16 Nov
2005
16 Nov
'05
6:05 p.m.
Chuck Guzis wrote:
I've got to admit that some of the FPGA kits are
tantalizing. XESS has a
$200 board that includes VGA, keyboard and parallel port as well as a bunch
of prototyping outputs, all based on the XC3S1000 FPGA. They throw in
tools and sample applications. More than enough there for just about any
microcomputer CPU you'd care to tinker with. And the I/O issues largely
solved.
The problem is all the I/O is Do it yourself. Fpga's tend to have
strange characteristics
that can make life intersesting. They can really slowdown if have a
unlucky design.
And it's got a 7-segment LED, 4 DIP switches and 2
pushbuttons on it!
Sigh. Hardware design isn't what it used to be. Maybe that's for the
best.
That goes for the electronic kits now days, you often don't see
something you would be
proud of building.
Cheers,
Chuck