Nowadays you can find many low-cost microcontroller devboards (starting from just few dollars/euros). More recently, we’ve seen ARM Cortex kits for $10-$50, the flowering of the whole Arduino ecosystem, and of course, the Raspberry Pi. It’s microcontroller heaven with very many dev boards available. You you want more performance, there is a wide selection of Linux friendly single board computers in around $35 to $200 range.
What do you want to try next after microcontroller dev boards? Maybe FPGA. A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturing. FPGAs contain programmable logic components called “logic blocks”, and a hierarchy of reconfigurable interconnects that allow the blocks to be “wired together” – somewhat like many (changeable) logic gates that can be inter-wired in (many) different configurations. Logic blocks can be configured to perform complex combinational functions, or merely simple logic gates like AND and XOR.
Those of us wanting a cheap “in” to the FPGA world have been less lucky than developers looking for microcontroller dev boards. FPGA boards under $100: Introduction article is indicting that the times, they are a changin’. Many FPGA devkits, from both chipmakers and third parties, have broken – or downright shattered – the $100 barrier, opening the door to low-cost FPGA prototyping, education, hobby projects, and so on. FPGA boards under $100: Introduction article offers a good overview of what is available.
Here are some interesting additions to the listed boards:
Hacklet 28 – Programmable Logic Hacks posting tells about Arduino-Compatible FPGA Shield. The shield features a Xilinx Spartan 6 FPGA and is available in The Hackaday Store. It has the needed regulators and level shifters. The price is $69.97. Not sure where to start? Check out Spartan-6 FPGA Hello World! that uses Xilinx’s free tool chain to getting a “hello world” led blinker running!
Hacklet 28 – Programmable Logic Hacks posting also mentions Chameleon. Chameleon is an Arduino compatible FPGA board with a Xilinx Spartan 3A FPGA on-board. The Chameleon Arduino-compatible shield board was designed to support two general application areas: (1) soft-core processors, and (2) intelligent serial communications interface.
Cheap FPGA-based HDMI Experimenting Board project is designing a (relatively) cheap little board for experimenting with HDMI using a Spartan-6 FPGA.
432 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Implementing Control Algorithms with Pynq
The Xilinx Pynq framework enables us to use Python and Jupyter notebooks with FPGA designs.
https://www.hackster.io/adam-taylor/implementing-control-algorithms-with-pynq-b133ba
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroZed Chronicles: Software Repositories & Modifying Drivers
https://blog.hackster.io/microzed-chronicles-software-repositories-modifying-drivers-4ccdd428d9ba
Tomi Engdahl says:
Trends In FPGA Verification Effort And Adoption: The 2018 Wilson Research Group Functional Verification Study
FPGAs are growing more complex, but are verification techniques keeping up?
https://semiengineering.com/trends-in-fpga-verification-effort-and-adoption-the-2018-wilson-research-group-functional-verification-study/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Meet new Arm Innovator, Adam Taylor and his top 20 resources
https://community.arm.com/innovation/b/blog/posts/arm-innovator-adam-taylor-shares-top-20-resources-for-fpga-developers
Tomi Engdahl says:
An HDMI Input For A Laptop Screen, Minus Laptop
https://hackaday.com/2019/03/14/an-hdmi-input-for-laptop-screen-minus-laptop/
The lack of HDMI inputs on almost all laptops is a huge drawback for anyone who wants to easily play a video game on the road, for example. As to why no manufacturers offer this piece of convenience when we all have easy access to a working screen of this size, perhaps no one can say. On the other hand, if you want to ditch the rest of the computer, you can make use of the laptop screen for whatever you want.
