Timothy Miller wrote:
> > The reprogramability of the FPGA has many advantages, but
> > reprogramability is not its primary purpose. The primary reason to use
> > an FPGA is to minimize NRE for manufacturing. However, as a result,
> > users will be able to download updates. Additionally, those who are
Jeff Garzik wrote:
> Will the capability to apply these updates be included with the base card?
> Will users need to purchase additional "update FPGA" hardware to do the
> reprogramming?
Also, what if the reprogramming goes wrong? Do I just throw the
card away or will there be some form of recovery possible?
--
Giuseppe "Oblomov" Bilotta
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in dollar and cents
Pounds shillings and pence
(Roger Waters)
Giuseppe Bilotta wrote:
> Timothy Miller wrote:
>
>>>The reprogramability of the FPGA has many advantages, but
>>>reprogramability is not its primary purpose. The primary reason to use
>>>an FPGA is to minimize NRE for manufacturing. However, as a result,
>>>users will be able to download updates. Additionally, those who are
>
>
> Jeff Garzik wrote:
>
>>Will the capability to apply these updates be included with the base card?
>>Will users need to purchase additional "update FPGA" hardware to do the
>>reprogramming?
>
>
> Also, what if the reprogramming goes wrong? Do I just throw the
> card away or will there be some form of recovery possible?
>
For those who are taking the risk of reprogramming it completely,
they'll already have read the schematics and instructions for using an
external device to program the PROM.
For everyone else, it's the same problem you get when programming a
motherboard goes awry. When the BIOS is hosed, you can't use the MB
until you replace the chip.
For cost reasons, we likely wouldn't socket the chip, so you'd probably
have to send it in for an RMA. We'd reprogram it, and send it back. Or
if you have a friend with the right tools, they can do it.
On Tue, 26 Oct 2004, Timothy Miller wrote:
>
>
> Giuseppe Bilotta wrote:
> > Timothy Miller wrote:
> >
> >>>The reprogramability of the FPGA has many advantages, but
> >>>reprogramability is not its primary purpose. The primary reason to use
> >>>an FPGA is to minimize NRE for manufacturing. However, as a result,
> >>>users will be able to download updates. Additionally, those who are
> >
> >
> > Jeff Garzik wrote:
> >
> >>Will the capability to apply these updates be included with the base card?
> >>Will users need to purchase additional "update FPGA" hardware to do the
> >>reprogramming?
> >
> >
> > Also, what if the reprogramming goes wrong? Do I just throw the
> > card away or will there be some form of recovery possible?
> >
>
>
> For those who are taking the risk of reprogramming it completely,
> they'll already have read the schematics and instructions for using an
> external device to program the PROM.
>
> For everyone else, it's the same problem you get when programming a
> motherboard goes awry. When the BIOS is hosed, you can't use the MB
> until you replace the chip.
>
> For cost reasons, we likely wouldn't socket the chip, so you'd probably
> have to send it in for an RMA. We'd reprogram it, and send it back. Or
> if you have a friend with the right tools, they can do it.
>
Normally you use a boundary-scan (JTAG) serial header so you can program,
reprogram, debug the chip. FPGA development tools expect (require)
this.
Check out http:/http://www.macraigor.com/full_gnu.htm for their GNU tools
and devices, designed for Linux (and M$).
Cheers,
Dick Johnson
Penguin : Linux version 2.6.9 on an i686 machine (5537.79 GrumpyMips).
98.36% of all statistics are fiction.
linux-os wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Oct 2004, Timothy Miller wrote:
>
>>For cost reasons, we likely wouldn't socket the chip, so you'd probably
>>have to send it in for an RMA. We'd reprogram it, and send it back. Or
>>if you have a friend with the right tools, they can do it.
>>
>
>
> Normally you use a boundary-scan (JTAG) serial header so you can program,
> reprogram, debug the chip. FPGA development tools expect (require)
> this.
>
> Check out http:/http://www.macraigor.com/full_gnu.htm for their GNU tools
> and devices, designed for Linux (and M$).
Sounds cool. The easier we can make it, the better.