From the Editor

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This week, we take a look at Actel's new 3-in one SmartFusion device. Combining an FPGA with an ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller (and all its peripherals) with a programmable analog section, SmartFusion offers a great integration of these commonly used capabilities for applications like motor control and power management. Our latest features takes a deeper look.

You may have noticed a reward for the best, most insightful forum posts. We're giving another away for the best posts in March, so get started posting.

Kevin Morris - Editor, FPGA Journal


Industry News

March 10, 2010

Evatronix invites SoC developers to its free technical 8051 and USB seminars in Beijing,China and Hsinchu, Taiwan

16-Bit Quad, SPI DAC with Internal Reference Achieves ±4LSB INL (Max)

March 09, 2010

Synopsys Galaxy Custom Designer Accelerates Analog/Mixed-Signal Engineering Productivity with Built-in DRC Visualization and Correction

Imec and Synopsys collaborate on 3D stacked IC development

March 08, 2010

Ericsson adds Full PMBus Read And Write Capability to Voltage Regulators

Lattice Ships Over 200 Million ispMACH 4000 CPLD Devices

60V Input Dual Output Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller Draws Only 50µA in Battery-Powered Systems

March 04, 2010

Programmable 2A 2-Cell Supercap Charger with Automatic Cell Balancing in a Compact 9mm2 Package

March 03, 2010

Real Intent Releases Meridian CDC Version 3.0, Strengthens Technology Leadership in Precise and Comprehensive CDC Verification

Xilinx Lowers Cost and Power of High-Performance Video Processing for Industrial Imaging Applications

Synopsys System Studio Speeds DSP Algorithm Development With New Matrix Data-Type Support

Xilinx Simplifies Development of Real-time Ethernet Networks for Industrial Automation Applications

Curtiss-Wright Controls Boosts Speed on ADC FMC Card

March 02, 2010

Actel Releases Comprehensive Development Environment and Ecosystem for SmartFusion Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGAs

Actel Introduces SmartFusion Devices -- FPGAs with ARM Cortex-M3 Processor and Programmable Analog

Xilinx Expands Market-Leading Automotive Silicon Portfolio With Spartan-6 FPGAs Optimized to Reduce System Cost

I2C Battery Gas Gauges for Single Li-Ion Cells Offers 1% Accuracy

Xilinx and Inova Semiconductors Simplify Design Integration of High-Bandwidth Video Connections for Automotive Applications

March 01, 2010

Real-Time Filter Design System

February 26, 2010

Eutecus, Inc Releases New Video Analytics Module – the Bi-i V401X, with all analytics embedded in a single low-cost FPGA – and Evaluation and Development Environment also announced at Embedded World 2010

Feature Articles

It's Just Cool

Is Smart Fusion an FPGA? Who Cares?

by Kevin Morris

In a world of increasing integration, applying past labels often becomes a pointless side-trip through downtown futility.

That iPhone in your pocket - is it a phone? Well, it has "Phone" in the name. Is it a portable computer? A digital camera? A GPS? A pager? A media player?

We can spend hours debating the semantics of various ill-fitting labels when trying to describe a new integrated device. It really doesn't pay. The best thing to do is to just try to decide whether the things we've integrated together make sense and work well as a unit. The iPhone combination listed above is proven to work pretty well. If somebody comes out with a combination electric-shaver/taser, we'll be less enthusiastic. Something is a little off-putting about getting up in the morning and having to be careful not to press the wrong button...  Read More

The Spacetime Continuum

Tabula Explains 3D FPGAs

by Kevin Morris

Cards on the Table

Xilinx Announces 28nm Plans

by Kevin Morris

Paved with Good Intentions

Replacing Judgement with Process

by Kevin Morris

Graphic Composition

by Dick Selwood


Changes in the Wind

Altera Shows 28nm Plans

by Kevin Morris

Fending Off Evil

Protecting Your FPGA Against DPA

by Kevin Morris

A Perfect DSP Storm

BDTi + High Level Synthesis + FPGA

by Kevin Morris

From Pinout to Layout:

The FPGA/PCB Balancing Act

by Daniel Platzker and Paolo Spazzini, Mentor Graphics Corporation

FPGAs and the New IP Economy

Micro-scale Hardware as a Service

by Kevin Morris


Any reason not to create a test bench

When I hear an engineer tell me that it's unnecessary to create a test bench or simulate a design because it's so small, I inwardly roll my eyes and think "Here we go again."

