Is the Xilinx EDK free?

I am a hobbyist, actually an embedded software engineer trying to learn
about verilog and FPGAs, and would like some advice.

I'm thinking of buying either the Xilinx Spartan 3 starter kit or the
Digilent Spartan 3 board with a larger FPGA (say, the 400 instead of
the Xilinx one with the 200).  It's the same board, but Digilent allow
me to order a larger part.

Do I need a larger FPGA?  I can't answer that...  but I figure it's
like RAM... better to have too much and not need it than need it and
not have it.  What am I going to do with it?  My first project will be
to make an LED flash.  Beyond that, I have no idea, but the
Digilent-built boards have lots of ins and outs to play and learn with.


The Xilinx starter kit comes with ISE6.1 Evaluation, WebPack and also
the EDK evaluation and MicroBlaze license.  The Digilent board is just
a board.

I'd like to use the latest tooks (WebPack 7.1), and use the MicroBlaze
core, but I'm not a professional, don't have a rep and don't have a
budget.


If I buy the Digilent board, can I just download the EDK, or is it
something Xilinx charges for so I'd be better off buying the Xilinx
starter kit?

Advice appreciated.

Thanks.
Paul.

"Paul Marciano" <pm940@yahoo.com> wrote in message 
news:1111272793.613101.5520@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> I am a hobbyist, actually an embedded software engineer trying to learn
> about verilog and FPGAs, and would like some advice.
>
> I'm thinking of buying either the Xilinx Spartan 3 starter kit or the
> Digilent Spartan 3 board with a larger FPGA (say, the 400 instead of
> the Xilinx one with the 200).  It's the same board, but Digilent allow
> me to order a larger part.

Also a 1mil gate S3

If you can wait a while(like until end of the year)
http://www.xilinx.com/products/spartan3e/s3eboards.htm

Also are the Xess boards
www.xess.com

fpga4fun
http://www.fpga4fun.com

Tony Burch
http://www.burched.biz/

>
> Do I need a larger FPGA?  I can't answer that...  but I figure it's
> like RAM... better to have too much and not need it than need it and
> not have it.  What am I going to do with it?  My first project will be
> to make an LED flash.  Beyond that, I have no idea, but the
> Digilent-built boards have lots of ins and outs to play and learn with.

Depends what you want to do but can't hurt.
Lots of xilinx app notes.
http://www.xilinx.com/xlnx/xweb/xil_publications_index.jsp?category=Application+Notes
Can also request a resource cd that has all the xilinx docs on it,
link on s3 starter kit page

Lots of potential projects
http://www.xess.com/ho03000.html  may need modifying slightly do to board 
differences

digilentic have a few reference designs and also
addon boards like usb and ethernet , lcd etc
reference designs http://www.digilentinc.com/Materials/BoardProducts.html
peripheral boards https://www.digilentinc.com/Sales/Peripheral.cfm
xilinx link for daughter boards 
http://www.xilinx.com/products/spartan3/boards/daughtercards.htm

xilinx has a few for the S3 starter kit at the bottom of this page
http://www.xilinx.com/products/spartan3/s3boards.htm

old arcade games
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/

Good stuff here
http://www.fpga4fun.com/
http://www.burched.biz/links.html

picoblaze core from xilinx
http://www.xilinx.com/products/design_resources/proc_central/grouping/picoblaze.htm

> The Xilinx starter kit comes with ISE6.1 Evaluation, WebPack and also
> the EDK evaluation and MicroBlaze license.  The Digilent board is just
> a board.
>
> I'd like to use the latest tooks (WebPack 7.1), and use the MicroBlaze
> core, but I'm not a professional, don't have a rep and don't have a
> budget.

webpack is free
edk is not, supposedly you get an eval copy when you buy
an S3 starter kit from Xilinx
and xilinx were supposedly shipping copies
of the eval edk to everyone that bought an S3 starter kit but
I haven't receieved an eval edk cd yet.

> If I buy the Digilent board, can I just download the EDK, or is it
> something Xilinx charges for so I'd be better off buying the Xilinx
> starter kit?

They charge for it US$450 ?
The eval version is 30 days only I think ?

There are a couple of opensource cores from www.opencores.org
that  have compilers for them but not prepackaged with gui tools

Also for microblaze - uclinux port
http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~jwilliams/mblaze-uclinux

Aklex 

Alex Gibson wrote:
> http://www.xilinx.com/products/spartan3e/s3eboards.htm

Looks interesting.

> webpack is free
> edk is not, supposedly you get an eval copy when you buy
> an S3 starter kit from Xilinx
> They charge for it US$450 ?
> The eval version is 30 days only I think ?

I'm grateful to Xilinx and Altera for making their design entry and
synthesis tools available for free.  I wish they'd do the same for
their EDK (but then, if they did, I'm sure I'd also want a free MAC, or
PCI core).

Thanks for all the links Alex.  I'll most likely get the larger
Digilent board, and forget about microblaze.  A shame though.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Regards,
Paul.

