fpga4fun.com

I'm sure this forum will become more and more useful as time goes by.
If you have comments or requests, post them in!

Hey Jean,

Kick ass site for FPGA stuff... I've learned a lot from reading and trying out your examples!

Ian.

Great site! I can't wait to try all this stuff out.

Hi Jean!
I'm an electronics buff and I just loved the concept of the site. Although I am not formally trained in electronics, I do enjoy building DIY stuff.
I look forward to some exciting stuff on the site.
Also I might need your help and also help from all you fellow electronics buffs out there.
Looking forward to some great stuff!
Best wishes and good luck,

Happy that the site helps.
I will try to keep improving it.

Jean,

This is a great site for learning about and using FPGAs for fun. I have a considerable amount of experience with FPGAs (about from the time the XC4000s were born). Although I have debugged many complex designs, I have never really "created" anything. Now, I look forward to trying out some fun projects!

A question I have is: what kind of stuff and how much do I need to setup a home lab? Where can I get it from etc etc?

oh, my setup is basic: an old Tektronix analog scope, a temperature regulated iron, tweezers for holding SMD parts, lab power supply...

Parts are purchased from the big guys, like www.digikey.com or www.mouser.com , and from the small ones, like www.elexp.com or www.mpja.com . For the FPGAs, no choice but to buy them from official distributors like www.arrow.com or www.cilicon.com unless you're shopping for old parts (make sure you have the right FPGA software that support the parts, new software usually don't support old parts).

Hello Jean,
impressive site!
I am looking forward to making my first foray into the world of FPGA's.

Something I haven't yet got a handle on is how much stuff you can fit into the different FPGA's.
I presume the software such as Quartus 2 tells you as you go?

The range of FPGA's seems a little limited from the UK stockists.
What's the best way of obtaining Altera devices in 1's and 2's?

Keep up the good work!

yes, the P&R software (Quartus or ISE) tells you how much % of the device it needs. If the number is over 100%, that's a "no fit" and you need a bigger FPGA.

If you want to buy low-quantity FPGAs, try www.digikey.com

Hello Jean,
Superb Site!!

Since long time I was searching for site like this. Keep up the good work.

Wow haha I am rediscovering the delights of hardware engineering again...

Got a dinky Pluto II through the post this morning and just got it plugged into my PC, together with a small power supply and the TDIO board.
Went into Altera Quartus, and selected a modified version of LedBlink I had knocked up whilst learning the ins and outs of VHDL \ Verilog programming. Downloaded it via the FPGA config software, blipped the power supply and wow... it works ))

A big thank you to Jean for providing such a useful site to beginners.

By the way, I found a nice testbench software called VHDL Simili 2.3. There is a simple version for free use, and it lets you create VHDL test benches. A nice package to complement the Altera stuff.