Getting started on Programmable Logic on the Cheap

[jonw0224]

I've got experience with electronics and microcontrollers. I used an Altera CPLD in school and still have the software, but I want to build a Programmable Logic lab at home. There appear to be many options, most of them involving purchasing a $300+US evaluation board or programmer. Since I'm a hobbiest, I'd like to spend a bit less, maybe under $100 US?

One option I considered was building a circuit involving parallel bus FLASH memory and a few flip-flops (kind of a programmable state machine). Of course I'd have to build a FLASH programmer (pretty easy) and write the software (kind of time consuming and probably less flexible unless I invested alot of time). Plus, because of the speed of FLASH and the flip-flops I'd only be able to clock it at about 12 MHz. Any interest in such an option?

Any ideas for getting started using something already manufactured? Type of programmable logic doesn't matter, I just don't want to use individual gates in combination with a microcontroller.

 

[artem]

xilinx cable and x9572 with plcc package will cost you no more than 10 dollars . Search forum for test board and xilinx LPT programmer cable schematics .

 

[echo47]

Try the Xilinx High Volume Starter Kit Bundle for only $99 US. It includes a Spartan-3 FPGA kit, a CPLD kit, cables, manuals, and starter software:
**broken link removed**

There's no microprocessor in that kit, but you could drop a PicoBlaze processor into the FPGA:
https://www.xilinx.com/products/design_resources/proc_central/grouping/picoblaze.htm

Here's a nice list of other FPGA boards:
https://www.fpga-faq.org/FPGA_Boards.shtml