Summary of MEET THE ARTICKOALA! THE FPGA DEVELOPMENT BOARD BASED ON LATTICE CROSSLINK-NX
Greg Davill released the ArcticKoala development board built around the new Lattice CrossLink-NX LIFCL-40 (72QFN). It reuses sources from recent FPGA projects and exposes flash configuration, Pmod and MIPI headers, and an FT2232 USB-serial interface for easy development, showcasing CrossLink-NX features like low power, hardened MIPI D-PHY, PCIe, high memory-to-logic ratio, and ultra-fast configuration.
Parts used in the ArcticKoala:
- Lattice Semiconductor LIFCL-40 CrossLink-NX (72QFN) FPGA
- Winbond 25Q128 128 Mbit Flash memory
- FTDI FT2232 USB-Serial converter
- 3x Pmod extension headers
- 1x MIPI extension header
- PCB and supporting passive components (resistors, capacitors, crystals)
- Power regulation circuitry
- Connectors and mounting hardware
Barely a week after Lattice semiconductor announced the launch of the CrossLink-NX family of FPGA, Greg Davill, in his amazing way of posting the entire development process in a twitter thread, has announced the launch of a development board based on the Lattice Crosslink-NX 72QFN.
The new board which is called the ArcticKoala was created using some of the sources from recent FPGA tools like the iCEBreaker ICE40-UP5K board. The board comprises of a Lattice Semiconductor LIFCL-40 CrossLink FPGA with a Winbond 25Q128 128Mbit Flash memory (for configuration bitstreams). In terms of interfaces, the board comes with 3x Pmod extension headers, 1x MIPI extension header, and a FTDI FT2232 USB-Serial converter to allow users to connect to the board over USB.
The CrossLink-NX family, on which the new development board is based, was designed using the new Lattice Nexus platform, which combines a 28 nm FD-SOI manufacturing process with a new, Lattice-designed, FPGA fabric architecture optimized for low power operation in a small form factor.
According to Gordon Hands, Director of Product Marketing at Lattice Semiconductor, asides from being super low power (up to 75% compared with similar class devices) and coming with better performance than most FPGAs in its class, the CrossLink-NX is supported by a robust library of design software, IP blocks and application reference designs which makes it quick and easy for developers to integrate it into new or existing designs.
Some of the features CrossLink-NX which the ArcticKoala will be breaking out to users include:
- A Low power FPGA Development Board
- Highly reliable FPGA with SER up to 100 times lower than other FPGAs in its class.
- 2.5 Gbps Hardened MIPI D-PHY
- 5 Gbps PCIe
- 1.5 Gbps programmable IO
- 1066 Mbps DDR3.
- Support for LVDS, subLVDS, OpenLDI (OLDI), SGMII, and FPGA fabric for signal aggregation, duplication, and splitting.
- High Memory to Logic Ratio (170bits of memory for every logic cell)
- Instant-on Performance thanks to Ultra-Fast IO configuration (3ms) and total device configuration of 15ms.
Asides from the satirical nature of the name, to create a full-blown board based on an FPGA chip that was released 1 week earlier, confirms the brilliance, impressive talent, and work ethics that the ecosystem has come to respect Davil for.
Read more: MEET THE ARTICKOALA! THE FPGA DEVELOPMENT BOARD BASED ON LATTICE CROSSLINK-NX
- What FPGA is used on the ArcticKoala?
The board uses the Lattice Semiconductor LIFCL-40 CrossLink-NX (72QFN) FPGA. - Does the ArcticKoala include onboard flash for configuration?
Yes, it includes a Winbond 25Q128 128Mbit Flash memory for configuration bitstreams. - How can users connect to the ArcticKoala over USB?
The board uses an FTDI FT2232 USB-Serial converter to allow USB connection. - What expansion headers are available on the ArcticKoala?
It provides 3 Pmod extension headers and 1 MIPI extension header. - What CrossLink-NX features does the ArcticKoala expose?
It breaks out features including low power operation, hardened 2.5 Gbps MIPI D-PHY, 5 Gbps PCIe, 1.5 Gbps programmable I/O, 1066 Mbps DDR3 support, and high memory-to-logic ratio. - How fast is device configuration on CrossLink-NX as used by ArcticKoala?
The CrossLink-NX offers ultra-fast IO configuration of 3 ms and total device configuration of 15 ms. - What process and platform is CrossLink-NX built on?
CrossLink-NX is built on the Lattice Nexus platform using a 28 nm FD-SOI manufacturing process and a Lattice-designed FPGA fabric architecture. - Is CrossLink-NX optimized for low power?
Yes, CrossLink-NX is designed for low power, offering up to 75% lower power compared with similar class devices according to Lattice. - Does CrossLink-NX offer improved reliability?
Yes, it provides a highly reliable FPGA with SER up to 100 times lower than other FPGAs in its class.
