SOURCE: http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,400,789&Prod=NEXYS2
Cheap FPGA Development Boards
What to look for
I bought Avnet's $49 Spartan 3A development board but it was discontinued not long afterward right about the time when I decided I needed a few dozen more. I've since done some extensive
research (thanks, Google!) to find a comparable thrifty thrill.
When choosing a development board, consider what you get with it and what you want to use it
for. FPGAs are ideal for use with high speed peripherals, and in general it is much easier to buy a
board that contains the part you want, rather than trying to add one on later (and inevitably
giving up and upgrading to a more capable board). Examples of things you might want, and are
quite difficult to add yourself:
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Gigabit Ethernet
HDMI/DVI
PCI/PCI Express
External non-serial memory (DDR/Flash etc.)
Things that are relatively easy to add, and are not so much of a big deal to wire up yourself.
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MMC/SD cards
Character (e.g. 16x2) LCDs
Anything I2C/SPI and relatively low speed
VGA (with low colour depth)
I like having a board with many (at least 8) SPST switches and LEDs, and momentary buttons.
While these are easy enough to add yourself, I find that it's better to get a board that has them so
that you don't waste valuable user IOs or waste time investigating failures caused by your terrible
soldering skills.
Some manufacturers promote a standard form factor for add-ons, notably Digilent with their very
wide range of Pmods and the Papilio One's Wings.
If you do wish to connect high speed devices to your FPGA, make sure your board has an
interface connector that supports the speeds you'll be using. Look for ground wires interspersed
regularly between signal wires, high speed connectors (not just 0.1" headers), PCB trace length
equalisation, and impedance control. Few of the cheap boards bother with any of these.
FPGAs can be a bit daunting, so check that the manufacturer provides:
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Schematic diagram
A reference manual, describing all of the on-board peripherals
A guide to getting started, if you've never used an FPGA before
A reference design that exercises all on-board peripherals.
Reference designs can either be HDL or microcontroller-based, but in recent boards, most
manufacturers seem to be moving to the latter. Bear this in mind if you don't have a license for
the microcontroller and environment (e.g. Xilinx EDK/SDK is not free), as the code will be
difficult to port to HDL.
If you're a beginner, you may benefit from buying a board that has a companion textbook which
has been written specifically for the board in mind, and describes each of the peripherals and
how to interface with them. Some popular boards have attracted a larger community of users,
though this isn't necessarily helpful because most of the other users are beginners. The most
popular Xilinx boards are those made by Xilinx (none of them cheap enough to be listed here),
Digilent and Avnet. Terasic seem to make the most popular Altera boards.
Boards by FPGA manufacturer
Xilinx
Zynq
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Parallella is a Zynq development board that was available through Kickstarter for $99. It's based
on the Zynq 7010, which includes a dual ARM A9. Also available on the board are the Epiphany
Multicore Accelerator, 1GB RAM, micro SD, GPIO, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI output, and a port of
the Ubuntu operating system.
Spartan-6
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SIOI is an Australian company who sell two basic Spartan-6 boards with TQFP parts, the LX4 and
LX9, for the bargain price of $47/57. They contain 32MB of RAM, one LED, and 38 I/Os using a
PCIE 4x connector to ensure high speed signal integrity and to make expansion as simple as
getting a PCB made.
Digilent Nexys 3 ($199, $119 academic) virtually renders the Nexys 2 obsolete. It includes
Spartan-6 LX16, a bunch of I/Os, a high-speed VHDCI connector (with matched pairs, but
unfortunately it doesn't look like all traces are length matched), 10/100 Ethernet, USB host and
USB-RS232, VGA, cellular RAM that sounds suspiciously like it won't work with the MIG, and
16MB of phase-change non-volatile memory. Gives the Atlys a run for its money (if your design
is not limited by the smaller FPGA).
