[sdiy] uC with mul

[Magnus Danielson]

From: "Paul Maddox" <Paul.Maddox at wavesynth.com>
Subject: Re: [sdiy] uC with mul
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2002 23:57:07 -0000

> JB,

Paul,

> > Although I've always had the feeling that these Xilinx / Altera thingies
> > required quite a lot of engeneering & time, like development platform,
> > learning curve, development time etc. and because of their packages
> > weren't that easy to implement on the DIY project & PCB.
> 
> Ooh, I can think of at least two people on the list know their stuff when it
> comes to FPGAs, it could probably knock something up for you ina few hours
> (hi guys)

Not sure who you mean, but...

> > I might be wrong but I had the feeling that a 16x16 multiplier was a more
> > attractive solution, or at least featured the right balance between type
> of
> > package, ease of implementation etc in a DIY context... Haven't checked
> > the price yet though...
> 
> I would go for a small FPGA, I mean if you didnt want a multiplier, you
> could reconfigure it do other stuff at a later date

Indeed. I'd go for the Spartran-II family. Cheap and capable. If you
don't need much speed you can set up the multiplication as a
shift-and-add thing. That becomes very size-efficient.

What one really should have is a configurable MPU model which you can
trim some depending on your needs and you toss in the various glue
stuff as needed. A simple MPU model should be simple enougth to fit
into a corner.

There are people doing things like this and there is nowdays alot of
code just lying around on the web waiting for someone to pick it up
and use it. You can download tools of the web and chips are cheap - go
for it ;O)

I thing many people try to solve things with MPUs just because they
are there. Over in the logic corner many people try to solve
everything in straigth FPGA. I think one can find an very fruitfull
mixture in the mold between these areas.

Cheers,
Magnus - just nuts