[Coco] FPGA 63x09

[jdaggett at gate.net]

Alan

Most FPGAs are SRAM based configuration. That is when you remove 
power the part has to be reconfigured into the form you want. All 
development boards have some means of storing the configuration data in 
a flash device. Most are serial flash. Configuration takes but a few hundred 
milliseconds at most. 

Xilinx and Actel have FPGAs that have the configuration flash integrated 
into the FPGA so that an external device is not needed. 

You can change designs as often as you wish. That is the beauty of the 
FPGA over ASIC. Though ASICs have their own advantages. 


These are my reccomendations only. 

For anything Coco related or for Coco3 enhancemnt I would recommend 
that the development board have 8 bit color VGA port and 6 bit as a 
minimum. external peripherals like RS232/USB/PS2/Netowrking are extras 
but are not manditory. A minimum system would be at least 500K gate 
equivalent FPGA. At least 1 Megavyte of RAM. Either SRAM or SDRAM is 
okay. Flash storage device is also a must. It can be parallel or SPI serial. 


james

On 27 Mar 2009 at 11:23, N8WQ wrote:

> Hi James and Stephan,
> I was thinking about getting me a Xilinx FPGA board to start 
> experimenting with. But before I delve into it I have a question to
> ask. Is the user CPU emulation (if I can use that term) erasable or is
> it permanent? In other words can you try different designs before you
> commit to a design. If I don't make sense that is because I don't know
> what I am talking about! :)
> 
> Alan Jones
> 
> -- 
> N8WQ - Canal Winchester, Ohio
> http://exwn8jef.googlepages.com/home
> 
> 
> 
> jdaggett at gate.net wrote:
> > Stephan 
> >
> > That has been looked into. 
> >
> > There are a few issues yet to be resolved, one being my time
> > primarily. Fortunately the busy season of my line work is almost
> > over and I should get more time to devote around the middle of May.
> > Of the other issues are which FPGA, which development board and
> > which design to modify or start from scratch. 
> >
> > In the case of which design to use: 
> >
> > There are four approaches that one can take
> >
> > 1) Modify John Kent's 6809 IP code .
> >
> > 2) Modify one of two 68HC11 IP codes
> >
> > 3) start from scratch
> >
> > 4) start with Fint Wheeler's code and modify it. 
> >
> > I started with approach #3 until I closely looked at the freely
> > available code from Green Mountain on their version of the 68HC11. I
> > lean to the GM HC11 modification as I am a hardware engineer as
> > opposed to software engineers. My HDL coding style lends more to me
> > thinking in terms of hardware rather that more abstract levels. So
> > for some my HDL coding style may very well be primitive. I
> > personally don't care as it is easier for me to comprehend what is
> > going on. I do not like long( ten and fifteen page) processes or
> > entities. To me it is easier to break them up into smaller sections
> > if need be. The GM HC11 is rather easy for me to read and maybe off
> > an easier route to mdoify. The HC11 archetecture is not all the
> > dissimilar to the 6809 since both are offshoots of the 6800.  
> >
> > In the case of which FPGA to use
> >
> > 1) Alterra
> >
> > 2) Xilinx
> >
> > 3) Lattice
> >
> > 4) others
> >
> > I choose #2 simply because that is the brand I am familiar with and
> > the tools are already loaded. I am flexible if there is need for
> > another set of tools as long as they are windows based. 
> >
> > In the case of development board:
> >
> > There are several out there with many functions added. If XILINX is
> > the choice, then a Spartan 3E would be the better choice. There are
> > plenty of already boards that range in cost from about $150 to over
> > $500. My choice is the Digilent Inc Nexsys2 board at $149. It has 8
> > bit color and has plenty of ram and flash. XESS has a setup that
> > runs about $300 and includes Networking capabilities. The onboard
> > flash is pretty much dedicated for FPGA configuration. 
> >
> > The ideal board would be the Nanoboard. But bundled with Altium's
> > software at $4300 is out of reach for most. The Nanoboard is very
> > flexible. Then there is the route that theC-ONE group took that has
> > their own dedicated PCB. The could be even more expensive than a
> > moderately priced development board. 
> >
> > I hope I have not been to long winded in my reply even though I
> > have. It probably has not been due to the lack of ability to do a
> > 6309 IP for an FPGA. Instead what to do with it once one has been
> > developed. 
> >
> > just my thoughts 
> >
> > james
> >
> > On 27 Mar 2009 at 8:48, Stephen Adolph wrote:
> >
> >   
> >> I notice that there is a VHDL core for a 6809.  Would we know
> >> enough about 6309 to be able to extend this properly?
> >>
> >> Might be a way to a much faster 6309 capability, not sure if the
> >> machine could benefit from it though.
> >>
> >> ..Steve
> >>
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> >>     
> >
> >
> >
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