tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post593173337742316157..comments2024-03-28T08:06:43.198-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: Techy Tuesday - Learning FPGA Design is Getting EasierSiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-4620866945368512832016-03-26T13:57:38.546-04:002016-03-26T13:57:38.546-04:00From what I hear, VHDL, although that could be a G...From what I hear, VHDL, although that could be a Glock vs. 1911 question with True Believers on each side! <br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-58673852405180471982016-03-26T13:37:21.572-04:002016-03-26T13:37:21.572-04:00Verilog or VHDL?
That is the question.Verilog or VHDL?<br />That is the question.Dance...dance to the radiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688681743093469863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-207701438443346172016-03-25T17:35:29.163-04:002016-03-25T17:35:29.163-04:00Had to upgrade some switches for compliance last w...Had to upgrade some switches for compliance last week.<br />Not touched a switch since school.<br />Learning curve.<br />Fun.Dance...dance to the radiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16688681743093469863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-86306024640832701812016-03-25T16:27:10.086-04:002016-03-25T16:27:10.086-04:00Alas for us old time analog types. I can bounce an...Alas for us old time analog types. I can bounce an electron or 3 on the head of a pin, I can explain the intricacies of Thomson vs Butterworth as well as the differences in Chebyshev I vs II filters, I can build ADCs, stepped-frequency radar, and delta-sigma modulators ... but I've just not been able to wrap my head around binary design - in spite of experience going back to WATFOR/WATFIV FORTRAN, K&R 1st ed, and one time experience as an "expert" configuring LSI/PDP-11 systems.<br /><br />An extreme weakness in my knowledge base.<br /><br />Oh, well. Now, where's my heater transformer? ...<br /><br />QAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-25178178002923970502016-03-23T13:59:46.207-04:002016-03-23T13:59:46.207-04:00Thanks for that additional information. I didn...Thanks for that additional information. I didn't talk about BGAs and other details about building stuff, but it just doesn't get any more important than not being able to build your prototype! (And to be honest, even companies really good at manufacturing like Major Avionics Corporation took a while to get good at them. It took extra hassle to use them on new products.) <br /><br />About 10 years ago, I worked on a big program where the digital team used a very high end FPGA. I think they were $5000 in the quantity we bought. I don't recall the number of balls, but I want to say 480. One ball soldering incorrectly could scrap a board. <br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-50560301629542205852016-03-23T12:49:48.894-04:002016-03-23T12:49:48.894-04:00I use FPGAs in almost every system I design, and t...I use FPGAs in almost every system I design, and the dev boards are definitely becoming cheap and easily accessible. The BeMicro series from Altera is also worth looking at - decent power in a cheap and small form factor. The Max10 is also a part that a lot of makers should be interested in. It has the capabilities of a small FPGA, but also includes a decent A/D converter and is available in packages that are easy to hand-solder. We use BGA packaging for our real projects, and while BGAs can be installed with a hot air tool, it's a lot easier if you can avoid them for hobby work.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00192121247584828848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-19978179291778626802016-03-22T23:15:52.758-04:002016-03-22T23:15:52.758-04:00You need a development board, the pins are too sma...You need a development board, the pins are too small to solder or maybe even see. With designer software given away it doesn't seem like a bad deal to try the experiment. I found a guy on the web who had built a PDP-10 mainframe on a FPGA with what sounded like his own tools (David Conroy I think).EricNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05032785464061498419noreply@blogger.com