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Electronics => Beginners => Topic started by: shanecy on September 04, 2013, 07:30:36 pm

Title: Need help finding a FPGA board?
Post by: shanecy on September 04, 2013, 07:30:36 pm


I'm an engineering student and I'm suppose to order a FPGA Board. They weren't real specific in what I needed. However, all I know is i'm suppose to be able to run the free web version pack "Quartus II".

I would like to be able to hook it up to my Macbook Pro by USB. I have the software "parallels" on my Mac to run Quartus II from Windows 7. So I believe I'm set up for the software portion of it.

If anyone can provide a link to a controller that you believe might work great I would appreciate it. My price range tops out at $200.00. Also if anyone has additional concerns in regards to running the controller on my Mac please let me know. I believe since I have parallels I'm set.

Again, I'm a student and would appreciate any advice you might have for me. Right now I'm looking on mouser and have only found the following. However, I'm not for sure what to get.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Terasic-Technologies/P0082/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtg8Gw61H%252bsr73U177jghH2 (http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Terasic-Technologies/P0082/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtg8Gw61H%252bsr73U177jghH2)
Title: Re: Need help finding a FPGA board?
Post by: marshallh on September 04, 2013, 07:59:01 pm
Quartus II is Altera's software. So you need to get an Altera dev board.

Popular ones are: DE0, DE0-nano, DE1, DE2-115.
You can get a significant academic discount if you buy from terasic or digikey.

You will need the ability to route USB devices through Parallels for the jtag programmer.
Title: Re: Need help finding a FPGA board?
Post by: tanstaafl on September 04, 2013, 08:03:12 pm
I have one of those boards, nothing wrong with it. Guess it all comes down to what you want to do and what kind of peripherals you want to hook up to it...

As for running quartus II in parallels, no issues at all, I do it all the time.
Title: Re: Need help finding a FPGA board?
Post by: shanecy on September 04, 2013, 08:09:22 pm
Does this have a USB connection option into my computer.

http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=502 (http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=502)
Title: Re: Need help finding a FPGA board?
Post by: Crazy Ape on September 04, 2013, 09:29:46 pm
Quote from: shanecy on September 04, 2013, 08:09:22 pm
Does this have a USB connection option into my computer.

http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=502 (http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=502)

Next tab over, 'Specification'
http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=502&PartNo=2 (http://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=502&PartNo=2)

The bit that says "On-board USB-Blaster circuitry" is what you wanted.


Top left in the image.
http://www.terasic.com.tw/attachment/archive/502/image/image_74_thumb.jpg (http://www.terasic.com.tw/attachment/archive/502/image/image_74_thumb.jpg)