anyone with a entry level FPGA development board (VHDL support) they don't need?

[Martin]

You don't have to buy anything - you can download Quartus Lite for free
from the Intel site to see what you're getting into.  You can start
learning to program FPGAs without ever programming one with simulation.   I
have used the Xilinx equivalent and found it to be horrible with a steep
learning curve.  (BTW you can also download Vivaldo for free from Xilinx).

I wouldn't worry about buttons and led's - you can just buy the parts and
stick them in a wireless prototyping board.

Another iceStorm compatible board of note is WebFPGA
<https://store.webfpga.io/collections/fpga-boards>  They provide a tool
chain in the cloud so you can just jump into Verilog or VHDL
development immediately.  It's also available with an accessories kit
<https://store.webfpga.io/collections/webfpga-kits>  You can use your own
tool chain so you're not dependent on them or you might prefer the choice.
The Lattice FPGA that iceStorm supports has several variants that might
meet your needs.

Another free tool for simulation is GTKwave
<http://gtkwave.sourceforge.net/>

I would focus on learning a language like Verilog or VHDL rather than
spending a lot of time on a tool chain.

--Martin

On Fri, Mar 13, 2020 at 5:42 PM <samudra.haque at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Martin, thanks for the tip. I went looking for the board you
> recommended from Lattice (it’s offered at a good price) but if I am not
> mistaken, it doesn’t have any peripherals such as switches  for onboard
> experiments? The photos show it comes with LEDs, but no switches.
>
>
>
> Then I went looking for the icestorm documentation and it seems they ship
> from UK (the blackice boards) so despite those development boards being
> chock full of accessories for experimentation, the shipping delay and cost
> sort of makes it expensive.
>
>
>
> So, randomly I searched and came across (comments requested) *for about
> $43.85 total with shipping*:
>
>
>
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/STEP-MAX10-Intel-Altera-FPGA-development-board/143318504573?hash=item215e72d47d%3Ag%3AlcQAAOSwARpdGDCw&LH_BO=1
>
>
>
> and according to the website
> http://www.stepfpga.org/step-max10-development-board/  it is fully
> supported by:
>
>
>
> Altera MAX10 FPGA: 10M02/10M08
>
> On board USB Blaster programming circuit
>
> 2-character 7-segment display
>
> Two RGB LEDs
>
> Four switches
>
> Four push buttons
>
> Eight user LEDs
>
> Power from MicroUSB connector
>
> 40 pins DIP connector with 36 User I/Os
>
>
>
> ·        STEP-MAX10 Hardware Manual 1.0
> <https://github.com/stepfpga/STEP-MAX10/blob/master/docs/STEP-MAX10%20Hardware%20Manual%201.0.pdf>
>
> ·        STEP-MAX10 Software Manual 1.0
> <https://github.com/stepfpga/STEP-MAX10/blob/master/docs/STEP-MAX10%20Software%20Manual%201.0.pdf>
>
> ·        STEP-MAX10 Source Code
> <https://pan.baidu.com/s/1guMNzIYx2Q4sUGhQ1pSUvg>
>
> ·        STEP-MAX10 Schematic diagram
> <https://github.com/stepfpga/STEP-MAX10/blob/master/docs/STEP-MAX10%20Schematic.pdf>
>
> ·        Software&Tools <http://fpgasoftware.intel.com/?edition=pro>
>
> The software suite is … Altera (Microsoft) Quartus Prime Lite, which
> includes ModelSim for soft logic analyzer waveform output … and supports
> Verilog and VHDL. I think that could be ok for mid-level developers, right?
>
>
>
> But since the documentation says “*On board JTAG programming circuit*”,
> is an actual JTAG gadget still necessary for this device, or is that
> functionality already included somehow?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* Martin <dcmk1mr2 at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Friday, March 13, 2020 7:26 PM
> *To:* Samudra Haque <samudra.haque at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* Tacos <tacos at amrad.org>
> *Subject:* Re: anyone with a entry level FPGA development board (VHDL
> support) they don't need?
>
>
>
> You might want to take a look at
> https://www.amazon.com/LATTICE-SEMICONDUCTOR-ICE40HX1K-STICK-EVN-Evaluation-iCE40HX1K/dp/B00R3QU9K0
> for a board and do a google search for Windows iceStorm support.  The are
> more expensive FPGAs from Intel/Altera amd Xilinx but the tool chains are
> awful.
>
>
>
> You also might want to check to see if you really want to invest in VHDL
> or if Verilog might be better for your needs.  It doesn't hurt to know both
> but Verilog is more like C and is less trouble to learn.
>
>
>
> Learning to simulate is a really import skill for FPGA development so you
> can get started with that before you have hardware.
>
>
>
> 73 Martin W6MRR
>
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 13, 2020 at 3:50 PM <samudra.haque at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I would like to do an experiment with an FPGA development board. I’m
> looking for something with pinouts or with a switch + LED; My experience
> with VHDL is very limited. I will be using Windows 10 for my development
> environment.
>
>
>
> If anyone has a board they don’t need, would you be willing to sell it at
> a Tippy’s Taco’s meetup to me? Send me the product manufacturer part number
> and your ask to samudra.haque at gmail.com.
>
>
>
> Also, if I had no FPGA board, is there a emulator environment that I can
> compile the code and get a testbench / diagram of the signals? At least I
> could begin coding / developing the framework right away.
>
>
>
> 73 de Samudra N3RDX
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tacos mailing list
> Tacos at amrad.org
> https://lists.amrad.org/mailman/listinfo/tacos
>
>
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