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Welcome to the PLD (programmable logic device) community. The easiest way to start with this topic is to buy a DK (development kit) for examples from Altera (www.altera.com) or Xilinx (www.xilinx.com). After this take a good book (for example FPGA Cookbook) and start with some very small applications.
What will be your end applications? How much money do you want to spend? What’s your current knowledge?
A good first thing you can do is download the free ISE web pack from xilinx.com which includes the xilinx implementation tool and the modelsim simulator. Then get hold of a vhdl or verilog book and start coding and simulating till you get the hang of digital design and then you can probably invest in some FPGA development kit for the real thing.
You can search in google with these key: "CPLD tutorial"; " FPGA tutorial" and "VHDL tutorial"........
You can have some infomation about VHDL, FPGA, CPLD in this web: www.e3g.com or www.soccentral.com
I have a VHDL cookbook, I visited XIlinx, Atmel, Actel, and altera websites, I'm trying to download the ISE that masai_mara recomended.
Cube_007, regarding your questions, I have no specific application this moment, but I think there is going to be quite a few in a near future. I think I can replace some tasks actually performed by a MCU.
About my current knowledge, I know about electronics, but I have never worked with a PLD or FPGA in the past, I don't even know what is VHDL (I know by now is a kind of programing lenguange, correct me if I'm wrong) or verilog. and finally I really don't know how much to spend since I have just started to dig for some information about development kits.
Based in your experiences Guys wich company would you recomend ?? Altera, Xilinx, Actel ??
Hi Fly_PT,
Xilinx tools r more than enough for u to start off.
i believe, Xilinx is the best guy for "Support" on the web
As of now, that is what u need more.
you could also have a look at Altium. They have a complete design-tool for Altera or Xilinx FPGAs/CPLDs. I have actually bought the live design kit (Xilinx version €99)
hxxp://www.altium.com/livedesign/
Contains a high performance FPGA (XC3S400-4FG456) many peripheral components and several example projects. The thing seems to be well documented as seen so far.
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