Antti schrieb:

> John_H schrieb:
>
> > Antti wrote:
> > > New low cost families other than from Xilinx are known to be coming
> > > this autumn (Cyclone-3, MAX3, LatticeXP2) but there is no advance info
> > > an Spartan-4 yet, is there a hope at all that there will be modern low
> > > cost family from Xilinx too?
> > >
> > > Spartan-3 is 'not for new designs' as there is no price roadmap for it,
> > > Spartan-3E only has small members, eg not replacement for S3
> > >
> > > so we have vacuum in the place of Spartan-4 !
> > >
> > > I wonder if that vacuum will be filled with Cyclone-3 or is Spartan-4
> > > coming this autumn?
> > >
> > > Antti
> >
> > I don't know about positioning but
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/fvup6
> >
> > (or
> > http://www.xilinx.com/xlnx/xil_ans_display.jsp?iLanguageID=1&iCountryID=1&getPagePath=23856)
>
> Thanks John,
> its only visible from 8.2 SP2
>
> but here is quick link to Spartan3A libraries guide :)
> http://toolbox.xilinx.com/docsan/xilinx82/books/docs/s3adl/s3adl.pdf
>
> it looks like the ICAP and therefore self-reconfiguration is added to
> Spartan-3A, but it still lacks the SPI or NOR flash configuration that
> is available on S3e.
>
> those the Spartan3A may be the replacement part for Spartan-3 meaning
> that Spartan-4 is possible even further away from being available, I
> was
> expecting Spartan-4 announcement of prelim info in 6 months from now,
> but guess we have to wait more.
>
> actually no, the Spartan3e is partial downgrade from s3e ?
> only xc3s50a, xc3s200a, xc3s400a, xc3s700a, xc3s1400a
> so no large Spartan3a devices either :(
>
> is the Spartan-3 family really the last big low cost Xilinx FPGA ??
>

just a small correction: Spartan-3A do support SPI and NOR flash
configuration modes, and there are some power saving features added:
SUSPEND/AWAKE pins!

I wonder why is the Spartan-3A suppport already in the ISE when there
is no public information available, specially the power saving features
could be interesting!

Antti

Aurelian Lazarut wrote:

> Luc,
> I think is more like "spartex" or "virtan"   in X-world.  ;-)
> 

Hmmm... Spandex IV - the stretchable FPGA fabric... ;-)


Ben

Jim Granville wrote:

> Ben Twijnstra wrote:
>> Jim Granville wrote:
>> 
>>>Any info out yet on what MAX3 looks like ?
>>>Does it improve Static Icc, and lack of memory of MAX II, for example ?
>>>Smallest devices / largest devices  ?
>> 
>> 
>> Nope - Altera's silicon design team is quite busy with Cyclix III. If you
>> have any good suggestions on specs outside the hobby sphere, now might be
>> a good time to post them...
> 
>   Now there is a strange reply.
> Do you mean suggestions on MAX 3, or this Cyclix III ?
> If the silicon design team is quite busy, the Architecture team has
> therefore finished, and so suggestions are probably too late anyway ?

As Aurelian already suggested, I indeed meant Cyclone/Stratix III. I played
with the word Stratone, but that sounded way too chemical.

From a few presentations I have seen, the Architecture people seem to be
pretty much done with the 65nm offerings, so I guess they're now in a
position to be retreating into the Stone Age for a few months while
focusing on positioning and defining a new instant-on product, probably
based on 130nm technology.

So, send money, cigars, whiskey and the odd bottle of perfume to 101
Innovation Drive, San Jose, CA, C/O The Max Architecture Team, along with
three copies of the requirements for a CPLD for your next killer project
and hope they don't just take the goodies and light the cigars with your
requirements ;-)

Best regards,



Ben

Ben Twijnstra wrote:
> Jim Granville wrote:
> 
>>Any info out yet on what MAX3 looks like ?
>>Does it improve Static Icc, and lack of memory of MAX II, for example ?
>>Smallest devices / largest devices  ?
> 
> 
> Nope - Altera's silicon design team is quite busy with Cyclix III. If you
> have any good suggestions on specs outside the hobby sphere, now might be a
> good time to post them...

  Now there is a strange reply.
Do you mean suggestions on MAX 3, or this Cyclix III ?
If the silicon design team is quite busy, the Architecture team has 
therefore finished, and so suggestions are probably too late anyway ?

