ACTELS NEW SMART FUSION SERIES
a techfocus media publication :: March 9, 2010
From the Editor
kevin_small.jpg
This week, we take a look at Actel's new 3-in one SmartFusion device. Combining an FPGA with an ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller (and all its peripherals) with a programmable analog section, SmartFusion offers a great integration of these commonly used capabilities for applications like motor control and power management. Our latest features takes a deeper look.
You may have noticed a reward for the best, most insightful forum posts. We're giving another away for the best posts in March, so get started posting.
Kevin Morris, Editor
FPGA Journal
FaceBook_32x32.png Twitter_32x32.png Feed_32x32.png
On Demand
Improving Performance in Spartan-6 FPGA Designs (WHITE PAPER)
Several considerations need to be taken into account to improve the performance of Spartan-6 FPGA designs. This white paper discusses how synthesis and implementation can help to optimize design performance. (Xilinx)
Actel SmartFusion: Intelligent, Innovative Integration (WHITE PAPER)
Actel SmartFusion™ Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGAs – Innovative, Intelligent, Integration. Introducing the only device that integrates a flash FPGA, hard ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller subsystem (MSS) and programmable analog into a complete, integrated solution. Don’t compromise your embedded design. Build the system you want, with all the features you need, on a single-chip solution. Read the White Paper to learn more. (Actel)
Xilinx FPGA Embedded Memory Advantages (WHITE PAPER)
The Virtex®-6 and Spartan®-6 architectures feature flexible internal memory resources that can be configured in a variety of different sizes. This white paper details the available features, illustrating the wide array of memory sizes available and shows the trade-off of using different resources to perform memory functions of different sizes. (Xilinx)
Developing Functional Safety Systems with TÜV-Qualified FPGAs (WHITE PAPER)
Market trends, the need for increased productivity, and new legislation have accelerated the use of safety systems in industrial machinery. This TÜV-qualified FPGA design methodology is changing the paradigms of safety designs and will greatly reduce development effort, system complexity, and time to market. This allows FPGA users to design their own customized safety controllers and provides a significant competitive advantage over traditional microcontroller or ASIC-based designs. (Altera)
Simplify Video Processing with IP Cores and Low-Power FPGAs (VIDEO)
Need to get your video processing systems up and running faster? Developing these applications typically requires implementing and connecting several complex functions. Watch this 5-minute video to learn about pre-verified, configurable building blocks that simplify and accelerate the process for building a complex video chain. (Altera)
Intelligent Digital Power Management (WHITE PAPER)
Today’s complex system designs require capable and efficient power management to enable the advanced features customers demand. Intelligent power management is essential in fulfilling green initiatives and minimizing power consumption. Actel offers an intelligent digital power management (IDPM) solution that provides high-level power management in a low-power, configurable, single-chip design. (Actel)
Simplifying Multi-Rail Power Management for FPGA designers (CHALK TALK)
Designing a multi-rail power subsystem? Make it easy, and protect expensive ICs, such as FPGAs. Complex designs call for powerful and sophisticated solutions without compromising ease and speed of design. Join Amelia Dalton as she talks with Dave Clemens of Linear Technology about how you can easily set up all-in-one supervising, sequencing, controlling and monitoring of multiple power supplies. (Linear Technology)
Platform Management Using MachXO & ProcessorPM PLDs (Webcast)
PLDs are commonly used in platform management applications for housekeeping and power-up management. In this webcast, we discuss the requirements of PLDs in this scenario and look at some of the advantages of the MachXO and ProcessorPM devices from Lattice. We will also examine some of the convenient tools that Lattice provides for quick evaluation and experimentation of the MachXO and ProcessorPM PLDs. (Lattice)
Latest News
March 09, 2010
Synopsys Galaxy Custom Designer Accelerates Analog/Mixed-Signal Engineering Productivity with Built-in DRC Visualization and Correction
Imec and Synopsys collaborate on 3D stacked IC development
March 08, 2010
Ericsson adds Full PMBus Read And Write Capability to Voltage Regulators
Lattice Ships Over 200 Million ispMACH 4000 CPLD Devices
60V Input Dual Output Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller Draws Only 50µA in Battery-Powered Systems
March 04, 2010
Programmable 2A 2-Cell Supercap Charger with Automatic Cell Balancing in a Compact 9mm2 Package
March 03, 2010
Real Intent Releases Meridian CDC Version 3.0, Strengthens Technology Leadership in Precise and Comprehensive CDC Verification
Xilinx Lowers Cost and Power of High-Performance Video Processing for Industrial Imaging Applications
Synopsys System Studio Speeds DSP Algorithm Development With New Matrix Data-Type Support
Xilinx Simplifies Development of Real-time Ethernet Networks for Industrial Automation Applications
Curtiss-Wright Controls Boosts Speed on ADC FMC Card
Current Feature Articles
It's Just Cool
Is Smart Fusion an FPGA? Who Cares?
