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openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

PCB confirmed the "DIPSY easysolder PCB" deliver on 20th july, this is special downgraded version of the PCB, 2 layers, drill 0.15, trace space 50 micron..

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

I have done AVR in ICE65 but I do not recall the max clock I was able to achive. Internal clock is 48MHz, with some speed tweaking I guess a 4 clock-per instruction AVR core could work. But the beauty is that you can implement part of the "code" in real hardware.. or add custom instruction, or roll your own cpu..

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

its maybe not direct replacement of MCU, but more like addon on, customized peripheral that handles things that are too fast for software, examples could be: PWM input, i2c PWM controller, barcode emulation controller, nonstandard interface that need precise timing where software bitbang would eat too much cpu time.. etc.

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

all IC pins are available, 5 normal I/Os arranged as DIP8, the "LED IO" also usable as input or opendrain output are in the innner rows where you can solder 6 pins down, or socket "up", so all 10 I/O are available.

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

xilinx in DIP8? Really? smallest coolrunner is qfn32 and that DOES not fit inside DIP8 footprint with through holes..

and coolrunner is so not cool, really.. I have done it all, :) doing it since 1979

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

its 4 layer PCB with 275 micron via pad and 75 micron mechanical drill. I am not joking our PCB fab confirmed its doable technology for them.

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

correct, and we use link to icestorm with permission from our other ice based project.

icestorm uses HX1K as main target, but porting to iceultra should be not an issue any more as almost all work is done.

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

5USD is doable ball-park figure. Doable price even if using our own in-house manufacturing in Germany. Volume production in Asia can be way below of course.

openchipon Low-Power $5 FPGA Module

no need for crystal, 10khz and 48mhz internal oscillator, and I do have some solution for the OTP use. Its a dowside, but it still amazing pastard. And yes AVR core fits nicely, I have done, and will port the old code from ice65 to iceultra. Yes volume pricing is below 1USD, and YES I have done commercial products with microcontroller with wholesale below 3 usd.. cheers Antti