Xilinx CoolRunner-II Starter Kit and Peripheral Module Bundle for Prototyping Ultra Low Power Devices

Xilinx announced immediate availability of the CoolRunner-II CPLD starter kit. The starter kit is targeted for prototyping ultra low-power applications such as handheld devices, motor control interface and embedded CPLD applications. The kit leverage its modular board architecture approach with multiple boards designed to work together.

Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLD Starter Kit

Xilinx recently achieved double digit growth in CPLD revenues, driven by strong growth in portable consumer applications such as PDAs, smartphones, and MP3 players. The Xilinx CoolRunner-II family of low-power CPLDs grew 30 percent quarter-to-quarter.

About CoolRunner-II CPLDs
Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLDs offer the low power, high I/O count per macrocell, and small packaging and are cost optimized to address the pricing pressure of products designed for a broad spectrum of applications. Available in densities ranging from 32 to 512 macrocells, the CoolRunner-II family achieves performance of up to 323 MHz and pin-to-pin delays as fast as 3.0ns while providing a standby power of less than 33 microwatts (<33uW), an industry first.

Targeted Application

• Low Power Design
• Logic Consolidation
• Memory Control and Interfacing
• Display Control
• Microprocessor Interface
• State Machines
• ADC Interfacing
• Stepper Motor Control
• RFID Telemetry
• Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Interface
• Power or Heat Monitor
• MP3 Player
• UART
• Smart Card Reader

The CoolRunner-II Starter Kit includes an evaluation board with eight expansion connectors; three modules including PS2, seven-segment display, and slide switch; ISE(TM) WebPack(TM) design software, and a vast array of reference designs to shrink development time. An optional peripheral module bundle consisting of A/D, D/A, motor control, stereo amplifier, serial port, and other modules expand the functionality.

Key Features of CoolRunner-II Starter Kit:

• XC2C256 CoolRunner-II in TQ144 package
• USB Interface
• One 26-pin and one 16-pin connector for daughter boards
• Eight 6-pin connectors for standard peripheral modules
• Built-in temperature and power monitor
• Free Reference Designs

The kit enables users to quickly develop and test applications while reducing design time and risk by leveraging its modular board architecture approach with multiple boards designed to work together. The kit includes an evaluation board with eight expansion connectors; three modules including PS2, seven-segment display, and slide switch; ISE WebPack design software, and a vast array of reference designs to shrink development time. An optional peripheral module bundle consisting of A/D, D/A, motor control, stereo amplifier, serial port, and other modules expand the functionality.

CoolRunner-II Starter Kit includes:

• X-Board with XC2C256-TQ144
• Resource CD, including reference manual, software, application notes, web seminars, and data sheets
• USB Cable
• ISE WebPACK CD
• PMod-PS2 (PS2 module to connect keyboard or other PS2 device to X-Board)
• PMod-SSD (Seven Segment Display module)
• PMod-SWITCH (Switch module to provide interface to 4 slide switches)

The Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLD Starter Kit is immediately available for US$49.95.

Xilinx also offers the optional CoolRunner-II CPLD Peripheral Module Bundle. The Peripheral Module Bundle includes eight different Pmods that have been specifically selected to add useful features to the CoolRunner-II Starter Kit.

Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLD Peripheral Module Bundle

The peripheral module bundle contains the following modules:

• PMod-DA2 (12-bit, 1 Msa/s digital to analog converter, 2 channels)
• PMod-AD1 (8-bit, 1 MSa/s analog to digital converter, 2 channels)
• PMod-AMP1 (1W amplified speaker module)
• PMod-HB3 (H-bridge amplifier for DC motor drive, 12V, 2A)
• PMod-CON3 (Connector module for driving up to four servo motors)
• PMod-SF (16-Mbit serial Flash module)
• PMod-RS232 (RS-232 serial port module)
• PMod-OC1 (Open Collector peripheral module)

Price of CoolRunner-II CPLD Peripheral Module Bundle is US$99.00.

Source: Xilinx CoolRunner-II CPLD Starter Kit