X-Authentication-Warning: delorie.com: mail set sender to geda-user-bounces using -f X-Recipient: geda-user AT delorie DOT com Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2012 22:08:26 -0400 From: gene glick Subject: Re: [geda-user] FPGA / CPLD development with Linux In-reply-to: <1350863030.93187.YahooMailNeo@web121004.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com Cc: David Collins Message-id: <5084AA9A.404@optonline.net> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT References: <1350863030 DOT 93187 DOT YahooMailNeo AT web121004 DOT mail DOT ne1 DOT yahoo DOT com> User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.15) Gecko/20110323 Thunderbird/3.1.9 Reply-To: geda-user AT delorie DOT com Errors-To: nobody AT delorie DOT com X-Mailing-List: geda-user AT delorie DOT com X-Unsubscribes-To: listserv AT delorie DOT com Precedence: bulk On 10/21/2012 07:43 PM, David Collins wrote: > Hi all. I am hoping to start some FPGA development over the next few months using Linux toolchains - probably Altera FPGAs specifically - and am just looking for some advice. > > The most obvious issues seem to be: > 1. Will I be able to synthesize circuits for these devices using Icarus Verilog?, and > 2. Are there open-source tools for working with the Altera JTAG USB-blaster? > > Also, is there a particular FPGA or development kit you would recommend? > > Would I be better off with a Xilinx device? > > If anyone has experience developing for CPLDs with Linux, I am interested in advice on that also. > > David > > http://indigo.uk.to/~david > > > Well, Icarus and the other commercial tools are a whole bunch different from one another. I've used Aldec, for example, it's a great tool but very expensive - which let's you single-step through a simulation, set breakpoints - just like a software debugging tool. I don't believe icaraus has this ability - so you have to use other techniques like using print statements, for example, to know what is up. It interfaces nicely with GTKwave so you get nice plots. All good stuff - I've done one FPGA using Icarus but not actually tested it out in real life. In my opinion, the design entry tools from Xilinx and Quartus are junk. Stick with an HDL based design and you won't go wrong - if Icarus then you are using Verilog. But should you synthesize with it? Nah. Use Icarus to get your code working then use XST or Quartus or whatever to build the parts up. If you are looking for free, then you can't beat Icarus for design simulation + xilinix web-pack or Altera quartus for synthesis and place/route. Xilinx or Altera (or others) is your choice. I like xilinx - but that's me. Also, Altera supprt has gone down the crapper in recent years. Maybe that's important to you I don't know about open source tools. But, I am aware of people using the FTDI USB chipsets for blasting JTAG. Maybe you can find some people making DIY blasters for linux. If you find some, let me know - hope this is helpful gene