which of these boards are you suggesting that will fit the bill and be a good start:
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[url=https://www.ebay.de/itm/Waveshare-CoreEP4CE6-ALTERA-Cyclone-IV-EP4CE6E-FPGA-Development-Core-Board/281867406792]https://www.ebay.de/itm/Waveshare-CoreEP4CE6-ALTERA-Cyclone-IV-EP4CE6E-FPGA-Development-Core-Board/281867406792
Cheers,
DC1MC
To be honest, I don't like either but I would use the Xilinx chip because that's what I know. I also like Xilinx ISE which I think will work with Spartan 6 (need to confirm that). I'm just coming up to speed with Vivado and it's a process. The big difference, as you point out, is the constraints file. I don't pretend to understand the Vivado incantation.
Remember I said "blink an LED then build a CPU"? Copy and Paste, that's the trick. Get something working then expand it. My first projects followed exactly that path: Blink an LED, implement the T80 (Z80) core, make it run CP/M. Nothing in the middle...
I think you will find that any of the references I linked are approachable. I'm old and certainly on a downhill slide but I can still keep up with those books. I really like the LC-3 project as a demonstration in the design process.
The Xilinx board you linked will work and the price is pretty compelling. But I wouldn't want to use it. Why? Because it doesn't have gadgets. I NEED 7 segment displays, lots of LED, plenty of switches and pushbuttons. Most times these are required for the project and other times they are just helpful for debugging. The obvious problem: price goes through the ceiling. It is difficult to spend a lot of money on boards not knowing if you like the concept. So, to get started, anything will work. I would go with Xilinx only because that's what I have been using for about 15 years.
This board has a lot of gadgets, no 7 segment displays but that LCD display is interesting
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Digilent-Xilinx-Spartan-3E-FPGA-Starter-Board-only/273323417096?hash=item3fa3585e08:g:b6cAAOSwWDBa-eEQThis next board was my all-time favorite when I was starting out. The fact that it has static RAM is a plus. My first incantation of the IBM 1130 ran on this board with a 16 digit 7 segment display hung off the right edge and a compact flash connected to one of the top connectors. I like this board because it has a LOT of IO connections.
https://www.ebay.de/itm/digilent-xilinx-spartan-3-starter-board-w-breadboard-1-proto-3-F-3/192240256662?hash=item2cc2698696:g:59EAAOSwjvJZXsPiAlas, it is used. I'm not sure I would take the risk. The fact that it includes the prototype board is pretty nice.
Over the years I have bought a bunch of boards. I really don't know how many but a dozen wouldn't surprise me, probably more. The point is, get started with what you can afford, learn the process and then branch out.
The Nexys 4 DDR board is my new favorite. It is quite expensive and perhaps not the best place to start. But it has 'gadgets', lots of them. The Arty is a popular board but that Basys 3 is very useful. Maybe later on. All take Vivado because they all use the newer Artix 7 chip.
https://store.digilentinc.com/fpga-for-beginners/Here's a German company that builds a variety of boards:
https://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-2/I bought the 2.01 board to help a fellow debug his project which used one:
https://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-2/usb-fpga-2.01.e.htmlThe Debug board is a handy attachment
https://www.ztex.de/usb-fpga-2/debug.e.htmlI'm not so happy with the device programming details. I don't recall how it works at the moment but I remember having to diddle with various Windows executables to get it programmed. The FX2 device is pretty slick but working with it seems to be a PITA compared to using Digilent's Adept software.
That Mojo-V3 is probably a good place to start. But it's old technology (these days) and seems to be too small to implement the T80 core. As a stepping stone, it should work fine.
Everybody starts somewhere and the Mojo is a low cost entry point. Here's the 'blinking LED'
https://www.deviceplus.com/how-tos/fpga-tutorial-intro-to-fpgas-with-the-mojo-part-1/