by Kevin Morris
In a world of increasing integration, applying past labels often becomes a pointless side-trip through downtown futility.
That iPhone in your pocket - is it a phone? Well, it has "Phone" in the name. Is it a portable computer? A digital camera? A GPS? A pager? A media player?
We can spend hours debating the semantics of various ill-fitting labels when trying to describe a new integrated device. It really doesn't pay. The best thing to do is to just try to decide whether the things we've integrated together make sense and work well as a unit. The iPhone combination listed above is proven to work pretty well. If somebody comes out with a combination electric-shaver/taser, we'll be less enthusiastic. Something is a little off-putting about getting up in the morning and having to be careful not to press the wrong button... Read More
20100302_space The Spacetime Continuum
Tabula Explains 3D FPGAs
by Kevin Morris
20100223_cards Cards on the Table
Xilinx Announces 28nm Plans
by Kevin Morris
20100216_paved Paved with Good Intentions
Replacing Judgement with Process
by Kevin Morris
20100209_karlmarx Graphic Composition
by Dick Selwood
20100202_altera Changes in the Wind
Altera Shows 28nm Plans
by Kevin Morris
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Synopsys leverages its many years of experience to deliver a high-quality, high-performance, easy to use and technology-independent FPGA implementation solution. This solution provides FPGA designers with the fastest time-to-results for complex FPGAs, multi-vendor support, area optimization for cost reduction, powerful design analysis and RTL debug, and IP support. For a list of Synopsys FPGA implementation white papers please visit our website.
Bugged by Debugging? Techfocus Media is conducting a survey about the verification and debugging challenges of today’s most advanced FPGAs. After completing the survey, you can register for our prize drawing to win one of five $25 gift certificates to Amazon.com.
Click here to complete the survey
FPGA Journal Forum Competition
Win 500 bucks just for being smart!
LEMME AT THEM FORUMS!
(Click here for competition details)
New in the Forums
Actel SmartFusion
Actel just rolled out SmartFusion - a device that combines an ARM Cortex M3, FPGA fabric, and programmable analog. We wrote about it in a feature article (click here). ...
Posted on 03/09/10 at 7:18 PM
by: kevin
Synthesis?
I'm curious to see what time-multiplexed synthesis will look like.
Posted on 03/09/10 at 6:08 AM
by: raysalemi
Eagerly waiting ...will love to
Eagerly waiting ...will love to test this product..
Posted on 03/06/10 at 4:44 AM
by: Manish Singh
In the same boat..
Ah great to hear that someone is facing the same kind of situation...our company already faced this kind of problem.. they built long term product , working around same IP palced in a FPGA...the FPGA they were using(Antifuse) are already vanishing from ma...
Posted on 03/06/10 at 4:20 AM
by: Manish Singh
Great, nicely told story ! I am
Great, nicely told story ! I am not in the business of selling bug tracking systems, but we do deliver a software for design quality monitoring and closure.
You can see our product as a means to turn all the Mbytes of logfiles and other EDA artifacts int...
Posted on 03/06/10 at 2:59 AM
by: MichelT
Well, for the sake of argument,
Well, for the sake of argument, let's suppose you had an SRAM LUT based technology and you replaced it with a technology that cycles through a set of DRAM LUTs, refreshing the DRAM cells during the periods when they're unused. That would certainly yield m...
Posted on 03/04/10 at 6:12 AM
by: Mondo23
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If at any time, you would like to unsubscribe, click here. (But we hope you don't.)
If you have any questions or comments, send them to comments@fpgajournal.com.
