Microcontroller, FPGA, or CPLD for Precision Pulse Control?

Thread starter Jdo300
Start date Aug 8, 2007
Tags

Fpga Microcontroller

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on selecting the appropriate technology for programmable precision pulse control, focusing on microcontrollers, FPGAs, and CPLDs. Jason O, the original poster, seeks advice on which platform to learn first, given his background in Assembly, C++, VB, and Java. Participants highlight that microcontrollers are simpler and cost-effective for basic tasks, while FPGAs offer superior flexibility and precision for complex applications, albeit at a higher cost and steeper learning curve. Recommendations include using Xilinx's ISE WebPack for FPGA programming and Altera's Quartus II for CPLD development.

PREREQUISITES

Basic understanding of digital electronics and programmable logic.
Familiarity with programming languages such as C and Assembly.
Knowledge of hardware description languages, particularly Verilog.
Experience with development kits for microcontrollers or FPGAs.

NEXT STEPS

Research Xilinx's ISE WebPack for FPGA design and programming.
Explore Altera's Quartus II for CPLD development.
Learn about numerically controlled oscillators (NCOs) for precise pulse generation.
Investigate analog frequency synthesizer chips for high-frequency applications.

USEFUL FOR

Electronics engineers, hobbyists in embedded systems, and anyone interested in precision pulse generation using programmable logic devices.

Aug 20, 2007

Jdo300

I'm studying the datasheet for the IC now. It looks like they actually implements some kind of serial command structure for this IC (Man it's practically a microcontroller on it's on). Here's a link to the datasheet. The I/O info starts on page 30:

http://www.ortodoxism.ro/datasheets2/2/049iw670xf1p0dyxsaoplk09ss3y.pdf

Man this just keeps getting better