ZTEK USB FPGA module (99 EUR) has no on-board LEDs or buttons, but contains 64MB of
SDRAM and a huge 90 GPIOs in a convenient plug-in module form factor, which is nice for
dropping in to a custom carrier board. Unfortunately it doesn't have its own power supply built
in, so you need to drop it on to the power supply or experimenter board, and then drop that
onto your own board. Still, it's a pretty good price for a Spartan 6, and ZTEK have a very
generous discount/rebate program for open source projects that use their module.
Avnet Spartan-6 Microboard ($89) appears to be similar to the Arrow BeMicro detailed below.
It's designed for embedded processor development and comes with device locked SDK and
ChipScope Pro license, which is pretty good as these are quite expensive to buy separately.
ChipScope alone is invaluable. I/O capability is pretty rudimentary with only two 8-bit PMOD
connectors, but there is a 10/100 Ethernet PHY, four LEDs, two SPST buttons, a 4-way DIP
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switch, 64 MB SDRAM and 128 Mb flash. The licenses are actually device locked to the XC6SLX9
(of any package), so it might be handy just for those if you were developing your own board
with this series.
Papilio Pro is a $84.99 Spartan-6 LX9 board that retains compatibility with expansion wings
made for the original Papilio. It features USB 2.0 for JTAG programming and serial comms, 64
Mbit SDRAM, and 64 MBit SPI flash. The design is released under a Creative Commons license.
Mesa Electronics has a slightly baffling array of FPGA boards ranging from $79 (Spartan-3, 200K)
to $258 (Spartan-6, LX16). One that caught my eye was the 5I25, which is a PCI (not PCI Express)
card with a Spartan-6 LX9 for $89.
Dan Strother's Spartan-6 BGA test board doesn't seem to have been tested and Dan has stopped
posting updates, but he has kindly made the Eagle files available. If you're willing to do some
debugging, it might be a better starting point than the Papilio One for new designs incorporating
an LX25, 64 MB DDR2, and USB JTAG.
Pipistrello is not yet available (August 2012) and a price hasn't been disclosed publicly, but it
looks great and like it ought to have a place in this list! It supports the LX9 through LX45 and
contains SPI flash, 64MB DDR, USB serial/FIFO and JTAG, HDMI output, audio output, USB host,
micro SD, two LEDs, and support for Papilio wings with 48 I/Os.
XuLA2 ($119) fits a LX25 to a small breadboardable PCB with built-in USB programmer, 32 MB
RAM, 8 Mb flash, 33 I/Os, and SD card socket. The design is completely open source.
Spartan-3
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Elbert ($50) is a small board with a Spartan-3A 50K, 1Mbit of SPI flash (half of which can be used
for data storage), 8 LEDs, four SPST switches, 8 DIP switches, and 26 accessible I/Os. An onboard PIC18F provides support for programming the flash over USB using a Windows-only
configuration utility. I have written a more comprehensive review.
MicroNova Mercury ($70) provides a 200K Spartan-3A in a breadboard-friendly 64-pin DIP
module form factor. It provides 30 5V-tolerant I/Os, 9 other I/Os, an 8 channel, 200 Ksps ADC, 4
LEDs, a switch, 4 Mb SRAM, and programming over USB (with a Windows programming
application). JTAG interface pins are also broken out.
Digilent Basys 2 is, if you're a student, only $49, and vastly superior to the Avnet board in all
ways other than gate count. The user I/Os are restricted to four PMOD connectors, which is
probably enough for many applications, but not for me! It also has PS/2, VGA, switches, LEDs
and 7 segment displays.
Digilent Nexys 2 ($99 academic) is the most reasonably priced, decently speced Spartan-3E
board I've found. The price is especially good if you qualify for the academic discount. Blackbox
Consulting had a board in stock and it was in my hands within a couple days. It has eight LEDs
and eight SPDT switches, four momentary switches, and 7 segment displays that I haven't
bothered with. The main expansion connector is a slightly uncommon one (though it's not
expensive and available from Digilent distributors) but it is much better than the Avnet one
because it has loads of ground wires, which is good for high speed designs. The "Starter Kit" has
a few more peripherals for $70 more but the only thing that really appeals to me is the Ethernet
PHY and this is only a 10/100 chip. Citizens demand gigabit!
