Category Archives: CPLD

CPLD Commodore C64 memory project

The website 64HDD has plenty of information about mods and upgrades for Commodore C64 enthusiasts. They have an article explaining their exploration of using CPLDs in C64 hardware mods. Their first CPLD project, explained in the article, explores the build of a 256kB memory expansion board originally designed using TTL chips. The project uses the […]

Altera releases new Quartus II v11.0 with Qsys

Quartus II is Altera’s comprehensive IDE for system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) design, including CPLD and FPGA development tools. They have just released their new Quartus II Software v11.0. The free downloadable web edition includes the Qsys system integration tool in production release, promises up to 2X higher interconnect performance compared to SOPC Builder, improved design reuse and […]

GOP_XC9572XL mini CPLD module

Oho-Elektronik.de has a couple intersting CPLD and FPGA development boards with a bread-board friendly DIL pinout on the bottom. Xilinx XC9572XL CPLD Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLD Altera MAX 3064A CPLD Xilinx XC3S200 FPGA, the smaller version of the chip on the Logic Sniffer All the boards include an oscillator and power supply. They don’t look open […]

Shooting arcade game using CPLD

Here’s a video of Jeri Ellsworth’s latest project for element14, a shooting arcade game using the MachXO2 CPLD. During the design phase, she drew inspiration from various sources, including the dynamic logic found in UK horse racing betting sites, which helped her fine-tune the game’s real-time responsiveness. The game is simple in principle: use an […]

Max V CPLD development kit

The Altera Max V Development Kit is designed around the MAX V CPLD (5M570Z, 256-pin FBGA, -5 speed). The board features two general-purpose 2×20-pin 0.1-inch expansion headers, a 4-pin PC speaker header, two 6-pin motor control headers, a Type B USB connector (power source and communication port) with cable. The board has footprints for the […]

XC9572XL CPLD development board build

Haley posted build pictures of the XC9572XL CPLD development board from a free PCB Sunday. Thanks for posting a picture of the completed board! Under our new unlimited free PCB program Haley received a coupon code for a new free PCB. Get an assembled XC9572XL development board for $15. A CoolRunner-II dev-board is also available for […]

MachXO2 Pico Development Kit promo

Remember the Lattice MachXO2 PLD we mentioned back in December? Well the MachXO2 Pico Development Kits are now available from Lattice Semi! The MachXO2 Pico Development Kit features the MachXO2 LCMXO2-1200ZE device, 1 Mbit SPI Flash, I2C temperature sensor, an expansion header for JTAG, SPI, I2C and GPIO interfaces, an LCD display and capacitive touch […]

JTAG XSVF player for the Bus Pirate

A new alternative firmware for the Bus Pirate programs JTAG devices like the CPLD development boards using standard (X)SVF programming files.  We also whipped up a PC utility that sends the files to the Bus Pirate from the command prompt. Download the package here. SVF is a common programming format used in manufacturing. It’s a […]

Simple CPLD binary counter project

FlipThatBit released this video of a simple CPLD binary counter project. This is a good beginner’s Verilog project, requiring a minimum number of external components, and providing an immediate visual result of your efforts. This was written for the XC9536XL CPLD on a homemade project board. It should work just fine on our XC9572XL Development […]

Replacing discrete 7400 logic devices with CPLDs

Whether you are working on a retro computing device, or experimenting with digital logic, you’ll find that in most instances CPLDs can perform the same operations as a cluster of 7400 series discrete logic chips. Discrete logic devices, long considered the workhorses of the semiconductor industry, held a unit cost advantage over programmable logic devices […]

CPLD dev-boards arriving now

The CPLD development boards are starting to arrive worldwide. jbeale took the XC2C64A board for a spin: Very happy to report that my first try at a Coolrunner II CPLD project works! This is the 16-bit timer with start / stop pulse inputs. It is only tested so far up to 4 MHz, using the […]

CPLD development board package v1.1

Package v1.1 for the CPLD development boards is now available for download.  It includes: Schematic tutorials Verilog tutorials VHDL tutorials Bus Pirate XSVF programmer firmware and application PCBs Programming instructions for the Bus Pirate and Bus Blaster have been freshened. An updated ISE (X)SVF export tutorial will help you get started with your own projects. […]

Architecture of FPGAs and CPLDs: a tutorial

Stephen Brown and Jonathan Rose of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, authored this paper providing a tutorial survey of architectures of commercially available high-capacity field-programmable devices (FPDs). They first define the relevant terminology in the field and then describe the evolution of FPDs. The three main categories of FPDs are […]

Other CPLD dev boards

Kamani Development Tools has the ZL4PLD_9572 dev board, which features an onboard voltage regulator and ISP connector. The preassembled board is designed in a 40 pin DIP breadboard compatible form, and sells for €13.36, plus €30 for shipping to EU countries. AWC sells the PBX84 Xilinx Prototyping Board, in several different configurations beginning at $49.95 […]

Xilinx ISE WebPACK schematic tutorial

The large CPLD schematic library guide posted yesterday contains a lot of reference material to digest. You may be wondering just how to get started with writing program files using the Xilinx ISE WebPACK software package. We found this concise tutorial by Digilent, Inc. covering the basics of creating a CPLD program using the schematic […]