-jg

lb.edc@telenet.be wrote:

>Ben,
>
>Does this 'Cyclix' mean a CYCLone with mIXed signal - or flash based
>Cyclone, or just a typo for Cyclone3
>
>Regards,
>
>Luc
>
>  
>
Luc,
I think is more like "spartex" or "virtan"   in X-world.  ;-)

Aurash

>On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:11:33 +0200, Ben Twijnstra
><btwijnstra@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Jim Granville wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Any info out yet on what MAX3 looks like ?
>>>Does it improve Static Icc, and lack of memory of MAX II, for example ?
>>>Smallest devices / largest devices  ?
>>>      
>>>
>>Nope - Altera's silicon design team is quite busy with Cyclix III. If you
>>have any good suggestions on specs outside the hobby sphere, now might be a
>>good time to post them...
>>
>>Ben
>>    
>>


-- 
 __
/ /\/\ Aurelian Lazarut
\ \  / System Verification Engineer
/ /  \ Xilinx Ireland
\_\/\/
 
phone:	353 01 4032639
fax:	353 01 4640324
    
     

Ben,

Does this 'Cyclix' mean a CYCLone with mIXed signal - or flash based
Cyclone, or just a typo for Cyclone3

Regards,

Luc

On Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:11:33 +0200, Ben Twijnstra
<btwijnstra@gmail.com> wrote:

>Jim Granville wrote:
>
>> Any info out yet on what MAX3 looks like ?
>> Does it improve Static Icc, and lack of memory of MAX II, for example ?
>> Smallest devices / largest devices  ?
>
>Nope - Altera's silicon design team is quite busy with Cyclix III. If you
>have any good suggestions on specs outside the hobby sphere, now might be a
>good time to post them...
>
>Ben

Jim Granville wrote:

> Any info out yet on what MAX3 looks like ?
> Does it improve Static Icc, and lack of memory of MAX II, for example ?
> Smallest devices / largest devices  ?

Nope - Altera's silicon design team is quite busy with Cyclix III. If you
have any good suggestions on specs outside the hobby sphere, now might be a
good time to post them...

Ben

Remis Norvilis wrote:

> Uwe Bonnes wrote:
> 
>> Antti <Antti.Lukats@xilant.com> wrote:
>> ...
>>> >
>>> > Related to this subject:
>>> >
>>> > Did anybody see a XC3S500E-PQ208 out in the wild?
>>> >
>> 
>>> Sure! I have a board with that chip on. It was the first S3e board
>>> being shipped at all ASFAIK (looong time before s3esk !), its the s3e
>>> usb module from cesys GmbH
>> 
>> Neither the "Xilinx" Online store nor digikey list that part...
> 
> 
> in the US, I was able to purchase these parts from NewHorizons

Sorry for mistyping ;), I meant NuHorizons 

Uwe Bonnes wrote:

> Antti <Antti.Lukats@xilant.com> wrote:
> ...
>> >
>> > Related to this subject:
>> >
>> > Did anybody see a XC3S500E-PQ208 out in the wild?
>> >
> 
>> Sure! I have a board with that chip on. It was the first S3e board
>> being shipped at all ASFAIK (looong time before s3esk !), its the s3e
>> usb module from cesys GmbH
> 
> Neither the "Xilinx" Online store nor digikey list that part...


in the US, I was able to purchase these parts from NewHorizons

Antti wrote:
> New low cost families other than from Xilinx are known to be coming
> this autumn (Cyclone-3, MAX3, LatticeXP2) but there is no advance info
> an Spartan-4 yet, is there a hope at all that there will be modern low
> cost family from Xilinx too?
> 
> Spartan-3 is 'not for new designs' as there is no price roadmap for it,
> Spartan-3E only has small members, eg not replacement for S3
> 
> so we have vacuum in the place of Spartan-4 !

I see also Actel have announced what they call Igloo
- press release claims 5uW static power, but table shows
20uA @ 1.2V static typical power ?
- wait, I see FlashFreeze has 4uA in smallest device,
seems the press release writer has rather confused his
static power, with his flash-freese.
  Not the first time that's happened, but they should fix that.

  Smallest device has no ram, and no sleep mode number.
( so this will be their 'loss leader' "$1.50 in volume" device.

On their bar comparison, PolarPro seems very poor, and
I notice MachXO is missing - could this omission mean it has
better numbers ? :)

-jg