Xilinx Spartan-3A Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Devices

Xilinx announced the availability of Spartan-3A DSP (Digital Signal Processing) devices, suitable for a wide range of low cost, data intensive applications such as video surveillance, wireless, consumer and medical applications. The platform is based on Spartan-3 generation FPGAs, with the added connectivity and power management. The Spartan-3A DSP platform is part of the Xilinx XtremeDSP solutions that provide developers with a complete portfolio of programmable logic devices, IP, development tools and third party DSP ecosystem.

Xilinx XtremeDSP Solutions
Xilinx is the world's leading supplier of high-performance reconfigurable DSP solutions optimized for performance, price and power. Xilinx XtremeDSP solutions come complete with silicon platforms, design tools, development boards and kits, reference designs and a host of signal processing IP for wireless and multimedia video applications. The XtremeDSP silicon portfolio delivers maximum flexibility with three device platforms: the Virtex-4 SX platform with over 250 GMACS (multiply-accumulate operations per second) at 500MHz, Virtex-5 SXT platform for ultra-high bandwidth with over 350 GMACS at 550MHz and integrated low-power serial connectivity, and the Spartan-3A DSP platform with the most price-performance optimized devices offering over 30 GMACS at 250MHz.

Xilinx Spartan-3A Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Chip

Applications examples of the Spartan-3A DSP platform:

• Communications and Networking
  • Picocell wireless base stations
  • Femtocell wireless base stations
  • Wireless broadband access
  • Digital WAN
• Multimedia ,Video, and Imaging
  • Video surveillance
  • Consumer video
  • TVs and displays
  • Defense systems
  • Software defined radio
  • Base stations
• Industrial and Medical
  • Ultra sound
  • Motor and motion control

Five fundamental programmable functional elements of Spartan-3A DSP family architecture:

• XtremeDSP DSP48A Slice provides an 18-bit x 18-bit multiplier, 18-bit pre-adder, 48-bit post-adder/accumulator, and cascade capabilities for various DSP applications.
• Input/Output Blocks (IOBs) control the flow of data between the I/O pins and the internal logic of the device. IOBs support bidirectional data flow plus 3-state operation. Supports a variety of signal standards, including several high-performance differential standards. Double Data-Rate (DDR) registers are included.
• Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) contain flexible Look-Up Tables (LUTs) that implement logic plus storage elements used as flip-flops or latches. CLBs perform a wide variety of logical functions as well as store data.
• Block RAM provides data storage in the form of 18-Kbit dual-port blocks.
• Digital Clock Manager (DCM) Blocks provide self-calibrating, fully digital solutions for distributing, delaying, multiplying, dividing, and phase-shifting clock signals.

Member of Spartan-3A DSP family:

• XC3SD1800A
  • System Gates: 1800K
  • Equivalent Logic Cells: 37,440
  • Distributed RAM Bits: 260K
  • Block RAM Bits: 1512K
  • DSP48As: 84
  • DCMs: 8
  • Maximum User I/O: 519
  • Maximum Differential I/O Pairs: 227
• XC3SD3400A
  • System Gates: 3400K
  • Equivalent Logic Cells: 53,712
  • Distributed RAM Bits: 373K
  • Block RAM Bits: 2268K
  • DSP48As: 126
  • DCMs: 8
  • Maximum User I/O: 469
  • Maximum Differential I/O Pairs: 213

The Spartan-3A DSP FPGAs extend and enhance the Spartan-3A FPGA family. The XC3SD1800A and the XC3SD3400A devices are tailored for DSP applications and have additional block RAM and XtremeDSP DSP48A slices. The XtremeDSP DSP48A slices replace the 18×18 multipliers found in the Spartan-3A devices and are based on the DSP48 blocks found in the Virtex-4 devices. The block RAMs are also enhanced to run faster by adding an output register. Both the block RAM and DSP48A slices in the Spartan-3A DSP devices run at 250 MHz in the lowest cost, standard -4 speed grade.

Because of their exceptional DSP price/performance ratio, Spartan-3A DSP FPGAs are ideally suited to a wide range of consumer electronics applications, including broadband access, home networking, display/projection, and digital television equipment.

The Spartan-3A DSP family is a superior alternative to mask programmed ASICs. FPGAs avoid the high initial cost, lengthy development cycles, and the inherent inflexibility of conventional ASICs. Also, FPGA programmability permits design upgrades in the field with no hardware replacement necessary, an impossibility with ASICs.