Driving a Laptop LCD using an FPGA
https://www.element14.com/community/groups/fpga-group/blog/2019/03/04/driving-a-laptop-lcd-using-an-fpga
Tomi Engdahl says:
FPGA NES Looks Sharp On Perfboard
https://hackaday.com/2019/03/18/fpga-nes-looks-sharp-on-perfboard/
Spartan Mini FPGA handheld NES
A handheld FPGA based NES which utilizes the Spartan 6 FPGA by Xilinx.
https://hackaday.io/project/77110-spartan-mini-fpga-handheld-nes
Tomi Engdahl says:
An FPGA Drives This Antique LCD Screen
https://hackaday.com/2019/03/20/an-fpga-drives-this-antique-lcd-screen/
If you’re reading this article on a desktop or laptop computer, you’re probably staring at millions of pixels on a TFT LCD display. TFT became a dominant technology due to its picture quality and fast response times, but it’s not the only way to build an LCD. There are cheaper technologies, such as STN and its color variant, CSTN. They’re rarely used nowadays, but [Wenting Zhang] had one lying around and wanted to take a crack at driving it.
CSTroN – CSTN LCD monitor
https://hackaday.io/project/160738-cstron-cstn-lcd-monitor
What if TFT LCD is never invented? Here is the CSTN LCD monitor.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroZed Chronicles: Building PetaLinux for MicroBlaze — Part One
https://blog.hackster.io/microzed-chronicles-building-petalinux-for-microblaze-part-one-6258b21fbd51
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hello PYNQ — The PYNQ Edition of the MicroZed Chronicles
https://blog.hackster.io/hello-pynq-the-pynq-edition-of-the-microzed-chronicles-55353a56c678
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroZed Chronicles: Pynq on the RFSoC!
https://blog.hackster.io/microzed-chronicles-pynq-on-the-rfsoc-eca22fc857fc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Aller Is an Artix-7 FPGA Board with an M.2 Interfac
https://blog.hackster.io/aller-is-an-artix-7-fpga-board-with-an-m-2-interface-c172ffd96d95
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building Custom SDSoC Platform with PetaLinux
https://www.hackster.io/anujvaishnav20/building-custom-sdsoc-platform-with-petalinux-268bfd
This tutorial will show how to add your own custom IP to SDSoC system and have it integrated with PetaLinux.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroZed Chronicles: MicroBlaze, PetaLinux and IoT
https://blog.hackster.io/microzed-chronicles-microblaze-petalinux-and-iot-652f61414f1f
Tomi Engdahl says:
FPGA Earrings — Because Why Not?
https://blog.hackster.io/fpga-earrings-because-why-not-b4e0fc3226ba
Tomi Engdahl says:
An FPGA Take on the Raspberry Pi: PetaLinux on the ZynqBerry
https://blog.hackster.io/an-fpga-take-on-the-raspberry-pi-petalinux-on-the-zynqberry-67dd421d25aa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.hackster.io/microzed-chronicles-zynq-multiboot-and-in-the-field-update-a7aeda7c9d48
Tomi Engdahl says:
PYNQ Edition! Interfacing with Pmods, Arduino and Raspberry Pi
https://blog.hackster.io/pynq-edition-interfacing-with-pmods-arduino-and-raspberry-pi-61676f9f0fab
In this edition, we are going to examine what the PYNQ Input / Output Processor (IOP) is and how we can use it in Python from the Jupyter environment. If you are not familiar with the PYNQ framework, the IOP allows us to exploit the Arduino, Pmod and Raspberry Pi interfaces on the PYNQ Z2 board.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DeFireAnt: An Efinix-Based FPGA Dev Board That’s Breadboard Friendly
https://blog.hackster.io/fireant-an-efinix-based-fpga-dev-board-thats-breadboard-friendly-23f6fb6e5371
A new FPGA board has been spotted on Crowd Supply that looks to launch in the coming weeks and is touted as being the first Efinix authorized third-party development board for makers and hardware designers. The FireAnt is thumb-sized, breadboard-friendly, and packs Efinix’s Trion T8 FPGA
https://www.crowdsupply.com/xips-technology/fireant
Tomi Engdahl says:
WebFPGA: A Cloud-Based Development Environment for Compatible FPGA Boards
https://blog.hackster.io/webfpga-a-cloud-based-development-environment-for-compatible-fpga-boards-778018723bc9
