FTDI's platform incorporates all of the hardware,
software and documentation needed for ‘out-of-the-box' FPGA development. The
hardware comprises a compact development module incorporating an Altera
EP2C5F256C8N Cyclone-II FPGA and an FTDI FT2232H USB-to-multi-purpose UART/FIFO
IC. One channel of the FT2232H is utilised for FPGA-to-PC communications and
supports data transfer speeds of up to 40 Mbyte/s. The second channel of the
FT2232H is used to configure and reconfigure the FPGA over USB. USB programming
eliminates the need for Flash configuration memory normally required to
configure SRAM-based FPGAs.
The Morph-IC-II features up to 80 general
purpose I/O (GPIO) lines.
USB software interfacing is provided via FTDI's royalty-free drivers and sample FPGA
reference designs help to speed prototyping and further reduce development
times. The FPGA can be programmed and configured using Altera's Quartus II
development software, which is available as a free download from the Altera
website.
Altera's EP2C5F256C8N FPGA offers 4,608
embedded FPGA logic elements (LEs) and 26 embedded logic RAM elements for the
implementation of LSI and entry-level VLSI (very large scale integration)
designs with up to 80,000 gates and 119 Kbits of RAM. The FTDI FT2232H IC
offers USB-to-UART and USB-to-high-speed FIFO options for general-purpose
communications with PC application software. The FT2232H also features a Multi
Protocol Synchronous Serial Engine (MPSSE); a configurable serial controller
that allows designers to implement JTAG, SPI, I2C or other application-specific
serial interfaces.
Morph-IC-II is supplied with FTDI's VCP
(Virtual COM port) and D2XX Microsoft Windows and Linux USB drivers,
eliminating the need for additional driver development for most applications.
VCP drivers make the USB device appear to the PC as an additional COM port,
enabling application software to access the USB device in the same way as it
would access a standard port. The D2XX drivers, which offer direct access to
the USB device through a DLL, provide an API-based interface for developers to
interact with the hardware using C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, Embarcadero Delphi
and National Instruments LabVIEW.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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