November 2009

Simplify System Control Designs with New MachXO Control Development Kit

Temperature measurement, current monitoring, power supply sequencing, fan control and fault logging are typical board control functions used in complex circuit designs. System designers are faced with continual pressure to meet their development schedules, and the need to implement control functions with minimal effort and risk while maintaining maximum flexibility. By using a programmable-based approach for their designs, designers can accelerate their time-to-market, address system cost and space reduction and ensure a high level of product differentiation.

MachXO Control Development Kit

New Demos Optimized for System Control Functions

The following new demos are optimized for the MachXO Control Development Kit.

• Power supply fault logging    
  Monitor and keep a log of power supply failures using the MachXO PLD, Power Manager II - POWR1014/A and SPI Flash memory. Maximize system reliability by monitoring devices for marginal power supply failures and minimize warranty payments on board returns from customers by determining the root cause of specific device failures. 

• Voltage monitoring using delta-sigma ADC     
  Monitor sensors and power rails for free by replacing discrete ADCs in your system. The delta-sigma ADC is implemented using an analog comparator, low pass RC filter, Successive Approximation Register (SAR) technique and a delta-sigma DAC. An analog input signal is tracked and converted to a digital value. Parameter values can be modified to select the bit precision of the ADC and to adjust the sampling frequency. 
• Fault isolation using BSCAN testing  
  Leverage BSCAN1 and BSCAN2 reference designs to partition complex JTAG chains on a printed circuit board. Detect and isolate faults more efficiently and cost effectively with zero risk.  
• Interface to CompactFlash memory     
  CompactFlash memory continues to be commonly found in system control designs to provide simple plug memory. This fun demo shows how you can use MachXO and the LatticeMico8 microcontroller to talk to Compact Flash.
• Control SoC Demo
  Pre-loaded Control SoC design demonstrates board control functions including fan speed control based on temperature monitoring, LCD control, comprehensive power supply monitoring and reset distribution in conjunction with the Power Manager II - POWR1014/A and 8-bit LatticeMico8 microcontroller.

The MachXO Control Development Kit provides a complete platform for rapidly prototyping system control designs with MachXO PLDs. Promotional pricing for the MachXO Control Development Kit is $119 and is good for kits ordered via the Lattice Online Store through November 30, 2009. The figure below shows the MachXO Control Development kit and Control Evaluation Board.

MachXO Control Evaluation Board

To Learn More

For further information about how MachXO PLDs are used in system control designs, refer to the MachXO PLDs in System Control Designs white paper. For more information about the MachXO Control Development Kit, see the Lattice website.