FTDI And DLP Design Deliver FPGA Dev Tool

FTDI and DLP Design were sharing a booth at Boston ESC. FTDI was showing off its USB-based Vinculum product line (see Wanna Boost Functionality? Cut Costs? Try A Reference Design) while DLP Design had two interesting products on display. The first was the DLP-FPGA. This tiny USB-based board is an FPGA development tool for the Xilinx Spartan. The pins on the bottom allow the board to be plugged directly into a host adapter. It can run using power from the USB connection or from some of these pins when operating in a stand alone mode. The training package is priced at $189 but boards alone are available for $119. It is a surprisingly inexpensive yet powerful development tool. The second product is the $29.95 DLP-FLASH2. This little USB-stick will program any number of Microchip PIC controller target boards. It works with Microchip's software development tools. I'll be doing a hands-on review of both products so check for added links to this article in the future. Related Links DLP Design FTDI