If you are planning to learn about Altera’s product, or the basic knowledge of FPGA, we provide you answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What kind of device is FPGA?
- Is it true that it’s able to replace MCU, ASSP, or ASIC?
- Compared to ASIC, which part of the FPGA is superior?
- What can I do using the FPGA?
- FPGA is a very expensive device, so the applied equipment is limited?
- I am a software developer, have never made a circuit design. Would system development using FPGA be difficult for me?
- Is this true that FPGA is high-heat-generating?
- Why is it that in the development environment of the FPGA, most of the tools are offered by FPGA vendors?
- In FPGA you create a dedicated circuit, so the memory needed for microcontroller on the board is not necessary for FPGA?
- Even looking at the data sheet for the FPGA, I could not understand the pin assignment and frequency……
- A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturing – hence "field-programmable".
Contemporary FPGAs have large resources of logic gates and RAM blocks to implement complex digital computations.
Is it true that it’s able to replace MCU, ASSP, or ASIC?
- It is true. As an alternative device for ASSP, MCU or ASIC, it is already used in digital consumer electronics, such as mobile phone base stations and communication equipment, broadcasting equipment, as well as flat-screen TV.
FPGA had been used as a prototype device to develop MCU, ASSP, or ASIC, taking advantage of its high flexibility.
In other words, in terms of functionality, it had the power with MCU, ASSP or ASIC.
And the cost of development is getting lower and lower these years.
In addition, the fact that automobile manufacturers are discussing to use it in in-car device explained that the quality, function and cost, etc. of using FPGA in end product has been recognized.
Compared to ASIC, which part of the FPGA is superior?
- FPGAs and ASICs are both specialized chips that perform complex calculations and functions at high levels of performance. FPGAs, however, can be re-programmed after fabrication, allowing the line cards’ feature set to be upgraded in the field after deployment. Being able to upgrade the data plane of a deployed router extends the useful lifespan of the system; which correlates to extend investment protection.
Since an ASIC is not re-programmable, an ASIC-based line card cannot be upgraded in the field. This is a huge differentiator between the two technologies.
- An FPGA can be used to solve any problem which is computable. This is trivially proven by the fact FPGA can be used to implement a Soft microprocessor. Their advantage lies in that they are sometimes significantly faster for some applications due to their parallel nature and optimality in terms of the number of gates used for a certain process.
Specific applications of FPGAs include digital signal processing, software-defined radio, ASIC prototyping, medical imaging, computer vision, speech recognition, cryptography, Bioinformatics, computer hardware emulation, radio astronomy, metal detector and a growing range of other areas.
FPGA is a very expensive device, so the applied equipment is limited?
- No, it is not limited.
When an FPGAs is only used as prototype device, it used to be expensive.
Now being installed in the end product, the total cost, including each customer’s cost and development cost is even cheaper than ASIC. Prices change from the different quantities though.
In addition, there are various product lines now, including the price-oriented products, as well as functionality-oriented products.
FPGA was initially a universal device which is suitable for mass production. So with the increase in utilization, cost has been reduced.
In addition, the utilization of programmable functional advantages in the market or factory which can achieve product upgrades can reduce further costs.
I am a software developer, have never made a circuit design.Would system development using FPGA be difficult for me?
- No need to worry about it.
Instead of programming a chip by telling it what to do, FPGAs allows you to tell a chip what to be. Like everything though, a new skill set is needed to fully exploit the power of FPGAs.
If you understand editing, compiling, assembling, linking, and loading in microprocessor programming, you can relate this to editing, compiling, synthesizing, placing, routing, and loading in FPGA programming. But you need to learn Verilog, VHDL to program circuit design.
In addition, FPGA vendor develops products for its own internal structure of FPGA products. For example, Altera, offers free [Web Edition] to develop FPGA for the Integrated Development Environment “QuartusⅡ”.
Compared to software development, FPGA development has a good support system. For example, various distributors and FPGA vendors offer some courses, technical documents. In addition, seminars are often held for developers. If you encounter a problem, don’t worry, you can consult the distributor or supplier, they will help you out.
Is this true that FPGA is high-heat-generating?
- Don’t worry.
Most of the heat generated by an FPGA is created when the flip-flops transition from one-to-zero or zero-to-one.
But if you use FPGA’s functional advantages to develop the program, then the heat will not be a big problem.
Compared to the device processor such as a microcontroller, it has more measures to suppress heat generation, also can achieve low power consumption.
For example, TSMC’s 28nm low-power process in the production of “Cyclone Ⅴ FPGA” is that even with the power supply voltage of 1.1V driver can maintain high performance products.
Why is it that in the development environment of the FPGA, most of the tools are offered by FPGA vendors?
- Regarding to FPGA development tools, we do not only provide the tool, but also provide IP support and technical support system.
FPGA vendors offer comprehensive development support system, can solve your problems when you need.
There are not so many FPGA vendors, so the chip’s internal structure, design processes and design tools are closely integrated, cannot be separated.
But when it comes to logic synthesis tool, FPGA development tools provided by third parties are also available.
For your information, Altera’s “QuartusⅡ” develop software, whose storage capacity is small, but its processing speed is very fast, you can get a good logic synthesis results, which can be compiled despite the high utilization of resources, and easy to use, is an extremely powerful and stable tool.
In FPGA you create a dedicated circuit, so the memory needed for microcontroller on the board is not necessary for FPGA?
- Memory is still required.
For a system with FPGA, when the power is turned on, the program is poured from external, and then configures the circuit designe.
Therefore, ROM for configuration with program needs to be installed to fit on the substrate, with a flash memory.
However, there is also a product called CPLD which is provided with a ROM for configuration inside the chip. CPLD’s circuit scale is smaller than the FPGA, but does not require an external ROM.
Even looking at the data sheet for the FPGA, I could not understand the pin assignment and frequency……
- FPGA is a device that can be configured flexibly. Pin assignments and operating frequency are not fixed if the program to be written to the FPGA is not determined.
Operating frequency varies greatly depending on the parameters that you specify in the development tools and configuration of the circuit designed. You can also specify the pin assignments on the design tool.