FPGA start?

I want to start with Xilinx FPGA's. How does one start cheap? I see a
development kit from Digilent for $99 US.
It is for a Spartan IIE. But then I see there is a Spartan III but no
development kit for this.

What are the options. Can the Spartan IIE 200K gate do a lot of designs. Is
that enough gates?

-- 
Yours sincerely,


Bobi Mageroski
Practel Pty. Ltd.

Tel:   61 2 9957 1797
Fax:  61 2 9957 2892


e-mail: bobi.mageroski@practel.com.au
www.practel.com.au

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"bobi" <bobi@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<bjgu0n$2i9j$1@otis.netspace.net.au>...
> I want to start with Xilinx FPGA's. How does one start cheap? I see a
> development kit from Digilent for $99 US.
> It is for a Spartan IIE. But then I see there is a Spartan III but no
> development kit for this.

Memec had Spartan III S50J kits but those are all sold out :(
also notice that did use "J" version with only 2.5 IO and no BRAM
more S3 kits from Memec are exptected but timeline unknown 
 
> What are the options. Can the Spartan IIE 200K gate do a lot of designs. Is
> that enough gates?

thats a lot and pretty much enough :)

antti

bobi wrote:

> I want to start with Xilinx FPGA's. How does one start cheap? I see a
> development kit from Digilent for $99 US.
> It is for a Spartan IIE. But then I see there is a Spartan III but no
> development kit for this.
> 
> What are the options. Can the Spartan IIE 200K gate do a lot of designs. Is
> that enough gates?
> 
Depending on your budget I would advice you to take a look at the 
modular development boards at http://www.burched.biz/.

As you become more experienced with FPGAs and your needs grow, these 
boards will offer you the opportunity to expand.

The Shortwave radio design I refer to on my website uses a 100K gate Spartan
(http://www.andraka.com). Not so long ago, 200K gates was considered an
enormous device.  At that time (about 6 years ago), I was using mostly 25K gate
XC4025E's and doing some pretty sophisticated signal processing with 3 or four
of them on a board.  With that in mind, 200K gates should be ample for what you
intend.

bobi wrote:

> I want to start with Xilinx FPGA's. How does one start cheap? I see a
> development kit from Digilent for $99 US.
> It is for a Spartan IIE. But then I see there is a Spartan III but no
> development kit for this.
>
> What are the options. Can the Spartan IIE 200K gate do a lot of designs. Is
> that enough gates?
>
> --
> Yours sincerely,
>
> Bobi Mageroski
> Practel Pty. Ltd.
>
> Tel:   61 2 9957 1797
> Fax:  61 2 9957 2892
>
> e-mail: bobi.mageroski@practel.com.au
> www.practel.com.au
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Important Notice:
> This email is for the named recipient only.  Its contents are confidential.
> If you are not the authorised recipient you must not use, disclose or copy
> any of these contents. If you receive this email in error please contact us
> immediately and delete the email from your system.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930     Fax 401/884-7950
email ray@andraka.com
http://www.andraka.com

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  temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
                                          -Benjamin Franklin, 1759