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FPGA with Embedded PowerPC Core?

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dknguyen

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Hi. FOr FPGAs that have PowerPC cores and the like embedded in them...what exactly does this mean? DOes it mean you can build your own custom processor using the FPGA hardware around the core? DOes it mean you need all the same develpoment tools as if you had a discrete PowerPC processor to take full advantage of it?
 
It's pretty vague. Doesn't describe anything other than the specs of thecore.
**broken link removed**
 
I would keep searching on the Xilinx website. The sheet that you posted is not a full datasheet; it's just a family overview.

I wish I could help with the Virtex parts but the Xilinx foundation software is a little too rich for my budget.
 
I think it means that you have a PowerPC core with the logic around the core to design all manner of peripheral controllers. This would normally require a bunch of chips external to the core, but now you get it all in one package.
 
Yeah, it seems that there is separate software (that you have to buy. no freebies whatsoever here!) that is specially made to work with, program, and compile the processor core inside the FPGA.

Then there is the regular FPGA design software that is free for smaller chips that lets you design the hardware logic.
 
Things get really complicated when you use compound devices like that. Atmel makes something similar called FPSLIC which is an AVR core with FPGA blocks around it, obviously targeted at different markets but if you're simply looking for adding a processor to an FPGA application either use an external processor or use a soft opencore on a large FPGA device, it's usually easier than messing around with static hardware embeded in an FPGA architecture, unless you know that's exactly the kind of hardware you want to deal with.
 
I'm looking for front-end hardware processing to go with the Coldfire. THat's why I was asking. I don't want to learn to code for a Coldfire AND PowerPC at the same time. THe two remaining options are two ignore the POwerPC core and basically lose flexibility because of it, or get an FPGA verison without a core (which is what is probably going to happen).

SPeaking of COldfire, what ever happened to the COldfire V5 anyways? I just see brief mentions about it on the Freescale website and every press release is from 2001 saying it would be released that year...I can't find anything else out about it. Was it cancelled or massive development delays or what?
 
You could check out opencores.org. Look in the projects section. There are a number of open source or free cores which are appliciable to most FPGA's for both processor and periperhals. Relying on a hard IP core is generally for those upgrading from knowledge on the base processor and just want the added flexibility of the FPGA core. If you're starting from scratch, start from scratch.
 
Sceadwian said:
You could check out opencores.org. Look in the projects section. There are a number of open source or free cores which are appliciable to most FPGA's for both processor and periperhals. Relying on a hard IP core is generally for those upgrading from knowledge on the base processor and just want the added flexibility of the FPGA core. If you're starting from scratch, start from scratch.

I was just wondering how useless the embedded core would be if I wanted to focus all uP efforts into the external Coldfire. I think I will just choose an FPGA without an embedded core and the only uC will be the external Coldfire. For the Coldfire's module, a CPLD with external connections and the system ROM are connected to the Coldfire's flexbus (so that the CPLD also has access to the system ROM). This flexbus can run up to 66MHz. I am wondering whether I should connect the FPGA to the Coldfire's internal PCI arbitrator, or to connect the FPGA to the flexbus also (or maybe to the Coldfire through the CPLD but this seems like a poor choice in my mind).
 
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With most FPGA they start off blank IE reset no state machine... so you need the embedded unit to upload the IP code (the firmware to make FPGA into a useful item) once the that is done usually the embedded unit is sent to sleep or as a watchdog of the FPGA ... FPGA are very fast and most of ya high end video cards incorporate a few ... also very good on power vs speed
 
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