Re: [pci] Newcomer to PCI

[jazimme2@yahoo.com]

Memec has a SpartanII pci development board for $275 with a webpack 
cd and jtag cable.

http://www.insight-electronics.com/cgi-
bin/bvutf8/memec/scripts/local/mc_loc_b.jsp?
Div=INSIGHT&Reg=AMERICAS&Country=UNITED_STATES&Lang=EN&isDeta
ilPage=true&EDOID=200699&Manu=MD_XILINX

1.  I dont' know if there is anything *that* simple.  You might want to 
look into QuickLogic parts.  They have some development boards but I'm 
not sure of the price or how to use them.

2.  Make your design Wishbone Bus compatible and it will work with this 
Opencores PCI core.  You will still need to write your own driver 
software.

3.  Never heard of MBone...maybe someone else can help with that.

4.  See above.  The expensive boards would be easier to use though...

5.  I assume you have a large amount of data to process...that's what a 
PCI solution would be good at.  There are any number of ways you 
*could* do it, and lots of cheaper non-pci boards out there, but PCI is 
probably the simplest solution right now for fast data transfer.

hope this helps a little.
j.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Sajid Farooq <sajid876@y... > 
To: pci@o...  
Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 02:53:12 +0100 (BST) 
Subject: [pci] Newcomer to PCI 

> Hello all, 
> 
> This is going to bea relatively long post, so for those who are 
> allergic to newbies, you can safely delete this mail... 
> 
> I am an Undergrad student of IT in Malaysia. I have to create a 
> program that does lots and lots of calculations. Its pretty darn 
> slow so i thought of parallel processing using an FPGA. Hardware 
> performance should be better than pure software. About the only 
> problem is that i am mainly a programmer not an engineering student 
> so i am not so familiar with PCI (which i think i need for fasest 
> performance) and so on. 
> 
> I know how to design circuits etc. and how the implement my 
> alogorthm and design in hardware using software like MAX+PLUS or 
> Electronic workbench, but thats about it. So the questions are 
> these: 
> 
> (1) Is there a simple PCI/FPGA combination where i only need to say 
> "Send this data to this pin" and then for example, "get data from 
> this out pin" and so on, "Without" having to design a whole PCI 
> interface to the FPGA. 
> 
> (2) I take it that that is what a Core is supposed to do, i.e, the 
> PCI Core is something like a predefined function which i can put 
> into my design to enable it to use PCI, Yes/No? 
> 
> (3) The PCI core presented here says something about MBone and a 
> MBone bus or something, what about if i am designing a simple card 
> that just straight plugs into any PCI slot and gets to work, will 
> this Core still work? (after installing the drivers ofcourse.) 
> 
> (4) I need an FPGA device, a way to program it, and a PCI board 
> that supports that FPGA device. Most PCI protyping boards cost a 
> "huge!" amount of money. Altera sells a student edition of a FPGA 
> programming device along with a chip which is very affordable, Can 
> i buy a seperate cheap PCI board and itegrate my FPGA Chip into it? 
> Will it be cheaper? will it be compaitble with the (FPGA) chip? 
> Will i need to use the PCI core to interface it with the FPGA chip? 
> 
> (5) Is there another easier programming option that won't cost me 
> an arm and a leg? 
> 
> Thanx in advance, 
> 
> Sajid Farooq 
> 
> P.s: This might not have been the best place to post this mail but 
> i like the speedy responses here so forgive me... :) 
> 
> Yahoo! Plus - For a better Internet experience 
> 
> 
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