Introduction

Temperature measurement, current monitoring, power supply sequencing, fan control and fault logging are typical board control functions used in complex circuit designs. System designers are faced with continual pressure to meet their development schedules, and need to implement control functions with minimal effort and risk while maintaining maximum flexibility. By using a programmable based approach for their designs, designers can accelerate their … Read More → "MachXO PLDs in System Control Designs"

Due to differences in the base architecture of the Spartan-6 device from previous FPGA generations, selection of the right Spartan-6 device for a given design is not always straightforward. Spartan-3 FPGA part numbers reflect system gates while Spartan-6 FPGA part numbers reflect approximate logic cell count divided by 1,000. Also, Spartan-6 devices use different ratios of block RAMs, multiplier/DSP blocks, DCMs, and pins.

Compare the feature summary tables in DS160, Spartan-6 Family Overview, DS099, Spartan-3 … Read More → "Targeting and Retargeting Guide for Spartan-6 FPGAs"

Increasing bandwidth requirements for broadband services are driving silicon vendors to use more and more high-speed serial transceivers. Therefore, next-generation applications feature a wide range of data rates, from a few Mbps to hundreds of Gbps, and integrate multiple protocols and services in a single box. Quickly evolving standards like … Read More → "Innovating With a Full Spectrum of 40-nm FPGAs and ASICs With Transceivers"

Metastability is a phenomenon that can cause system failure in digital devices when a signal is transferred between circuitry in unrelated or asynchronous clock domains. This paper describes metastability in FPGAs, explains why the phenomenon occurs, and discusses how it causes design failures. The MTBF due to metastability indicates whether steps should be taken to reduce the chance of such failures. This paper explains how MTBF is calculated, and how both vendors and designers can increase it.

Read More → "Understanding Metastability in FPGAs"

This white paper describes the SATA and SAS protocols, how the protocols are used, explains the value SATA and SAS in terms of usage in an FPGA, and illustrates how Altera FPGAs can be used to develop a SATA or SAS solution. SATA and SAS are computer bus standards that have the primary function of transferring data (directly or otherwise) between the motherboard and mass storage devices (such as hard disk drives, optical drives, and solid-state disks) inside … Read More → "Understanding 40-nm FPGA Solutions for SATA/SAS"

The global estimated loss to counterfeiting is expected to exceed U.S.$1.5 trillion in 2009. Counterfeiting impacts all businesses in all markets, from Gucci handbags to computer chips to proprietary algorithms. The threats to companies’ intellectual property (IP) grow as the global supply chain becomes increasingly complex. Security and protection in the global supply chain is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage, while in some cases it is required just to stay in business.

Read More → "Protecting the FPGA Design From Common Threats"

Electronic systems designers use FPGAs for their prototype implementations, taking advantage of the devices’ reprogrammability to validate hardware and software. Once the design is ready for volume production, certain types of ASICs help the designers meet power, performance, and cost targets. This paper discusses the evolution, architecture, and capabilities of Altera HardCopy ASICs as a package- and pin-compatible FPGA counterpart that is ideal for taking designs into volume production.

… Read More → "Generating Functionally Equivalent FPGAs and ASICs With a Single Set of RTL and Synthesis/Timing Constraints"

Altera’s 2008 launch of the Stratix IV and HardCopy IV device families marked the introduction of the world’s first 40-nm FPGAs and the industry’s only risk-free path to 40-nm ASICs. The event culminated over three years of exhaustive planning and development to deliver custom logic devices exhibiting uncompromised product leadership. Altera’s subsequent announcement in 2009 of Arria II GX and Stratix IV GT FPGA families results in the industry’s most comprehensive transceiver-product portfolio.

Read More → "Leveraging the 40-nm Process Node to Deliver the World’s Most Advanced Custom Logic Devices"