Hi all,
I wanted to start a discussion about the UltraZed-EV Starter Kit RoadTest!
Due to the awesome feedback and GREAT quality of the members that were participating, we were able to gain access to a second kit for the RoadTest!
You can see the official announcement from Randy here:
https://www.element14.com/community/roadTests/2178/l/avnet-ultrazed-ev-starter-kit#comment-258968
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has contributed and I wanted to reassure you that anyone that has not been picked thus far, but has already submitted is still in the running!
Between the judges, we have read and sorted ALL entries. Please do not feel that you would be wasting your time submitting during this week long extension! I want to ENCOURAGE you do do so!
We had some REALLY creative and detailed responses. I really appreciated that since it certainly helps to paint the best picture regarding the intention of the applicant.
I think that with this opportunity of re-opening this, if you were not sure about submitting before, please do so now! I am certainly amazed at the technical know how and ultimate strengths that everyone has demonstrated. I have always known that there are some VERY talented folks on here, but being a part of this contest has confirmed it!
To add more color to this, I think we are in a really exciting time with the amazing and freely available pieces of substance around AI, video, as well as the amazing processing power that is held within the UltraZed-EV's 7EV MPSoC.
Having worked with that part for many years now, I can tell you it is large. Really large. REALLY REALLY large! I can recall working with Orca parts being no larger and potentially capable than a CPLD in today's world! I also recall up through the series 6 Xilinx parts. The first time that I had an FPGA with maybe 150,000 logic elements holds a special place in my memories. I NEVER EVER thought I could ever use up a part of that size. Now, we see the 7EV with 3-8x that size (MPSoC doesn't directly translate to the old "KLE" sizing - so multiplier depends on HOW you want to evaluate that)! I am also continuously amazed by the tools that help you work through designs and leverage more software distancing, allowing the developer to work at a much higher plane of thinking, being able to solve much more complex problems!
Just look at how Vitis helps bring hardware to the masses in this way! And now with the QEMU outputs from the Avnet Vitis platforms (recently added), one can shorten development cycles by up to 1.5 hours per cycle (based on my testing of my images)! As someone that used to have to hand route signaling around my FPGAs I think it is truly an amazing time!
Also having worked with the UltraZed-EV, aside from the long build times, it is an amazing piece of kit! On purpose, one of the things that I do is generate a large design - really large, so we can push the power draw, heat, etc. and then perform thermal testing. This board was REALLY challenging! It was so large that I ended up with multiple "smaller" design running inside, just to fill the part! It has been a REALLY long time since I had to do that! I was almost ready to get out my squinter glasses so I could get into the devilish part of the FPGA routing!
So, let's open up a dialog! We have 1 more week for entrants! What questions do you have? What kinds of things are you thinking? What awesome things have you been considering that you would like to discuss and maybe become the second entrant for the UltraZed-EV Starter kit?
Also, even if you submitted, feel free to comment / add questions below! I believe that it can only help you as you might be able to refine your submission or tune it to what is going to be the most valuable since we have a second kit to give out!
And lastly, thank you to all that participated! Every time I do a webinar, blog post, etc. around these products, while I do not see the highest of numbers, in my opinion, I see the best numbers as the UltraZed family tends to sit on the high end in a class of it's own, that tends to alienate all but the most dedicated!
Thank you for taking the time to read through what seems to have become a more heartfelt post, maybe a bit rambly, but I am just overjoyed at the community!
--Dan