Papilio One seems to be on special for $50 and has the 250K Spartan 3E, or the 500K for $70 (a
little rich when the bigger chip is only $7 more, but it's a small company so I can accept it!). The
classiest part is that the Eagle board files are freely available, which makes it a great starting
place for developing custom FPGA boards, especially since this one has no peripherals at all
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(other than USB, which looks like it handles serial communications as well as JTAG). It uses yet
another custom bitstream uploader tool, but this time it is open source and cross platform.
Open Workbench Logic Sniffer ($50) borrows its design from the Papilio One and provides a
Spartan XC3S250E, USB, sixteen 5V tolerant buffered inputs, and compatibility with the Papilio
One's 'wing' expansion boards. This makes it a slightly better deal, though there's no option for a
500K chip.
Enterpoint sell a couple of Spartan-3E boards - the Drigmorn1 (XC3S100E $58, or 500E $85) with
parallel port programming cable, RS232, three LEDs and 32 I/Os. A larger version, the Drigmorn2
is $170 and adds SDRAM, more flash, LCD, USB, and switches.
XuLA-200 is $55 and fits a 200K Spartan-3A to a very small PCB with USB, a PIC18F, 8 MB of
SDRAM, 2 Mb of flash, and user IO headers. It could be used as a plug-in module, or since the
design is open source (with Eagle files), as the basis for a custom board (as long as it is also open
source, as per the license).
Gameduino ($53) is an Arduino shield that contains a Spartan-3A 200K. It is intended to be an
audio and video coprocessor for Arduino applications, but could be repurposed as a generalpurpose FPGA interface board with the Arduino form factor. VGA and audio outputs, with SPI
flash.
OHO-Elektronik have a range of breadboardable DIL modules with TQFP Spartan-3E FPGAs
ranging in price from 39 to 59 EUR. They contain SPI flash, nine LEDs, two switches, and 5V
voltage translators.
Aessent aes220 (120 EUR) is a small stackable module that combines a Spartan-3AN 200 (or 400)
with a Cypress FX2LP USB controller, 128Mb SDRAM, 16 KB EEPROM, 72 GPIOs, 5 LEDs, 2
switches, and power via USB or external supply.
Lattice
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LatticeXP2 Brevia was on special for $29 at the time of writing, which is a steal. It has now gone
back up to $49. There are a couple of caveats - the programmer needs a parallel port, and the
USB programming cable, sold separately, costs $149! Without knowing more about FPGAs I
struggle to compare across manufacturers, but it's clearly a very low end part with, compared to
the XC3S500E in the Digilent board, 176Kb vs 433Kb RAM, 12 vs 20 multipliers, and 5K LUTs vs
9K1. This actually isn't too bad for lower-end applications. Also there aren't many accessible IOs.
But still, $29! Or, hmm, $49.
LatticeECP3 Versa seems to have been recently reduced to $99, which makes it the cheapest
PCI-Express development board by far. Ah, it's now $299 again so I may strike it from the list. It
also has two gigabit Ethernet ports and high speed serial connectors. It appears that the FPGA
device requires a licensed version of the design software, but this is also available for $99 for the
first year. Pricing options beyond the first year are not very clear.
iCEblink40-HX1K Evaluation Kit is a $39 board with USB programmer, four LEDs, four capacitive
touch buttons, configuration PROM, 68 digital I/Os through 0.1" headers, and supposedly some
PMOD and Arduino shield compatibility.
Actel/Microsemi
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Actel IGLOO nano Starter Kit is $99. It has switches and LEDs onboard, USB-serial, a USB
programming adaptor, and what looks like plenty of low speed I/O.
Microsemi SmartFusion Evaluation Kit is also $99 but you get a lot more for the money. It
features an FPGA advertised as having 200K gates and an integrated 100 MHz ARM Cortex-M3,
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10/100 Ethernet PHY and on-chip MAC, USB-serial, on-board USB programming interface, OLED
display, 8 LEDs, two user switches, and an indeterminate number of analog and digital outputs.