UCLA Engineer Ryan Jacobs has designed a cloud-based development platform for FPGAs known as WebFPGA, which allows users to rapidly program compatible FPGA boards using a toolchain that incorporates the WebUSB API. All that’s needed for programming is a modern browser, such as Chrome or Opera
The WebFPGA platform includes a standalone “FPGA device” development board outfitted with a Lattice iCE40UP5K
Jacobs is currently crowdfunding the WebFPGA board on Kickstarter with pledges starting at $29 , and $59
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryanmjacobs/webfpga-rapid-fpga-development-system
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.hackster.io/webfpga-a-cloud-based-development-environment-for-compatible-fpga-boards-778018723bc9
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vidor Clock – Powered by FPGA
https://www.element14.com/community/community/project14/programmable-logic/blog/2019/07/16/clock-on-monitor-powered-by-fpga
Tomi Engdahl says:
Design Flow for a Custom FPGA Board in Vivado and PetaLinux
https://blog.hackster.io/design-flow-for-a-custom-fpga-board-in-vivado-and-petalinux-b998c0b4f9f7
A little while back, a Raspberry Pi form factor FPGA board called the ZynqBerry caught my eye and I spent some time with it to bring it up as a ready-to-go tool in my arsenal of development boards.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Design Flow for a Custom FPGA Board in Vivado and PetaLinux
https://blog.hackster.io/design-flow-for-a-custom-fpga-board-in-vivado-and-petalinux-b998c0b4f9f7
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Tomi Engdahl says:
This FM Synthesizer Module Is Built on an FPGA
https://blog.hackster.io/this-fm-synthesizer-module-is-built-on-an-fpga-f0558a57177b
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.hackster.io/microzed-chronicles-working-with-industrial-serial-interfaces-cdf09b8332f9
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.hackster.io/diy-led-cube-uses-an-fpga-to-control-the-light-show-dc1b38fb285f
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY LED Cube Uses an FPGA to Control the Light Show
https://blog.hackster.io/diy-led-cube-uses-an-fpga-to-control-the-light-show-dc1b38fb285f
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/07/05/bringing-fpga-development-to-the-masses/
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroZed Chronicles: XDF and VITIS
https://www.hackster.io/news/microzed-chronicles-xdf-and-vitis-4e807dc034c1
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sipeed Teases Tang Nano Sub-$5 FPGA Development Board with On-Board Programmer
https://www.hackster.io/news/sipeed-teases-tang-nano-sub-5-fpga-development-board-with-on-board-programmer-70eed63e5725?b4681a619cf018eed690452faeb0e94f
Embedded computing specialist Sipeed has announced final specifications for an ultra-low-cost field-programmable gate array (FPGA) development board, the Tang Nano, which it claims will cost under $5.
it did admit to the use of the “cheapest” Gowin Semiconductor 48-pin FPGA — meaning the GW1N-1 LittleBee family, based on a 55nm low-power process node and measuring just 2.4×2.3mm.
offering 1,152 four-input lookup tables (LUT4s), 72Kb static RAM (SRAM), 64Mb pseudo-static RAM (PSRAM), an on-board RGB LED, 40-pin RGB LCD display interface, and on-board programmer with USB Type-C connectivity – and a final price of under $5.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“The Thing”: A Homemade FPGA Board
https://hackaday.com/2019/10/17/the-thing-a-homemade-fpga-board/
The Thing is an unassuming name for an ambitious project to build an FPGA board from easy to find components.
The project stems from an earlier build submitted to the 2018 Hackaday Prize by [Just4Fun] where two dev boards – an STM32-based Arduino and an Altera MAX II CPLD board – were combined with the Arduino used as a stimulus generator for the CPLD. This way, the Arduino IDE, interfaced through USB, can be used for programming the CPLD.
