s great value. If you want to see more, take a look at the Learning site where you’ll find lots more detail along with examples.