fpga News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

October 31, 2025October 30, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

ESP32JTAG – An open-source wireless JTAG and logic analyzer (Crowdfunding)

EZ32 ESP32JTAG is an open-source, wireless JTAG and logic analyzer tool that can debug both MCUs and FPGAs. It features a 16-channel 250 MHz logic analyzer and integrated UART interface, designed to replace tools such as ST-Link or Saleae analyzers in a single compact, wireless solution. The device is built around an ESP32-S3 dual-core SoC and a small FPGA with 5k logic gates and 1 Mbit of internal RAM to handle high-speed signal processing. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth 5.0, and USB Type-C, and a small 1.83-inch LCD displays system information such as IP address and status. The ESP32JTAG is also equipped with four configurable 4-wire ports for JTAG, SWD, UART, and logic analyzer mode, and supports target voltage monitoring. EZ32 ESP32JTAG specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – dual-core Tensilica LX7 @ up to 240 MHz with vector instructions for AI acceleration Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB […]

October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

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

Shrike Lite Renesas ForgeFPGA RP2040 board

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 […]

September 8, 2025September 6, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

KIWI 1P5 – A low-cost GOWIN GW1N industrial FPGA board with onboard USB-JTAG/UART

The OneKiwi KIWI 1P5 is a low-cost FPGA board built around the GOWIN GW1N-UV1P5 device. Priced at $14, it is designed for prototyping, digital logic design, and educational applications. The FPGA offers 1.5K LUT4 logic elements, 72Kbit of block SRAM, 96Kbit of on-chip flash, and a single PLL. The board comes with 40 user I/O pins via dual-row 2.54 mm headers, along with an onboard USB-C port for power. Debug and communication are handled by an onboard GOWIN USB-JTAG debugger and USB-to-UART bridge, while user interaction is done through two buttons and two LEDs. Additionally, a DIP switch enables external FPGA programming. OneKiwi KIWI 1P5 specifications: SoC – Gowin GW1N-UV1P5 1,584 Logic Units 96Kbit Block SRAM 256Kbit User Flash 2x PLL 6x I/O Banks Up to 125 user I/Os No embedded hard processor USB USB Type-C port for power and USB to UART USB Type-C port for debugging (USB to […]

August 27, 2025August 27, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

FPGA-based Game Bub handheld console supports original Nintendo cartridge, wireless controllers (Crowdfunding)

Game Bub open source hardware FPGA retro emulation handheld

Game Bub is an open-source AMD Artix-7 FPGA and ESP32-S3-based handheld gaming console that supports Nintendo Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. On top of that, it supports TV output via the Game Bub Dock and features Bluetooth for connecting wireless controllers. The device also features cartridge backup and restore functions through FlashGBX, letting users save files, dump ROMs, reflash writable carts, and even extract photos from the Game Boy Camera. The device supports direct ROM loading and the built-in rumble motor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and real-time clock ensure compatibility with games that rely on these peripherals. The device is housed in a transparent 90s-style enclosure, runs on a 3000 mAh battery for over 14 hours of gameplay, and weighs just 250 g, making it portable yet durable. Additionally, it can be used as an FPGA development board with its PMOD expansion slot and plenty of unused […]

August 21, 2025August 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Icepi Zero – A Lattice ECP5 FPGA board in Raspberry Pi Zero form factor (Crowdfunding)

Icepi Zero Lattice LFE5U FPGA board Raspberry Pi Zero form factor

The Icepi Zero is a compact Lattice ECP5 FPGA open-source hardware development board following the Raspberry Pi Zero form factor, and equipped with a microSD card slot, three USB-C ports, a GPDI mini connector for video output, and a 40-pin GPIO header. I was confused at first, since Debashis wrote about the Pico2-ice board a few days ago, but it’s a different design with an RP2350B MCU and a Lattice ICE40U5K FPGA with 5.3K LUTs. Made by Icy Electronics, the Icepi Zero is a pure FPGA board with 24K LUTs, 32MB SRAM, and 16MB QSPI flash that can be used for retro gaming/computer and general FPGA gateware experimentation. Icepi Zero specifications: FPGA – Lattice Semi ECP5U 24k LUTs 112 KiB of RAM 28x 18 x 18 Multipliers Memory – 256 Mbit (32 MB) of 166 MHz SDRAM Storage 128 Mbit (16 MB) of QSPI Flash microSD card slot Video Output […]

August 19, 2025August 19, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Pico2-Ice development board combines Raspberry Pi RP2350B with Lattice iCE40UP5K FPGA

pico2 ice Raspberry Pi RP2350B + iCE40UP5K FPGA development baord

tinyVision.ai has recently released the second-generation ot its open-source hardware pico-ice FPGA development board, upgrading the Raspberry Pi RP2040 to the newer RP2350B along with dedicated user LEDs and buttons for both the MCU and the FPGA. The Pico2-Ice also exposes the RP2350B’s HSTX interface through a 22-pin connector, while keeping the same Lattice iCE40UP5K FPGA. The onboard iCE40UP5K FPGA features 5.3k LUTs, 1 MB SPRAM, and 120 KB DPRAM, along with 4MB SPI flash and 8MB low-power PSRAM. The board also exposes all RP2350 pins and 32 FPGA GPIOs via 2.54mm pitch headers in Pmod format. It includes two RGB LEDs and two pushbuttons (separately mapped to the MCU and the FPGA), and integrates onboard 3.3V/1.2V regulators for power. These features make this board suitable for exploring HDLs, embedded systems, and FPGA programming with open-source tools. Pico2-Ice specifications: Microcontroller – Raspberry Pi RP2350B MCU CPU – Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 processor @ […]

August 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

FPGA-based Modos Paper Dev Kit supports a wide range of E-Ink displays, up to 75 Hz refresh rate (Crowdfunding)

Modos Paper Grayscale or Color E-Ink displays

Modos Paper Dev Kit helps users create an open-hardware E-Ink monitor with a fast 75 Hz refresh rate and low latency thanks to a Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA driver board, and compatibility with a wide and of E-Ink displays between 4-inch and 42-inch in size. The resulting grayscale or color E-ink monitor can be connected through HDMI or USB and works on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Modos Paper driver board specifications: FPGA – AMD/Xilinx Spartan-6 LX16 FPGA running Caster gateware Memory – DDR3-800 framebuffer memory MCU – STMicro STM32H750 Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller for USB communication, firmware upgrades, and standalone applications. Processing rate up to 133 MP/s when error-diffusion dithering is enabled, and 200 MP/s when disabled Supported Displays – 4-inch to 42-inch E-Ink displays without integrated TCON; See long list on GitHub Video Input USB Type-C DisplayPort Alt-Mode with on-board PTN3460 decoder microHDMI connector for DVI video input with on-board ADV7611 […]

July 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

FPGA-based Commodore 64 Ultimate keyboard PC is compatible with original C64 games

The last original Commodore 64 keyboard computer was sold in 1994, and since then, the Commodore brand and assets have been owned by various companies over the years, until YouTuber Christian Simpson (Perifractic) bought all assets earlier this year to revive the brand and launch the Commodore 64 Ultimate. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is based on an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA coupled with 128MB RAM and 16MB NOR flash, and can emulate the original computer, giving access to over 10,000 games and programs made for the original C64 computer. The new computer is a mix of old interfaces with analog outputs for CRT TVs, cartridges, SID sockets, and disk drives, and more recent ones, such as HDMI, WiFi, USB, and more. Commodore 64 Ultimate specifications: FPGA – AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA System Memory – 128MB DDR2 RAM Storage 16MB NOR flash Internal microSD card slot Support for USB flash drives […]