It looks like a very interesting and inexpensive board for developing mixed FPGA/microcontroller
applications.
TrioFlex ST32PA3-AP8 (35.09 EUR) gives you an Actel A3P060 FPGA and 50 MHz oscillator, with
an AVR-compatible soft core preloaded in a stamp-sized module.
Altera
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DE0-Nano ($59 academic) provides a Cyclone IV, 16 Mbit flash, USB programmer, 3-axis
accelerometer, 8-channel 12-bit ADC, 106 pins over three expansion headers, 32 MB SDRAM, 2
Kb EEPROM, 8 LEDs, 4 DIP switches, and two push button switches in a very small package.
Terasic Altera DE0 is $79 (academic price) for something that looks comparable to Digilent's
Nexys2, though the connectors aren't suitable for high speed use.
Arrow BeMicro is $49 but you'd need the corresponding protoboard to use any of the I/Os.
Mainly intended for embedded processor development. There's a short review highlighting
some of the other limitations.
Arrow BeMicro SDK for $79 is a newer version of the BeMicro that is intended for use with the
Altera Nios II processor. It includes a Cyclone IV FPGA, microSD, 10/100 Ethernet, temperature
sensor, 512 Mb mobile DDR, integrated programmer, 8 LEDs, buttons and switches, and an 80
pin edge connector. A corresponding protoboard is $30. There's also a BeInMotion add-on for
$79 that provides dual H-bridge motor controllers, a stepper motor controller, and ADCs.
KNJN Pluto boards are cheap ($29-$79) and small. No on-board peripherals, so they seem more
suited to dropping in to a larger project than as a standalone development tool.
ITead Studio BPC009 is notable because it's a $3 bare PCB for a Cyclone II EP2C5T144 ($12). It
includes space for an oscillator, voltage regulators, and program memory. The schematic shows
a SRAM, but this doesn't seem to be included on the board! Requires a JTAG cable and seems
like a very good deal if you already have some experience with Altera parts and have a specific
project in mind. It turns out that you can actually buy populated boards from eBay for around
$30, such as from this store, or for under $50 with a JTAG programmer. From the same seller,
$50 also gets you a Cyclone II EP2C5Q208 with more I/O, 64MB RAM, and 16 MB Flash. Quite
nice, really!
FTDI Morph-IC-II ($110) combines a Cyclone II with a FT2232H USB interface chip to provide high
speed data transfer. It has a total of 80 to 96 I/Os (split between the FPGA and FT2232H, and
depending on who you ask) with a 0.1" spacing.
Wayengineer sell a large range of very cheap ($28-77) Cyclone II boards from Shenzhen, most
with RAM and a variety of I/O including LCDs, 7-segment LEDs, VGA, switches, etc. Again they're
great value if you already have some experience with FPGAs, are comfortable reading
schematics and don't require any vendor support.
The verdict
None of them! I ended up getting the Digilent Atlys, which has a Spartan-6, HDMI ports, gigabit
Ethernet (though getting hold of the datasheet is nearly impossible), and a very nice high speed
connector (though getting hold of the right mating connector was a minor challenge). It's a lot
more expensive (at $200) than I would have hoped, but the Spartan-6 is significantly better than
its predecessor.
Omissions
If you manufacture or know of any other cheap FPGA development boards, please let me know
so that I can include them on this list. Review units will be cheerfully accepted! :)
There is a long and comprehensive list of boards at FPGA-FAQ that includes a couple of other
cheap options - there are a number of Spartan-3 generation boards that I haven't listed.
http://www.xilinx.com/
Xilinx University Program (XUP) supports an expanded range of hardware development systems
to complement the classroom learning experience with hands-on learning in the laboratory using
Xilinx technology. These boards span the range from low-end, cost-effective solutions ideally
suited to introductory classes, to the mid-range platforms suitable for teaching and senior
projects, and the high-end that very effectively serve the graduate research community, but in
addition are extremely suitable to all levels of undergraduate study.
