Choosing the right FPGA board

Hello!

I have several years of experience in programming, and I'd like to move
on to FPGAs to enjoy more fun.

As I have a limited budget for my playing with electronics, I'd like to
choose the most versatile board for the best price with a decent support
from manufacturer. I'm a student, so I guess the academic prices apply
for me.

I tried to do my own research on google. What I wanted to have on my
board was:
- VGA/HDMI port
- SD card slot
- some memory
- PS/2 keyboard
- USB and Enthernet, although I have almost no idea about how these two
work


I found these boards:

Basys(tm)2 - Xilinx Spartan-3E, 8-bit VGA, PS/2 - 69$
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Nav...
Basys(tm)3 - Xilinx Artix-7, 12-bit VGA, USB host for kb/mice, flash - 79$
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Nav...
miniSpartan6+ - Spartan 6 LX 9, HDMI, serial flash, microSD - 75$
http://www.scarabhardware.com/product/minisp6/
ZYBO Zynq(tm)-7000 - Xilinx Z-7010, Cortex-A9, flash, memory, SD, USB, gigabit

Ethernet, HDMI, 16-bit VGA - 125$
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Nav...
> Altera DE0 Board - Altera Cyclone III 3C16, 4-BIT VGA, SD, serial port, PS/2,
flash - 81$
http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?...

Altera DE0-CV Board - Altera Cyclone V 5CEBA4F23C7N, 4-bit VGA, microSD, PS/2 -
99$
Altera DE1 Board - Altera Cyclone II 2C20, 4-bit R-2R per channel VGA, PS/2, SD,
flash - 127$

here's where I can't decide. Again, cost is important for me, but I also
know that Digilent and Terasic are Some Names.

What would you choose? Do you have any of your own recommendations?
Please help, I'm honestly an absolute nooob here.

 

[Michael Kellett]

lexected:

Hello!

I have several years of experience in programming, and I'd like to
move
on to FPGAs to enjoy more fun.

As I have a limited budget for my playing with electronics, I'd like
to
choose the most versatile board for the best price with a decent
support
from manufacturer. I'm a student, so I guess the academic prices apply

for me.

I tried to do my own research on google. What I wanted to have on my
board was:
- VGA/HDMI port
- SD card slot
- some memory
- PS/2 keyboard
- USB and Enthernet, although I have almost no idea about how these
two
work


I found these boards:

Basys(tm)2 - Xilinx Spartan-3E, 8-bit VGA, PS/2 - 69$
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Nav...
Basys(tm)3 - Xilinx Artix-7, 12-bit VGA, USB host for kb/mice, flash
- 79$
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Nav...
miniSpartan6+ - Spartan 6 LX 9, HDMI, serial flash, microSD - 75$
http://www.scarabhardware.com/product/minisp6/
ZYBO Zynq(tm)-7000 - Xilinx Z-7010, Cortex-A9, flash, memory, SD,
USB, gigabit
Ethernet, HDMI, 16-bit VGA - 125$
http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Nav...
Altera DE0 Board - Altera Cyclone III 3C16, 4-BIT VGA, SD, serial
port, PS/2,
flash - 81$
http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?...
Altera DE0-CV Board - Altera Cyclone V 5CEBA4F23C7N, 4-bit VGA,
microSD, PS/2 -
99$
Altera DE1 Board - Altera Cyclone II 2C20, 4-bit R-2R per channel
VGA, PS/2, SD,
flash - 127$

here's where I can't decide. Again, cost is important for me, but I
also
know that Digilent and Terasic are Some Names.

What would you choose? Do you have any of your own recommendations?
Please help, I'm honestly an absolute nooob here.

If you are new to FPGAs go for something much, much simpler. You can get
simple starter boards for Lattice parts from Mouser etc. Or you can buy
a really simple board from China (Ebay or Aliexpress or Amazon) with an
Altera FPGA and a programming tool for under $30.
Once you've got somewhere with one of those you'll be able to make a
much better decision about the next step.
As far as decent support for boards goes, there isn't any for cheap
ones.

MK

 

[Lexected Field]

Thank you...
Yes, I finally came to the conclusion that I should go for something cheaper from China.

Anyway, I can now choose between Altera Cyclone IV (9k LEs) and Xilinx Spartan-3 (10k LUTs). Everything (multipliers, LEs, LUTs, GPIOs) seem to be the same. What should I choose?

I read that Altera has better IDE, but Xilinx is more known.

 

[Michael Kellett]

Lexected Field:

Thank you...
Yes, I finally came to the conclusion that I should go for something
cheaper from China.

Anyway, I can now choose between Altera Cyclone IV (9k LEs) and Xilinx

Spartan-3 (10k LUTs). Everything (multipliers, LEs, LUTs, GPIOs) seem to
be the same. What should I choose?

I read that Altera has better IDE, but Xilinx is more known.

I haven't used X software for a long while but I have a feeling that A's
free web software is about the easiest to get going - certainly easier
thanLattice (but you get a nicer simulator with Lattice) or MicroSemi
IMO.

I don't think there is anything to choose between A and X at your
current level. Longer term it's not a good idea to be locked to one
vendor if you can help it.

MK

 

[Petter Gustad]

"Michael Kellett" <nospam@invalid.com> writes:

I don't think there is anything to choose between A and X at your
current level.

Xilinx has moved to Vivado for they recent devices (7 series and
Ultrascale). For a fresh student it would be a waste to first learn ISE
and then later have to learn Vivado.

Unfortunately Vivado Logic Analyzer is not included in the free webpack
version of Vivado.

The Altera Quartus web edition includes the signaltap logic analyzer.

So if learning how to debug the design with an embedded logic analyzer
is something the OP would like to do I would recomend ditching Xilinx
and go for Altera.

//Petter

--
..sig removed by request.

 

[Lexected Field]

THANK YOU for this discussion, you helped me to choose.... Altera

Thanks again!