All material copyright © 2008-2010 techfocus media, inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Statement
From the Editor
kevin_small.jpg
This week, we take a look at Actel's new 3-in one SmartFusion device. Combining an FPGA with an ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller (and all its peripherals) with a programmable analog section, SmartFusion offers a great integration of these commonly used capabilities for applications like motor control and power management. Our latest features takes a deeper look.
You may have noticed a reward for the best, most insightful forum posts. We're giving another away for the best posts in March, so get started posting.
Kevin Morris, Editor
FPGA Journal
FaceBook_32x32.png Twitter_32x32.png Feed_32x32.png
On Demand
Improving Performance in Spartan-6 FPGA Designs (WHITE PAPER)
Several considerations need to be taken into account to improve the performance of Spartan-6 FPGA designs. This white paper discusses how synthesis and implementation can help to optimize design performance. (Xilinx)
Actel SmartFusion: Intelligent, Innovative Integration (WHITE PAPER)
Actel SmartFusion™ Intelligent Mixed Signal FPGAs – Innovative, Intelligent, Integration. Introducing the only device that integrates a flash FPGA, hard ARM® Cortex™-M3-based microcontroller subsystem (MSS) and programmable analog into a complete, integrated solution. Don’t compromise your embedded design. Build the system you want, with all the features you need, on a single-chip solution. Read the White Paper to learn more. (Actel)
Xilinx FPGA Embedded Memory Advantages (WHITE PAPER)
The Virtex®-6 and Spartan®-6 architectures feature flexible internal memory resources that can be configured in a variety of different sizes. This white paper details the available features, illustrating the wide array of memory sizes available and shows the trade-off of using different resources to perform memory functions of different sizes. (Xilinx)
Developing Functional Safety Systems with TÜV-Qualified FPGAs (WHITE PAPER)
Market trends, the need for increased productivity, and new legislation have accelerated the use of safety systems in industrial machinery. This TÜV-qualified FPGA design methodology is changing the paradigms of safety designs and will greatly reduce development effort, system complexity, and time to market. This allows FPGA users to design their own customized safety controllers and provides a significant competitive advantage over traditional microcontroller or ASIC-based designs. (Altera)
Simplify Video Processing with IP Cores and Low-Power FPGAs (VIDEO)
Need to get your video processing systems up and running faster? Developing these applications typically requires implementing and connecting several complex functions. Watch this 5-minute video to learn about pre-verified, configurable building blocks that simplify and accelerate the process for building a complex video chain. (Altera)
Intelligent Digital Power Management (WHITE PAPER)
Today’s complex system designs require capable and efficient power management to enable the advanced features customers demand. Intelligent power management is essential in fulfilling green initiatives and minimizing power consumption. Actel offers an intelligent digital power management (IDPM) solution that provides high-level power management in a low-power, configurable, single-chip design. (Actel)
Simplifying Multi-Rail Power Management for FPGA designers (CHALK TALK)
Designing a multi-rail power subsystem? Make it easy, and protect expensive ICs, such as FPGAs. Complex designs call for powerful and sophisticated solutions without compromising ease and speed of design. Join Amelia Dalton as she talks with Dave Clemens of Linear Technology about how you can easily set up all-in-one supervising, sequencing, controlling and monitoring of multiple power supplies. (Linear Technology)
Platform Management Using MachXO & ProcessorPM PLDs (Webcast)
PLDs are commonly used in platform management applications for housekeeping and power-up management. In this webcast, we discuss the requirements of PLDs in this scenario and look at some of the advantages of the MachXO and ProcessorPM devices from Lattice. We will also examine some of the convenient tools that Lattice provides for quick evaluation and experimentation of the MachXO and ProcessorPM PLDs. (Lattice)
Latest News
March 09, 2010
Synopsys Galaxy Custom Designer Accelerates Analog/Mixed-Signal Engineering Productivity with Built-in DRC Visualization and Correction
Imec and Synopsys collaborate on 3D stacked IC development
March 08, 2010
Ericsson adds Full PMBus Read And Write Capability to Voltage Regulators
Lattice Ships Over 200 Million ispMACH 4000 CPLD Devices
60V Input Dual Output Synchronous Step-Down DC/DC Controller Draws Only 50µA in Battery-Powered Systems
March 04, 2010
Programmable 2A 2-Cell Supercap Charger with Automatic Cell Balancing in a Compact 9mm2 Package
March 03, 2010
Real Intent Releases Meridian CDC Version 3.0, Strengthens Technology Leadership in Precise and Comprehensive CDC Verification
Xilinx Lowers Cost and Power of High-Performance Video Processing for Industrial Imaging Applications
Synopsys System Studio Speeds DSP Algorithm Development With New Matrix Data-Type Support
Xilinx Simplifies Development of Real-time Ethernet Networks for Industrial Automation Applications
Curtiss-Wright Controls Boosts Speed on ADC FMC Card
Current Feature Articles
It's Just Cool
Is Smart Fusion an FPGA? Who Cares?
by Kevin Morris
In a world of increasing integration, applying past labels often becomes a pointless side-trip through downtown futility.
