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Broaddown4
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"DO YOU HAVE A PCIE CORE TO USE WITH THIS BOARD" - We have our own PCIE core available at extra cost. We also offer consultancy on PCI Express and can also offer turnkey designs.
"HOW DO I USE ADVANCED CONFIGURATION FEATURES" - The Broaddown4 has a Spartan-3 FPGA that is dedicated to providing services to main Virtex-4 FPGAs. To access advanced features like configuration options, current measurement, SDCARD socket, CFCARD socket, SODIMM configuration reading and other features a suitable design must be programmed into the Spartan-3 FPGA.
"WHERE DO I GET DOUBLE ENDED PIN HEADERS FOR MODULE CONSTRUCTION" - Precidip or Mill-Max series 350 are the ones we use. There are other vendors. Note both ends of the header are not the same and the thinner end should engage the headers on Broaddown4. Digikey carries Mill-Max parts.
"CAN BROADDOWN4 OPERATE AS STANDALONE ON THE BENCH" - Broaddown4 can be powered standalone via the disk drive connectors on the top left of picture above. Usually only one connector is needed but the second connector allows a total of 15A at 5V to be delivered into the board for high powered applications. In this situation the PCIE interface does not need to be used but can still be used to drive a suitable cable as a high speed link.
"HOW MUCH CURRENT CAPABILITY IS AVAILABLE ON EACH POWER RAIL ON BROADDOWN4" - Each of the main power rails has a 10A Linear Technology LTM4600 as power supply. There is also capability to parallel up extra regulators for extra capability for extreme designs.
"WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO USE TO GENERATE DESIGNS AND PROGRAM THE BOARD" - Xilinx ISE(full version) is required to develop designs for the Virtex-4 devices on this board. ISE Webpack is free and contains all the basic tools you need to develop the Spartan-3 services FPGA. ISE Webpack can also be used programming all FPGA devices on this board via JTAG. It is available from Xilinx here http://www.xilinx.com/products/design_resources/design_tool/index.htm . We don't ship it with our card because of licensing issues.
"CAN I PROGRAM THE BOARD FROM PCI" - Yes it is possible access Platform Flash on this board via Device1 and the services FPGA to program Platform Flash. This will require suitable designs to be loaded into Device1 and the services FPGA (Device3).
"WHERE DO I GET A SOFTWARE DRIVER" - A driver for our PCIE core will be made available with our core.
"CAN I USE DMA WITH THIS BOARD" - If the PCIE Core that you use does then yes. Full functionality for REQUESTER functions is supported by our PCIE core.
"WHERE DOES THE NAME RAGGEDSTONE1 COME FROM" - Most of our current product names come from the local chain of hills - Raggedstone, Broaddown, Hollybush, Swinyard are all local hill names used as product names.