Arrow Electronics has introduced a new FPGA IoT maker board for start-ups, universities or established equipment manufacturers who want a flexible, low cost FPGA platform for development.
The board uses a single chip Intel MAX10 FPGA, with 8000 logic elements, that includes integrated flash memory, a 1Msps 12bit ADC for analogue signals and a 3.3V power supply. Other features include embedded SRAM, DSP blocks, instant-on within milliseconds, and the ability to implement Intel’s NIOS II soft core embedded processor to perform microcontroller tasks.
The MAX1000’s power can be supplied as 5V from the USB port or via a separate pin. An Enpirion DC/DC converter with integrated coil then generates the 3.3V supply used on board. A MEMS oscillator provides the clock supply for the FPGA and the USB bridge.
The low power, 3-axis acceleration sensor – also based on MEMS technology – can be used for position and motion detection, which are often required in IoT applications. External SDRAM can be used for storage of application data or as memory for the NIOS II processor.
The integrated Arrow USB-Blaster enables the FPGA to be programmed directly from a PC and debugged using the free of charge Intel Quartus Prime Lite software.