Product
Name
Price
Additional Information
New Boards
The latest offerings in XUP's portfolio.
$319.00
ZedBoard is a low-cost development board for the Xilinx Zynq™7000 Extensible Processing Platform (EPP). This board contains
everything necessary to create a Linux or other OS/RTOS based
design. Additionally, several expansion connectors expose the
processing system and programmable logic I/Os for easy user
access.
Order Now>>
$199.00
Atlys is a complete, ready-to-use digital circuit development
platform based on a Xilinx Spartan 6 LX45 FPGA. The on-board
collection of high-end peripherals, including 128Mbyte DDR2
DRAM, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI Video, and AC97 audio make the
Atlys board an ideal host for complete digital systems built around
the Xilinx MicroBlaze embedded processor.
Order Now>>
ZedBoard
Atlys
Nexys3
$119.00
The Nexys™3 digital system development platform features Xilinx's
newest Spartan-6 FPGA, 48Mbytes of external memory (including
two non-volatile phase-change memories from Micron), and
enough I/O devices and ports to host a wide variety of digital
systems. The Nexys3 is an ideal platform for any engineer to gain
experience with Xilinx's latest technologies, and it is perfectly
suited to the classroom.
Order Now>>
Introductory Boards
Introductory boards offer a low-end, cost-effective solutions ideally suited for introductory
classes.
Basys-2
$59.00
This is an ideal circuit design platform for anyone who wants to
learn about FPGAs and digital circuit design. It combines the
advanced features of the Xilinx Spartan®-3E FPGA with complete
ready-to-use hardware suitable for hosting circuits ranging from
basic logic devices to complex controllers, making it the perfect
platform for introductory designs.
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This is a powerful digital system design platform built around a
Xilinx Spartan-3E FPGA. With 16Mbytes of fast SDRAM and
16Mbytes of Flash ROM, the Nexys-2 is ideally suited to embedded
processors like the Xilinx 32-bit RISC Microblaze™ processor.
Order Now>>
Nexys-2
$99.00
Spartan-3E
Starter Kit
$159.00
The Spartan-3E Starter Kit provides a powerful and highly
advanced self-contained development platform for designs
targeting the Spartan-3E FPGA from Xilinx. The board is fully
compatible with all versions of the Xilinx ISE® tools including the
free WebPack. This is a complete development board solution
giving designers instant access to the capabilities of the Spartan-3E
family and several on-board devices.
Order Now>>
Advanced Boards
Advanced boards offer a more advanced set of features useful for senior level undergraduate and
graduate laboratory exercises.
Genesys
$449.00
NetFPGA
The Genesys Development Board provides gigabit ethernet and
high-speed memory connectivity. It also has high-resolution audio
& video circuits and a USB connectivity. The board can be
connected and programmed via standard USB cable. It features a
Virtex-5 XC5VLX50T FPGA and is ideal for teaching and research.
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The NetFPGA platform enables researchers and students to build
working prototypes of high-speed, hardware-accelerated
networking systems. The NetFPGA has been used in the classroom
to teach students how to build Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) switches
and Internet Protocol (IP) routers that use hardware rather than
software to forward packets.
$499.00
XUPV5
$750.00
Order Now>>
The XUPV5 Development Board is a feature-rich unified platform,
with on-board memory and industry standard connectivity
interfaces, ideal for teaching and research. It features a Virtex®-5
XC5VLX110T FPGA. This board is well supported with helpful
reference designs that demonstrate the use of the interfaces.
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Matured Boards
XUPV2P
$399.00
NOTE: XUPV2P must not be used for new installations. To use this
board, you must already be a current Xilinx development tools
version 10.1 or earlier license holder.
The board has been designed specially for education in
collaboration with leading academics from all over the world. Its
many innovative features provide support for nearly all aspects of
the digital engineering curriculum from undergraduate to graduate
courses and projects, as well as research. Designers can take
advantage of EDK's Base System Builder to quickly architect a
system using various board features.
Order Now>>