“The Thing”: FPGA + STM32
An homemade FPGA board with an Arduino STM32, “Multicomp” compatible
https://hackaday.io/project/163683-the-thing-fpga-stm32
Tomi Engdahl says:
FPGA design for Software Engineers
https://www.walknsqualk.com/post/014-tiny-fpga-bx/
Starting with FPGAs
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/01/sparc-cpu-in-a-cheap-fpga/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Compiling a CPU, in a cheap FPGA board
https://www.thanassis.space/myowncpu.html
very cheap FPGA board, that came out of yet another failed company – the Pano Logic G2,
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/01/symbiflow-open-source-fpga-toolchain/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/10/28/chisel-away-at-fpga-development/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/01/fbus-an-extensible-and-easily-configurable-fpga-based-daq/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The $5 FPGA
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/03/the-5-fpga/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gameslab Is a Portable FPGA-Based Hardware Emulator
https://www.hackster.io/news/gameslab-is-a-portable-fpga-based-hardware-emulator-685c44dfb4e0
Craig J Bishop deigned a custom handheld game console based on a Xilinx Zynq FPGA-Arm Cortex-A9 combo SoC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Fun with Fractals
https://www.hackster.io/adam-taylor/fun-with-fractals-5862a8
Fractals are great patterns to recreate in FPGA. Let’s look at what they are and how to implement them.
In this project we are going to examine how we can use Vivado HLS to create a Mandelbrot set fractal which can be explored and zoomed in under software control.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Last week, Adam Taylor completed the creation of the Xilinx, Inc. Vitis acceleration platform for the Ultra96 and built an example application to pipe clean the process. This week, we take a closer look at it.
MicroZed Chronicles: Vitis Example Application Deep Dive
https://www.hackster.io/news/microzed-chronicles-vitis-example-application-deep-dive-cfb2434f6927
A deep dive into the Vitis application example to demonstrate the Ultra96 V2 platform was created correctly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Snickerdoodle Black + piSmasher Bare Metal Bring Up in Vitis
Getting the Snickerdoodle Black FPGA board with piSmasher baseboard up and running in Xilinx’s new IDE, Vitis.
https://www.hackster.io/news/snickerdoodle-black-pismasher-bare-metal-bring-up-in-vitis-375236505331
Tomi Engdahl says:
In his first MicroZed Chronicle of 2020, Adam Taylor takes a closer look a prototyping RFSoC solutions with the Avnet RFSoC Explorer and MATLAB.
MicroZed Chronicles: RFSoC Explorer
How to prototype RFSoC solutions with the RFSoC Explorer and MATLAB.
https://www.hackster.io/news/microzed-chronicles-rfsoc-explorer-d4823efebf47
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ready to bring the power of FPGAs to your embedded projects? We’ve updated our MKR Vidor 4000 page with some more details and this super useful pinout diagram: http://bit.ly/30kioZ2
Tomi Engdahl says:
Have some FPGA fun with real-time fractals.
FPGA-Fractals 1920x1080x60 Real-Time on USB Power
https://www.hackster.io/markus-nentwig/fpga-fractals-1920x1080x60-real-time-on-usb-power-c3d296
FPGA-based real-time fractal generation. Fully pipelined, dynamic resource allocation, up to 18000 MMUL/s. Float matrix math on J1B CPU.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MicroZed Chronicles: Vitis Emulation
How to use the different build flows available in Vitis.
https://www.hackster.io/news/microzed-chronicles-vitis-emulation-6f6838e2b4d8
Tomi Engdahl says:
THE THREE ERAS OF PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC
https://www.nextplatform.com/2020/01/20/the-three-eras-of-programmable-logic/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/yosys-fronts-for-xilinx-ise/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/fpga-6800-uses-python-toolbox/