Summary of MEET THE ARTICKOALA! THE FPGA DEVELOPMENT BOARD BASED ON LATTICE CROSSLINK-NX
The ArcticKoala is a new development board featuring the Lattice CrossLink-NX 72QFN FPGA. Designed by Greg Davill, it leverages sources from the iCEBreaker ICE40-UP5K and utilizes the Lattice Nexus platform for low-power, high-performance operation in a compact form factor. The board includes essential interfaces like Pmod and MIPI headers alongside a USB-Serial converter for easy connectivity.
Parts used in the ArcticKoala:
- Lattice Semiconductor LIFCL-40 CrossLink FPGA
- Winbond 25Q128 128Mbit Flash memory
- 3x Pmod extension headers
- 1x MIPI extension header
- FTDI FT2232 USB-Serial converter
Barely a week after Lattice semiconductor announced the launch of the CrossLink-NX family of FPGA, Greg Davill, in his amazing way of posting the entire development process in a twitter thread, has announced the launch of a development board based on the Lattice Crosslink-NX 72QFN.
The new board which is called the ArcticKoala was created using some of the sources from recent FPGA tools like the iCEBreaker ICE40-UP5K board. The board comprises of a Lattice Semiconductor LIFCL-40 CrossLink FPGA with a Winbond 25Q128 128Mbit Flash memory (for configuration bitstreams). In terms of interfaces, the board comes with 3x Pmod extension headers, 1x MIPI extension header, and a FTDI FT2232 USB-Serial converter to allow users to connect to the board over USB.
The CrossLink-NX family, on which the new development board is based, was designed using the new Lattice Nexus platform, which combines a 28 nm FD-SOI manufacturing process with a new, Lattice-designed, FPGA fabric architecture optimized for low power operation in a small form factor.
According to Gordon Hands, Director of Product Marketing at Lattice Semiconductor, asides from being super low power (up to 75% compared with similar class devices) and coming with better performance than most FPGAs in its class, the CrossLink-NX is supported by a robust library of design software, IP blocks and application reference designs which makes it quick and easy for developers to integrate it into new or existing designs.
Read more: MEET THE ARTICKOALA! THE FPGA DEVELOPMENT BOARD BASED ON LATTICE CROSSLINK-NX
- What is the ArcticKoala?
The ArcticKoala is a development board based on the Lattice CrossLink-NX 72QFN FPGA. - How was the ArcticKoala created?
It was created using some of the sources from recent FPGA tools like the iCEBreaker ICE40-UP5K board. - What type of flash memory does the board use?
The board comprises a Winbond 25Q128 128Mbit Flash memory for configuration bitstreams. - Does the board support USB connectivity?
Yes, it includes an FTDI FT2232 USB-Serial converter to allow users to connect over USB. - What manufacturing process does the CrossLink-NX family use?
The family was designed using a 28 nm FD-SOI manufacturing process combined with a new FPGA fabric architecture. - How much power can the CrossLink-NX save compared to similar devices?
It is super low power, saving up to 75% compared with similar class devices. - Who announced the launch of this development board?
Greg Davill announced the launch of the board in a twitter thread. - What interfaces are available on the ArcticKoala?
The board comes with 3x Pmod extension headers and 1x MIPI extension header.