I figure if it's a really small design, then it's easy to create a really sma...
Posted on 03/10/10 at 12:02 PM
by: raysalemi

Since you opened the door to pri

Since you opened the door to pricing by comparing with a $5 microcontroller, what's the price of a typical SmartFusion device? I'm assuming the $99 dev kit is heavily subsidized to buy new design-ins.
Posted on 03/10/10 at 8:40 AM
by: gabor@alacron.com

Actel SmartFusion

Actel just rolled out SmartFusion - a device that combines an ARM Cortex M3, FPGA fabric, and programmable analog. We wrote about it in a feature article (click here). ...
Posted on 03/09/10 at 7:18 PM
by: kevin

Synthesis?

I'm curious to see what time-multiplexed synthesis will look like.
Posted on 03/09/10 at 6:08 AM
by: raysalemi

Eagerly waiting ...will love to

Eagerly waiting ...will love to test this product..
Posted on 03/06/10 at 4:44 AM
by: Manish Singh

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On Demand

Improving Performance in Spartan-6 FPGA Designs (WHITE PAPER)

Several considerations need to be taken into account to improve the performance of Spartan-6 FPGA designs. This white paper discusses how synthesis and implementation can help to optimize design performance.

Simplifying Multi-Rail Power Management for FPGA designers (CHALK TALK)

Designing a multi-rail power subsystem? Make it easy, and protect expensive ICs, such as FPGAs. Complex designs call for powerful and sophisticated solutions without compromising ease and speed of design. Join Amelia Dalton as she talks with Dave Clemens of Linear Technology about how you can easily set up all-in-one supervising, sequencing, controlling and monitoring of multiple power supplies.

Developing Functional Safety Systems with TÜV-Qualified FPGAs (WHITE PAPER)

Market trends, the need for increased productivity, and new legislation have accelerated the use of safety systems in industrial machinery. This TÜV-qualified FPGA design methodology is changing the paradigms of safety designs and will greatly reduce development effort, system complexity, and time to market. This allows FPGA users to design their own customized safety controllers and provides a significant competitive advantage over traditional microcontroller or ASIC-based designs.

Actel SmartFusion: Intelligent, Innovative Integration (WHITE PAPER)

Actel SmartFusion™ Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGAs – Innovative, Intelligent, Integration. Introducing the only device that integrates a flash FPGA, hard ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller subsystem (MSS) and programmable analog into a complete, integrated solution. Don’t compromise your embedded design. Build the system you want, with all the features you need, on a single-chip solution. Read the White Paper to learn more.

Simplify Video Processing with IP Cores and Low-Power FPGAs (VIDEO)

Need to get your video processing systems up and running faster? Developing these applications typically requires implementing and connecting several complex functions. Watch this 5-minute video to learn about pre-verified, configurable building blocks that simplify and accelerate the process for building a complex video chain.

Platform Management Using MachXO & ProcessorPM PLDs (Webcast)

PLDs are commonly used in platform management applications for housekeeping and power-up management. In this webcast, we discuss the requirements of PLDs in this scenario and look at some of the advantages of the MachXO and ProcessorPM devices from Lattice. We will also examine some of the convenient tools that Lattice provides for quick evaluation and experimentation of the MachXO and ProcessorPM PLDs.

Intelligent Digital Power Management (WHITE PAPER)

Today’s complex system designs require capable and efficient power management to enable the advanced features customers demand. Intelligent power management is essential in fulfilling green initiatives and minimizing power consumption. Actel offers an intelligent digital power management (IDPM) solution that provides high-level power management in a low-power, configurable, single-chip design.

Xilinx FPGA Embedded Memory Advantages (WHITE PAPER)

The Virtex®-6 and Spartan®-6 architectures feature flexible internal memory resources that can be configured in a variety of different sizes. This white paper details the available features, illustrating the wide array of memory sizes available and shows the trade-off of using different resources to perform memory functions of different sizes.