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What's Stopping You Building Your Next Project with an FPGA? (Please, Don't Blame the Cost!)

rscasny

The community does a ton of projects with MCUs. If they do the job for you, that's great. But the element14 community is about learning, experimenting and roadtesting. In this spirit, I am proposing that you should try building your next project with an FPGA (SoC), if it suits the application, of course. What's stopping you? Oh, some members have voiced the cost issue. Granted, some FPGAs do cost a lot. But chip manufacturers are rolling out economical chipsets that most makers, pro-makers or experienced hobbyists can afford. (If you can't, then apply to a RoadTest and if you win you can get a dev board for FREE.) I think FPGA / SoCs will move into a more important place for electronic designers, especially for IoT applications. Perhaps it's time to experiement with one. What's stopping you?

 

Here's a link to a current roadtest:Digilent ARTY S7 Dev Board (Xilinx Spartan 7)   Apply today!

 

Randall Scasny

RoadTest Program Manager

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  • I just noticed FPGAs can be used for HDMI output, which would be a very interesting use case: fpga4fun.com - HDMI

    But the assembly-like language used on that example website makes me run for the hills.

     

    My hope is something like this: Basic Arduino to output video and sound (https://playground.arduino.cc/Main/TVout ), with the outputs connected to an FPGA that converts it to HDMI.

     

    The ultimate goal is to show images and play mp3s from an SD card on a TV using an HDMI connection.

     

    Would this be possible? (question is to the FPGA experts image re the HDMI part - I can handle the Arduino to TV-out and Audio-out part)

     

    -Nico

  • in reply to ntewinkel

    The Kamami Maximator board has HDMI socket. Its powered by an Altera MAX10 fpga and fairly cheap and simple.

     

    I reviewed this board in a blog on E14 which you should be able to find.

     

    If you try coding it in VHDL I'll possibly be able to help if you get stuck.

    The link you gave is using Verilog. You won't find that VHDL looks any more obvious but its pedantic insistence on being told exactly what to do will save you from many traps that Verilog will entice you into.

     

     

    MK

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  • in reply to ntewinkel

    The Kamami Maximator board has HDMI socket. Its powered by an Altera MAX10 fpga and fairly cheap and simple.

     

    I reviewed this board in a blog on E14 which you should be able to find.

     

    If you try coding it in VHDL I'll possibly be able to help if you get stuck.

    The link you gave is using Verilog. You won't find that VHDL looks any more obvious but its pedantic insistence on being told exactly what to do will save you from many traps that Verilog will entice you into.

     

     

    MK

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