That iPhone in your pocket - is it a phone? Well, it has "Phone" in the name. Is it a portable computer? A digital camera? A GPS? A pager? A media player?
We can spend hours debating the semantics of various ill-fitting labels when trying to describe a new integrated device. It really doesn't pay. The best thing to do is to just try to decide whether the things we've integrated together make sense and work well as a unit. The iPhone combination listed above is proven to work pretty well. If somebody comes out with a combination electric-shaver/taser, we'll be less enthusiastic. Something is a little off-putting about getting up in the morning and having to be careful not to press the wrong button... Read More
20100302_space The Spacetime Continuum
Tabula Explains 3D FPGAs
by Kevin Morris
20100223_cards Cards on the Table
Xilinx Announces 28nm Plans
by Kevin Morris
20100216_paved Paved with Good Intentions
Replacing Judgement with Process
by Kevin Morris
20100209_karlmarx Graphic Composition
by Dick Selwood
20100202_altera Changes in the Wind
Altera Shows 28nm Plans
by Kevin Morris
EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Synopsys leverages its many years of experience to deliver a high-quality, high-performance, easy to use and technology-independent FPGA implementation solution. This solution provides FPGA designers with the fastest time-to-results for complex FPGAs, multi-vendor support, area optimization for cost reduction, powerful design analysis and RTL debug, and IP support. For a list of Synopsys FPGA implementation white papers please visit our website.
Bugged by Debugging? Techfocus Media is conducting a survey about the verification and debugging challenges of today’s most advanced FPGAs. After completing the survey, you can register for our prize drawing to win one of five $25 gift certificates to Amazon.com.
Click here to complete the survey
FPGA Journal Forum Competition
Win 500 bucks just for being smart!
LEMME AT THEM FORUMS!
(Click here for competition details)
New in the Forums
Actel SmartFusion
Actel just rolled out SmartFusion - a device that combines an ARM Cortex M3, FPGA fabric, and programmable analog. We wrote about it in a feature article (click here). ...
Posted on 03/09/10 at 7:18 PM
by: kevin
Synthesis?
I'm curious to see what time-multiplexed synthesis will look like.
Posted on 03/09/10 at 6:08 AM
by: raysalemi
Eagerly waiting ...will love to
Eagerly waiting ...will love to test this product..
Posted on 03/06/10 at 4:44 AM
by: Manish Singh
In the same boat..
Ah great to hear that someone is facing the same kind of situation...our company already faced this kind of problem.. they built long term product , working around same IP palced in a FPGA...the FPGA they were using(Antifuse) are already vanishing from ma...
Posted on 03/06/10 at 4:20 AM
by: Manish Singh
Great, nicely told story ! I am
Great, nicely told story ! I am not in the business of selling bug tracking systems, but we do deliver a software for design quality monitoring and closure.
You can see our product as a means to turn all the Mbytes of logfiles and other EDA artifacts int...
Posted on 03/06/10 at 2:59 AM
by: MichelT
Well, for the sake of argument,
Well, for the sake of argument, let's suppose you had an SRAM LUT based technology and you replaced it with a technology that cycles through a set of DRAM LUTs, refreshing the DRAM cells during the periods when they're unused. That would certainly yield m...
Posted on 03/04/10 at 6:12 AM
by: Mondo23
You're receiving this newsletter because you subscribed at our web site www.fpgajournal.com.
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you'd like to receive your own free subscription, go to: www.fpgajournal.com/subscribe.
If at any time, you would like to unsubscribe, click here. (But we hope you don't.)
If you have any questions or comments, send them to comments@fpgajournal.com.
All material copyright © 2008-2010 techfocus media, inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Statement
posted by navn @ 7:03 AM
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