23-05-2011, 10:22 AM
(This post was last modified: 23-05-2011, 10:23 AM by ppppenguin.)
Standard 74 and 4000 logic parts for the most part don't have CE inputs. The 377 and 161 being notable exceptions. This makes it very hard to do decent synchronous logic design. The usual result is poor quality design, complete with runt pulses, race hazards etc. I know, I've been there.
Programming software for all the smaller Xilinx devices is free from the Xilinx website. That includes all the Coolrunner and 95 series, also many of the Spartan 3 FPGAs and other parts. Even in my professional work I've rarely used devices that were not covered by the free software. The software takes you all the way from VHDL editor to JEDEC or binary file output. The programmng hardware can be built from a few odd components to run from an ordinary parallel port. I've got the Xilinx official programming hardware pods (both parallel port and USB) but then I'm doing this for a living.
Programming software for all the smaller Xilinx devices is free from the Xilinx website. That includes all the Coolrunner and 95 series, also many of the Spartan 3 FPGAs and other parts. Even in my professional work I've rarely used devices that were not covered by the free software. The software takes you all the way from VHDL editor to JEDEC or binary file output. The programmng hardware can be built from a few odd components to run from an ordinary parallel port. I've got the Xilinx official programming hardware pods (both parallel port and USB) but then I'm doing this for a living.
www.borinsky.co.uk Jeffrey Borinsky www.becg.tv