Paul Marciano wrote:
> I'm grateful to Xilinx and Altera for making their design entry and
> synthesis tools available for free.  I wish they'd do the same for
> their EDK (but then, if they did, I'm sure I'd also want a free MAC, or
> PCI core).

Just as a random interjection, you can actually get a free pci core.. 
At opencores.org :)  32/33MHz only though...

Jeremy

"Paul Marciano" <pm940@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1111366024.805222.276390@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
[snip
> ll most likely get the larger
> Digilent board, and forget about microblaze.
>A shame though.
>

Hi Paul!

Go for the Picoblaze instead, it's free and comes with tools.

DJ
--

>
> I'm grateful to Xilinx and Altera for making their design entry and
> synthesis tools available for free.  I wish they'd do the same for
> their EDK (but then, if they did, I'm sure I'd also want a free MAC,
or
> PCI core).
>
> Thanks for all the links Alex.  I'll most likely get the larger
> Digilent board, and forget about microblaze.  A shame though.
>

Hi Paul,

You can download a free evaluation of the complete set of Nios II tools
here:
https://www.altera.com/support/software/download/nios2/dnl-nios2.jsp?f=ni2hp&k=g2

Our system integration tool (SOPC Builder) is included free with
Quartus, and with Nios II you get a whole suite of IP, configurable
processor choices, and IDE:
http://www.altera.com/products/ip/processors/nios2/ni2-index.html

There are a lot of features and more are being constantly added (such
as your choice of 100% vhdl or verilog, push-button RTL simulation of
your system running code, clock-domain crossing with a couple of
mouse-clicks, multi-processor debugging, RTOS integration (eCOS,
uClinux, MicroC/OS-II, and several more), complex example designs, etc.
The free evaluation tools are only crippled in one way: The Nios II CPU
has to be used in a "tethered" mode where your download cable has to be
connected to the target board; you can then evaluate the product in
hardware as long as you want. The full-blown license is about $1K US
with a very nice dev board, less for just the subscription to the
processor only.

We also recently introduced a $295US evaluation kit with Cyclone
1C12/flash/sdram, etc.:
http://www.altera.com/products/devkits/altera/kit-nios_eval_1C12.html

Hope you'll consider us as well.

Jesse Kempa
Altera Corp.
jkempa at altera dot com

Dr Justice wrote:
> Hi Paul!
>
> Go for the Picoblaze instead, it's free and comes with tools.

I didn't know that.  Thanks - Picoblaze will do nicely :-)

>Our system integration tool (SOPC Builder) is included free with
>Quartus, and with Nios II you get a whole suite of IP, configurable
>processor choices, and IDE

Thanks Jesse - I'll definately download it and take a look.  The
problem
I have is the $295 evaluation kit and $1K license for the processor IP.
Both of these are outside my budget.

Why not make these available for free under a non-commercial license?
That would allow anyone to freely evaluate it without restriction,
until
they make the decision to commercialize their design, at which point
they must pay.  I guess that requires a level of trust in the customer
;-)

I imagine the Xilinx/Digilent relationship does a good job of grabbing
mindshare of hobbyists and students who may eventually become
real customers in their corporate/engineering lives.

I read a lot of good things about Quartus, and the companies I have
worked
at have used Altera FPGAs...  but for me, to learn, the cost of entry
is too
high.

I will look at it.  Thanks for the links!

Regards,
Paul.

Paul Marciano wrote:
> >Our system integration tool (SOPC Builder) is included free with
> >Quartus, and with Nios II you get a whole suite of IP, configurable
> >processor choices, and IDE
>
> Thanks Jesse - I'll definately download it and take a look.  The
> problem
> I have is the $295 evaluation kit and $1K license for the processor
IP.
> Both of these are outside my budget.
>
> Why not make these available for free under a non-commercial license?
> That would allow anyone to freely evaluate it without restriction,
> until
> they make the decision to commercialize their design, at which point
> they must pay.  I guess that requires a level of trust in the
customer
> ;-)

Hi Paul,

Well I think that is the intent of the 'tethered' evaluation mode. The
idea is that you get full use as long as the target board (Altera dev
board or not) is connected to the PC... but I will leave the reasoning
behind all this to the marketing force; "I'm just an engineer".

Is this an academic project of some sort? If so, you might contact the
Altera University Program. Depending on your project and circumstances
they may be able to get you boards and/or licenses without cost.

Jesse Kempa

Hi Paul,

> Thanks Jesse - I'll definately download it and take a look.  The
> problem
> I have is the $295 evaluation kit and $1K license for the processor IP.
> Both of these are outside my budget.

If you don't pay for the core or the software, you can still build a NIOS II
system that will run either for 1 hour when standalone, or indefinitely as
long as it's attached to the PC running Quartus through the cable supplied
with the eval board. Cost: $295.

Of course, you could also look at the Pluto II board
(http://www.fpga4fun.com/board_pluto-II.html) for $54,95. A NIOS II will
fit into the EP1C3T144 FPGA on that board. You won't have the capability of
'tethered operation', but 1 hour of running time should give you lots of
opportunities to learn stuff.

Best regards,


Ben