Features of Spartan-3A DSP:

• 250 MHz XtremeDSP DSP48A Slices
  • Dedicated 18-bit by 18-bit multiplier
  • 48-bit accumulator for multiply-accumulate (MAC) operation
  • Available pipeline stages for enhanced performance of at least 250 MHz in the standard -4 speed grade
  • Optional cascaded Multiply or MAC
  • Integration added for complex multiply or multiply-add operation
  • Integrated 18-bit pre-adder
• Very low cost, high-performance DSP solution for high-volume, cost-conscious applications
• Hierarchical SelectRAM memory architecture
  • Up to 2268 Kbits of fast block RAM with byte write enables for processor applications
  • Up to 373 Kbits of efficient distributed RAM
  • Registered outputs on the block RAM with operation of at least 280 MHz in the standard -4 speed grade
• Suspend, Hibernate modes reduce system power
• Dual-range VCCAUX supply simplifies 3.3V-only design
• Multi-voltage, multi-standard SelectIO interface pins
  • Up to 519 I/O pins or 227 differential signal pairs
  • LVCMOS, LVTTL, HSTL, and SSTL single-ended I/O
  • Selectable output drive, up to 24 mA per pin
  • 3.3V, 2.5V, 1.8V, 1.5V, and 1.2V signaling
  • Full 3.3V ± 10% compatibility and hot swap compliance
  • QUIETIO standard reduces I/O switching noise
  • LVDS, RSDS, mini-LVDS, HSTL/SSTL differential I/O with integrated differential termination resistors
  • 622+ Mb/s data transfer rate per differential I/O
  • Enhanced Double Data Rate (DDR) support
  • Fully compliant 32-/64-bit, 33/66 MHz PCI support
  • DDR/DDR2 SDRAM support up to 333 Mb/s
• Flexible logic resources
  • Densities up to 53712 logic cells, including optional shift register or distributed RAM support
  • Fast look-ahead carry logic
  • Efficient wide multiplexers, wide logic
  • IEEE 1149.1/1532 JTAG programming/debug port
• Eight Digital Clock Managers (DCMs)
  • Frequency synthesis, multiplication, division
  • Clock skew elimination (delay locked loop)
  • Wide frequency range (5 MHz to over 320 MHz)
  • High-resolution phase shifting
• Eight low-skew global clock networks, eight additional clocks per half device, plus abundant low-skew routing
• Configuration interface to industry-standard PROMs
  • Low-cost, space-saving SPI serial Flash PROM
  • Low-cost Xilinx Platform Flash with JTAG
  • x8 or x8/x16 parallel NOR Flash PROM
  • Load multiple bitstreams under FPGA control
  • Unique Device DNA identifier for design authentication
• MicroBlaze and PicoBlaze embedded processor cores
• BGA and CSP packaging with Pb-free options
  • Common footprints support easy density migration

XtremeDSP Spartan-3A DSP Development Board

The XtremeDSP Spartan-3A DSP Development Board (HW-S3A-DSP-SK-UNI-G) is powered by the Spartan-3A DSP 3400A device and supported by industry-standard peripherals, connectors and interfaces, the Spartan-3A DSP Platform provides a rich feature set for wide range of applications. Designed for use with the Xilinx System Generator for DSP development platform, the Spartan-3A DSP Development Platform provides a great entry-level environment for developing signal processing designs.

XtremeDSP Spartan-3A DSP Development Board

Key Features:

• Co-processing – scalable, open-standard FMC site
• Xilinx Devices:
  • XC3S3400A-4FGG676C Spartan-3A FPGA
  • XC2C64A-7QFG48C CoolRunner-II CPLD
  • XCCACE-TQG144I SystemAce
  • XCF32PVOG48C Platform Flash
• Extensive peripheral support
• Flexible I/O – open standard EXP site
• Clocks:
  • 25 MHz Ethernet clock
  • 14.31818 MHz Audio codec clock
  • 12 MHz USB clock
  • 33 MHz System Ace clock
  • 33 MHz FPGA clock
  • 27 MHz FPGA clock
  • 200 MHz FPGA clock
• Memory:
  • 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM
  • 256 Mbits Flash
  • 9 Mbits ZBT SRAM
  • 256 MB Compact Flash
  • 32 Mbits Platform Flash
  • 16 Mbits SPI EEPROM
• Connectors and Interfaces:
  • System ACE CF (Compact Flash)
  • JTAG Programming Interface
  • SODIMM DDR2 connector
  • LCD character display (2 x 16)
  • RJ-45 - 10/100/1000 Ethernet
  • USB (2) - host and peripheral
  • RS-232 serial port
  • GPIO DIP switch (8), LEDs (8), and pushbuttons
  • Video (DVI/VGA) output
  • Audio Out (2) – line and amp
  • Audio In (2) – line and microphone
  • Compact Flash connector
  • EXP Half expansion connector
  • PS2 (2) – keyboard, mouse
  • FMC LPC expansion connector
  • Soft Touch Pro
  • Mictor Trace Port

Volume production of Spartan-3A DSP  is in the end of 2008. Pricing is for 25K units qty:

• 3SD1800A device: $29.85
• 3SD3400A device: $44.95

Price of XtremeDSP Spartan-3A DSP Development Board is $1,095. Development tools and PC download cable are not included and must be ordered separately.

More info: Xilinx Spartan-3A DSP Devices