$4 Shrike-lite FPGA board combines 1120 LUTs Renesas ForgeFPGA with Raspberry Pi RP2040 MCU

Shrike-lite is an ultra-cheap FPGA board based on a 1120 LUTs Renesas ForgeFPGA device (SLG47910V) and also equipped with a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller.

The board also features a USB-C port for power and programming, two 18-pin headers and a 12-pin PMOD-compatible header for I/Os, as well as Boot and Reset buttons, but not much else since it’s designed as a minimal development board.

Shrike-lite and Shrike boards specifications:

• FPGA – Renesas ForgeFPGA (SLG47910V,1120 LUTs)
  • 1120 5-bit LUTs
  • 1120 DFFs
  • 5 kb distributed memory
  • 32 kb BRAM
  • Configurable through NVM and/or SPI interface
  • Package – STQFN-24
• MCU – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Cortex-M0+ microcontroller @ 125 MHz with 264KB SRAM
• FPGA/ MCU interface – 6-bit high-speed bridge
• Storage – QSPI flash for configuration and storage
• USB – USB Type-C for programming & power
• Expansion
  • 2x 18-pin headers for RP2040 and ForgeFPGA’s I/Os
  • 12-pin PMOD compatible header
• Misc
  • Boot and Reset buttons
  • 2x user LEDs
• Dimensions – 60 x 25 mm
• Weight – 30 grams

The Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller can be programmed with Embedded C or MicroPython, while users can learn digital logic using Verilog or VHDL for the FPGA. They could also write a hybrid projects that combine firmware and hardware acceleration. You’ll find extra details and examples on GitHub.

The Shrike-lite is a cost-down version of the Shrike board with a very similar design, but a Raspberry Pi RP2350 instead of an RP2040. The latter will be launched on Crowd Supply (page still not updated to RP2350), while the lite version is sold separately. Interesting “market segmentation”…

Nevertheless, it’s a welcome development, as we were promised sub 50 cents FPGAs and support for Yosys open-source toolchain when the ForgeFPGA family was first unveiled in 2021, but so far the only SLG47910 FPGA board we had seen, sold for close to $180…

The Shrike-lite can be pre-ordered  for $4 on the Vicharack store. The price will show in Indian Rupees, but if you add it to the cart and switch to another country (e.g. United States), the website will show $4 along with $28 shipping fee, which is less than enticing. However, I was told that purchasing 10 boards would still be $28 in shipping. Shipping of the first batch is scheduled for November 15. Alternatively, you could wait for the Crowd Supply campaign for the RP2350 model, which should have a lower shipping fee, but a slightly higher price tag for the board itself.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.

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